MIAMI — In three of the first four games of the Eastern Conference finals, the team leading at the end of the first quarter has come out on top each time.
So, as the Boston Celtics prepare to take on the Miami Heat in Game 5 at FTX Arena on Wednesday night, with the series knotted at two games apiece, they are aware they need to zero in on a strong start to this game to come away with a desperately needed road victory.
“Whatever happened last game is last game, regardless if we won by 25 or 2,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said after Boston’s shootaround Wednesday morning. “They all count as one [win]. So we shouldn’t feel any better about ourselves because we blew them out [in Game 4].
“And I think we shouldn’t relax. We should kind of look at it as a new series, and tonight is a must-win game. And I think when you approach something as a must-win and have more sense of urgency, especially to start, I think that’s how we should approach tonight, and that goes in with the first five, six minutes of the game.”
For the past two rounds, dating back to the start of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Celtics are now a pristine 5-0 when they lost the previous game. But coming off wins, Boston is a dismal 1-4, with its lone victory coming at home in Game 7 against Milwaukee.
If Boston is to get out of this series and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010, that record must change — and the Celtics will have to win another game in Miami after winning Game 2 here last week.
In addition to starting the game off well, the other obvious difference in each game is Boston’s ability — or lack thereof — to take care of the ball. In the Celtics’ two victories, they’ve committed only a handful of turnovers. In their two losses, they’ve thrown the ball all over the gym, allowing the Heat to get one easy transition basket after another.
“I think we’re confident,” guard Payton Pritchard said. “We know what we…
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