Celtics Change Their Fate, Lead Series 3-2
In a stunning reversal of fortunes, the Boston Celtics have come back from an 0-2 deficit against the Chicago Bulls. It started with Game 3 in Chi-Town, where four of the Celts’ starting five scored in double digits while Jimmy Butler shot 7-21 from the floor, missing all four of his attempts from three. After mounting a 20-point lead and nearly losing it in the third, the Celtics sprung to the finish line with a 104-87 win. The next night, Isaiah Thomas and Jimmy Butler traded 33-point games, but the Celtics tied the series at 2. Then Wednesday, Thomas and Avery Bradley scored 24 apiece to help the Celtics take a 3-2 lead.
G Isaiah Thomas helps the Celtics take a 3-2 lead in the first round playoffs against Chicago.
Everything seemed to go downhill after a broken thumb sidelined the Bulls’ X-factor, Rajon Rondo. Since then the offense has stumbled trying to regain its composure. And just as the Celtics took advantage of the Cavs’ injuries to take the top spot in the East, so too have they overtaken the Bulls in historic fashion. By all intents and purposes, momentum is on their side.
It helped that in game 5, Al Horford scored 21, adding nine assists and seven rebounds. Avery Bradley’s 24 points were a career playoff high, but his defense was equally impactful. After holding Butler to 14 points — and just one foul shot — Celtics coach Brad Stevens praised the guard’s astounding performance.
“Jimmy Butler’s a hard guy to guard. Dwyane Wade’s a hard guy to guard. You’re not going to stop those guys, but you just try to make it as hard as possible,” Stevens said. “Avery … has done a really good job.”
Going 11 for 19 from the field, while fouling Jimmy Butler just once and finishing with zero offensive turnovers, Bradley set the pace for the rest of his team.
They followed suit, going 23-23 from the free throw line as a team. Thomas sank 11 from the line. Horford hit 4-4, and Jae Crowder hit 5-5. Not to mention the Celtics forced 16 Bulls’ turnovers while giving up only 6.
Everyone stepped up their play and came together for an important win. It was the kind of night a top seed hopes for at this juncture in the Playoffs. Now they head back to Boston for a pivotal Game 6. That game kicks off on Friday.
