Tatum on Game 5: Celtics ‘shouldn’t relax’

MIAMI — In three of the primary 4 video games of the Japanese Convention finals, the crew main on the finish of the primary quarter has come out on high every time.

So, because the Boston Celtics put together to tackle the Miami Warmth in Sport 5 at FTX Area on Wednesday night time, with the collection knotted at two video games apiece, they’re conscious they should zero in on a robust begin to this recreation to return away with a desperately wanted highway victory.

“No matter occurred final recreation is final recreation, regardless if we gained by 25 or 2,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum stated after Boston’s shootaround Wednesday morning. “All of them depend as one [win]. So we should not really feel any higher about ourselves as a result of we blew them out [in Game 4].

“And I feel we should not loosen up. We should always form of take a look at it as a brand new collection, and tonight is a must-win recreation. And I feel while you method one thing as a must-win and have extra sense of urgency, particularly to start out, I feel that is how we must always method tonight, and that goes in with the primary 5, six minutes of the sport.”

For the previous two rounds, courting again to the beginning of the Japanese Convention semifinals towards the Milwaukee Bucks, the Celtics are actually a pristine 5-0 after they misplaced the earlier recreation. However coming off wins, Boston is a dismal 1-4, with its lone victory coming at residence in Sport 7 towards Milwaukee.

If Boston is to get out of this collection and attain the NBA Finals for the primary time since 2010, that document should change — and the Celtics should win one other recreation in Miami after successful Sport 2 right here final week.

Along with beginning the sport off nicely, the opposite apparent distinction in every recreation is Boston’s skill — or lack thereof — to handle the ball. Within the Celtics’ two victories, they’ve dedicated solely a handful of turnovers. Of their two losses, they’ve thrown the ball everywhere in the fitness center, permitting the Warmth to get one straightforward transition basket after one other.

“I feel we’re assured,” guard Payton Pritchard stated. “We all know what we have now to do, handle the ball, set the tone defensively, however we have been on this state of affairs within the final collection.”

“It simply begins from the bounce … it begins with our depth. Each time we come off a loss, we play like our backs are towards the wall. We bought to take that mentality into each recreation, and clearly simply handle the ball. The video games we misplaced, we had 39 turnovers. The video games we gained, we had 18 turnovers, in order that’s an enormous distinction.”

Boston can also be ready to see whether or not guard Marcus Sensible and middle Robert Williams III can play, as each are listed as questionable for a second straight recreation. Sensible is coping with the correct ankle sprain that held him out of Sport 4, and Celtics coach Ime Udoka stated he nonetheless has “ache, swelling and soreness” forward of Sport 5. Sensible will once more get therapy all through the day main as much as tipoff earlier than a call is made on his standing, Udoka stated.

Williams, in the meantime, can also be coping with ongoing soreness, and his stems from the left knee that has given him a wide range of points for the previous two months. Williams had surgical procedure on his meniscus late within the common season, inflicting him to overlook most of Boston’s first-round collection towards Brooklyn, then missed three video games within the Milwaukee collection due to soreness stemming from a bone bruise.

He additionally sat out Boston’s Sport 3 loss on this collection with soreness in that knee, then returned in Sport 4 — and he seemed to be limping at instances within the third quarter.

As with Sensible, Udoka stated Williams will obtain therapy all through the day earlier than his standing might be decided.