The Miami Heat enter Game 5 against the Boston Celtics after starting the Eastern Conference finals series with a pair of road wins at TD Garden.
It’s a big reason why Miami currently owns a 3-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series, a mere one win away from the NBA Finals. Nevertheless, the Heat currently are viewed as a noticeable 8.5-point road underdog against a Celtics team that failed to win as the favorite in each of the first three contests. And media pundits like NBA analyst Charles Barkley give the Heat no chance to win Game 5 while ESPN’s Mike Greenberg even made the case the Celtics could come all the way back to win the series.
Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra, however, explained how the eighth-seeded Heat aren’t particularly concerned with that consistent underdog narrative.
“We don’t give a (expletive),” Spoelstra told reporters after the team’s shootaround Thursday morning, per CLNS Media. “I’m trying to compete. This is a great opportunity. And our guys love these kinds of challenges. Love to compete. Love the playoffs and love playing in an environment like this. This is what it’s about. It’s not about getting ahead of it, you want to be present for the competitive nature of what we can expect (Thursday). That’s how our guys are wired.”
Miami will be without starting point guard Gabe Vincent, who was ruled out Thursday morning due to an ankle injury he suffered in Game 4. But with Jimmy Butler on the floor and Spoelstra on the sideline, the Heat have proven they have what it takes to shock people. Should they win Game 5, it seems like oddsmakers and pundits would fit that category.
Tip off from TD Garden is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
