The Celtics broke the game open in the second half and went on to win the game and the series. (1:32)
The San Antonio Spurs traded backup guard Bryn Forbes to the Denver Nuggets. The move made a big impact on the Eastern Conference finals.
The opening of an opportunity for the Boston Celtics has been fully realized, as they have pushed the Miami Heat to the brink after a 93-80 Game 5 win on Wednesday and a 3-2 series lead.
It had been eight years since the Spurs were willing to work a trade, and the Celtics had a small part in it. The Spurs were open to trades and the Celtics wanted in.
A few weeks ago, a bunch of phone calls and a lot of negotiations, the Celtics pulled the sword from the stone and landed guard Derrick White.
White is not the main reason the Celtics are in the NBA Finals. Boston is in this position because of White, a starter-level guard who is a luxurious backup for a title contender.
The East had a very competitive regular season. The teams with 50 wins were separated by two games. There have been several years in the past decade when the 5-seed in the East was obtained because of a 44-win team not making the playoffs.
There was a chance of a great East playoff bracket being diminished by injuries. The Philadelphia 76ers' chances of making it to the conference semifinal round were damaged by the injuries to Embiid. The Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round due to Khris Middleton's knee injury.
The Heat have been reduced to a partial output of their 53-win roster because of injuries to three of their best offensive players.
Kyle Lowry, who has played the past three games but as a shell of himself, went 0-of-6 in Game 5 and is 5-of-23 in the series. His strength has been taken away by an injury.
Jimmy is playing on one leg and is unable to get off a jump shot or get past defenders. In the first two games of the series, he went to the foul line 26 times.
The Celtics stopped guarding him. They treated him as an unskilled screen Setter, not the most dominant offensive player.
Celtics coach Ime Udoka said that they wanted to keep a big on him.
The worst two-game shooting stretch of his career has been recorded over the past two games, as he is 7-of-32 from the field.
Tyler Herro has missed two games because of a groin injury. The Heat wouldn't push Herro to play. It would have been irresponsible to do that, according to the coach. The production of Herro, who averaged 21 points a game this season, has proved to be important as Miami has averaged 81 over the losses in Games 4 and 5.
Back to the February deal. Boston's preparation has saved them. Marcus Smart has missed three games because of injuries and getting White has proved to be a vital addition. The Celtics have a perfect record in those contests. White had 14 points, five assists and two steals when Smart was limited.
In the first half of Game 5, White scored 11 of the Celtics 37 points, keeping the team afloat. He had 13 points, 8 rebound, 6 assists and 3 steals in place of Smart in Game 4.
The last two games have been great. Jaylen Brown took over the starring role in the second half.
The Celtics are banged up themselves, with Marcus Smart's right leg being a medical case study and Robert Williams III coming back from a late-season surgery.
The Celtics had their full roster available for the first time in the series in Game 5. Brown and Tatum were the leaders again, as usual. The reason the Celtics won was because they had more healthy players.
The Celtics have persevered because of how the roster has been constructed for this gauntlet, the addition of White and his ability to deliver within his role being the best example.
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are playing for a spot in the NBA Finals. You can watch the action on the internet.
Game 6: Celtics at Heat.
Game 7*: Sun., Celtics at Heat (ESPN)
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