Celtics head home looking to close out top-seeded Heat

BOSTON (AP):

Jayson Tatum wants experience to be the Celtics’ guide as they return home with a chance to wrap up their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2010.

Tatum was a rookie during Boston’s run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2018, when they grabbed a 3-2 series lead over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He also remembers what it felt like as the Celtics watched James unravel their dreams with a 46-point performance in the Cavaliers’ Game 6 win, followed by a 35-point effort in Cleveland’s decisive Game 7 victory at TD Garden.

Boston again have a 3-2 conference finals lead, this time over the top-seeded Miami Heat, with Game 6 set for today.

Tatum said this feels different.

“I’m a lot better. Jaylen Brown is. We’re just older. And we’ve been through those tough times,” Tatum said. “But the mindset and the talk that we had after the game was, we were down 3-2 last time (in semi-finals vs Bucks) and had to go on the road to win Game 6 and we did. So we can’t think that it’s over with.”

Tatum wants to see Boston maintain the mentality of the underdog.

“We need to go back home like we’re down 3-2. With that sense of urgency that it’s a must-win game,” he said. “Not relaxing because we’re up ... . The job’s just not finished yet.”

The Celtics do seem to be facing a Heat team that over the past two games hasn’t come close to resembling the one that won Games 1 and 3.

All-Star Jimmy Butler insists he’s fine, but appears to be at least slowed by the right-knee inflammation that sidelined him during the second half of the Heat’s Game 3 win. Over the past two games, he’s scored just 19 points, while shooting 7 of 32 from the field.

DISAPPEARED

Kyle Lowry has all but disappeared offensively since returning from a hamstring injury, and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro has missed the past two games with a groin injury.

It’s all contributed to the Heat going from shooting an NBA-best 38 per cent from the 3-point line during the regular season to just 29 per cent in the conference finals.

“Honestly, it doesn’t matter,” Butler said. “If I’m out there, I gotta do better. I gotta find a way to help us win and I haven’t been doing that. I’m fine, my knee is OK. I just gotta do better. It’s no excuse.”