Hardest working. Best conditioned. Most professional. Unselfish. Toughest. Meanest. Nastiest. That’s some of the rhetoric used to define” ‘Heat Culture.”
Well, at least according to their cringe-worthy mission statement inscribed in the lane of their “culture court.”
However, not everyone views it in the same light. In Boston, opinions on Heat Culture sharply differ, often labeling it as reckless, dangerous, and cheap, especially in light of recent incidents such as controversial fouls against Jayson Tatum in Games 1 and 4.
Love it or hate it, one thing is undeniable: when you face the Miami Heat, expect a physical battle. They’ll push you to your limits, aiming to make you uncomfortable every step of the way.
This has been evident in this series with the Celtics. And, while not flawless, the Celtics have responded admirably, meeting the challenge head-on — except for the anomaly that was Game 2, where Miami’s historic three-point shooting spree, knocking down a franchise postseason record of 23 triples at a blistering 53.5% clip, left the Celtics reeling. For reference, they have made just 18 on 29.5% in their last two games.
As Boston returns to TD Garden for Game 5 after efficiently handling business in South Beach, where they trailed for only 56 seconds across Games 3 and 4, they have the opportunity to close out the series at home, on the very court where Miami dashed their hopes just 11 months ago.
Looking back, the Celtics have a history of making things more complicated than they need to be, especially at home.
Take last year’s first-round Game 5 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, for example. Despite holding a 13-point lead at home in the fourth quarter, the Celtics stumbled with a sloppy finish, ultimately costing themselves the game. This forced them to travel back to Atlanta for an extra game to close out the series.
In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics missed a golden opportunity to seize control of their series against the Philadelphia 76ers, dropping Game 1 despite Joel Embiid’s absence due to a knee injury. Once again, at home.
And as for the Eastern Conference Finals... well, we all remember how that turned out.
The Celtics can do themselves a huge favor with a win on Wednesday night. With Cleveland securing a victory over Orlando on Tuesday night, the earliest Boston’s Eastern Conference Semifinals series can kick off is Sunday. Meaning that with a win, the Celtics would secure some valuable time off. If the Cleveland-Orlando series goes the difference, that’s an additional couple of days.
The significance of extra rest during the postseason cannot be emphasized enough. This rings especially true for the Celtics, who have endured a physically demanding series against the Heat. Furthermore, increased time between games is particularly beneficial for the Celtics, as it allows Kristaps Porzingis more opportunity to recover from his calf injury.
Boston doesn’t want to go back to Miami. The NBA playoffs are a marathon, testing teams mentally, physically, and emotionally. And an extra 48 minutes in Miami for a potential Game 6 would not bode well for a Celtics team looking to go the distance.
Throughout the season, the Celtics have avoided letdowns, and giving this Miami team even a glimpse of hope in Game 5 would be a setback in their progression. Boston has consistently shown its ability to learn from past mistakes, and a win on Wednesday night would mark another step in the right direction.
Related
