The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will each enter Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals with plenty of pressure on their shoulders.
That pressure should only intensify given the unknown injury status of both Malcolm Brogdon and Gabe Vincent.
The Celtics and Heat both listed their injured guards as questionable on Friday, as Brogdon is still dealing with right forearm soreness while Vincent is still recovering from a sprained ankle.
Brogdon has been dealing with his forearm injury for the majority of the series, reportedly suffering a partial tear in the tendon from his right elbow to forearm in Game 1. Though the Celtics have expressed appreciation for his willingness to play through the injury, it has had a clear effect on his play. In the four games Brogdon has played while nursing the arm, he’s shot 5-of-22 from the field (22.7%) and made just 1-of-12 attempts from three-point range, with the 30-year-old leaving Boston’s Game 5 win after just eight minutes.
Vincent has been much more effective than Brogdon in the series, with his absence in Game 5 having a clear effect on the Heat offense. He averaged 17.5 points on 57.9% shooting from the field and 50% shooting from beyond the arc in Game 1-4, with a sprained ankle forcing him out of Game 5.
Though it might sound crazy considering Brogdon won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year this season, the Celtics would probably have no issue sitting the Virginia product if it meant not seeing Vincent, who has carved them up when on the floor this season. In an effort to push things to Game 7 in Boston, missing Vincent would go a long way.
