Celtics vs. Heat: Game 5 Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Analysis

The Boston Celtics have turned an 0-2 series deficit into a 3-2 series lead with an impressive 94-90 victory on the road against the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. 

This was a game of runs, and things did not look good for Boston early. 

Miami burst out of the gate and had a 26-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Celtics closed the half strong and narrowed the lead to 42-40. 

It was then the Heat's turn to go on a run. They had a nice lead in the third, until Boston closed the quarter on a 15-1 run, and they entered the fourth with a 65-60 lead. 

Miami opened the fourth quarter strong, but the poised Celtics withstood the challenge. 

Tweets of the Night

Coach Koran Godwin of JumpStartHoops.com points out the beauty of the Celtics' team approach and the value of communication:

"

You have to love the Celtics heart.They communicate and make sure everyone is on the same page.You have to talk.

— Coach Koran Godwin (@CoachGodwin) June 5, 2012"

As Dwyane Wade continues to struggle from the charity stripe, Bleacher Report's Dan Favale brought up a ludicrous idea that suddenly isn't so ludicrous:

"

An interesting tactic for #Celtics to employ from hereon out would be hack-a-wade. #Heat

— Dan Favale (@danfavale) June 5, 2012"

New York Knick Amar'e Stoudemire was sitting courtside for this game. See: 

Indoor shades and sweet cut-off looking jacket aside, this was not going to escape the attention of Knicks fans, who had to watch their team get eliminated by the Heat earlier in the playoffs.

New York Daily News' Knicks beat writer Frank Isola thought of another way that Stoudemire could attend the Eastern Conference finals:

"

Amare left Paris just to sit courtside at Heat-Celtics? If he really wanted to be at the East Finals that badly....you know the rest

— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) June 5, 2012"

The Orlando Magic Daily shared an observation that points out a huge problem with the zone defense temporarily employed by the Celtics:

"

#Celtics are really struggling to box out in this zone defense. Bosh looking like Dwight out there

— Orlando Magic Daily (@OMagicDaily) June 5, 2012"

Must-See Highlight

Chris Bosh is back. Making his first appearance of the series, the Heat forward didn't waste much time showing that his injury problems would not limit him, as he finished off this nice move to the hoop while getting fouled:

Grades for Key Celtics Players

Rajon Rondo: B

Rondo was a disaster from the field, as Miami made it a priority to keep him from lighting up the scoreboard. He finished with seven points on just 3-of-15 shooting from the field.

This didn't slow down Rondo in the assist department, though. He had 13 of them, and he was also incredibly active on defense with four steals.

Paul Pierce: B

Boston needed Pierce to come up huge and for most of the night he did not. However, he drilled a huge three with LeBron in his face and just over a minute left on the clock to give the Celtics a four-point lead. 

Pierce was just 6-of-19 from the field and finished with 19 points. Pierce also did a poor job on the glass, finishing with four boards.

Grades for Key Heat Players

LeBron James: B+

As he struggled with his shot, James pounded the boards. He finished with 13 rebounds. 

James improved his shooting a bit late, but was just 11-of-25 from the field for 30 points. He had a nice all-around game, though, and a couple of big plays in the fourth. 

Dwyane Wade: A-

Wade started off slow, but came up huge in the fourth. He was aggressive with the ball and came up big on the offensive glass on several occasions. 

He was 10-of-22 from the field with 27 points. He also had six boards, three assists and a block. 

Game MVP: Kevin Garnett

Garnett had a tremendous game on both ends of the court. He was a nice presence on defense and fantastic on offense. He was a consistent force for Boston and kept his team in it when no one else could score. 

He also nailed two free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining to give the Celtics a four-point lead and essentially seal the win. 

He had 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting and 11 boards. 

Deciding Factor: Ball Movement

This was a well-played defensive game. These teams did an excellent job of taking away the first and second options for the offense. 

This put an emphasis on ball movement, and the Celtics won this battle. They moved great off the ball and did an excellent job of making the extra pass. They won the assist battle 19-13. 

What's Next?

This series will return to Boston for Game 6 on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.