The Boston Celtics took a while to get going in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, which forced them to play a flawless second half to extend their season.
In fairness to the C's, they did play an awesome second half and outscored the Heat 70-50 en route to a 121-108 win.
Celtics guard Kemba Walker is hoping his team brings that same energy shown in the third and fourth quarters of Game 5 right from the get-go in Sunday night's must-win Game 6.
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Walker has yet to have a breakout game in the conference finals. He's averaging a solid 19.6 points per game for the series, and his highest scoring output was 23 points in a Game 2 loss. A huge game from Walker would not only go a long way toward the C's having a strong chance to force a Game 7, it also would lessen the pressure on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to match their scoring rate (59 points combined) from Game 5.
Blakely: Can C's play with same urgency in Game 6?
The veteran point guard also was asked Sunday about the Los Angeles Lakers winning the Western Conference title and clinching a spot in the 2020 NBA Finals on Saturday night. Walker, as you would expect, is not looking ahead.
A Celtics vs. Lakers matchup in the NBA Finals would be great for the league, and it hasn't happened since 2010. But the Celtics still have a lot of work to do before they can get excited for a historic championship matchup.
Forsberg: C's breathe life into East finals with rare rally
Boston Celtics
The Celtics are trailing the East Finals 3-2 and need two more consecutive wins to eliminate the Heat, who have shown throughout the season they will not go down without a strong fight.
One of the reasons why the Celtics won Game 5 was they turned the ball over eight fewer times compared to Game 4, and Walker only had one turnover. Boston will need to handle the ball with the same care Sunday night to force a decisive Game 7.