The Boston Celtics took a massive step on their quest toward an NBA championship on Wednesday night. The C’s defeated the Miami Heat, 93-80, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, and are one game away from the NBA Finals after taking a 3-2 series lead.
While Boston ultimately got the result it was looking for, the first half was ugly, and they went into halftime trailing, 42-37.
Veteran leader Al Horford shared the team’s game plan, which did not change in the second half. According to Horford, they just executed at a much higher level.
“For us, it was just to come out and continue to play the way that we’ve established,” Horford told reporters in his postgame press conference. “And in the first half it was tough because we weren’t hitting shots, we were turning the ball over. The key for us was continuing to do what we do… defending and then on offense just playing how we play. And eventually, we were able to get it going.”
Horford scored 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting, secured seven rebounds and recorded five assists in the road win.
The Celtics will have home-court advantage as they look to put down the Heat and reach the NBA Finals. Tipoff for Game 6 is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday at TD Garden.
