The Boston Celtics got a bit of a reprieve from not closing out their series against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, as the Miami Heat defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday to send the Eastern Conference No. 1 seed home for the summer.
The Heat became the first No. 8 seeded team in NBA history to hold the No. 1 seed to just one win in a postseason series.
Jimmy Butler willed Miami to victory in Game 5 dropping an absurd stat line of 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Thoug he was the only Heat starter to finish wth a minus in the box score, Bam Adebayo had a 20-point triple-double, his acrobatic shot to send the game to overtime proved to be a precursor to the Bucks elimination.
If Boston can close out their series on Thursday night in Atlanta, they will go on to face the Philadephia 76ers, and with the Bucks’ loss, the Celtics now own home-court advantage throughout the remainder of the postseason.
