Miami Heat Reach Conference Finals, Awaiting Winner Of Celtics-Raptors
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics are one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference finals. If they get there, they won't have to deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
That's because the Miami Heat completed their upset of the top-seeded Bucks on Tuesday night, winning Game 5 by a final score of 103-94. The Heat did it with balanced scoring, with six players hitting double figures -- including two players off the bench.
The Heat jumped out to a surprising 3-0 series lead on Friday night with a 115-100 win, during which they outscored Milwaukee 40-13 in the fourth quarter.
The Bucks then lost Giannis Antetokounmpo to an ankle injury in Game 4, which the Bucks ended up winning in overtime, 118-115, to keep the series alive.
But on Tuesday in Game 5, with Giannis not playing, the Heat were simply too much. The Bucks opened up a 13-point lead in the first quarter before Miami went on a 30-9 run and never looked back.
The Heat have been on an absolute tear since the playoffs began. They swept the Pacers in the first round, winning each game by an average of 10.5 points. They extended that playoff win streak to seven before dropping Game 4 over the weekend.
All of that came after Miami went just 3-5 during regular-season play once the season resumed in the Disney bubble. They entered the playoffs as the fifth seed in the East, but clearly, something clicked once the postseason began. And the Heat now sit four wins away from returning to the Finals for the first time since LeBron James and crew led them there in 2014.
The Celtics can punch their ticket to the conference finals with a win on Wednesday night. If not, a winner-take-all Game 7 between Boston and Toronto will be held on Friday.