Boston Celtics guard Marcus Good is tough to overlook. His bounce shot will be an amusement-park journey. He’ll attempt the occasional alley-oop move from midcourt. He spoke earlier this month in regards to the obvious brutality of a playoff sport as a “true dogfight — scratching and clawing, biting, blood, all the things.” He dyes his hair inexperienced.

It’s all a part of the colourful package deal, and, on Thursday evening, Good showcased his position as a defense-minded agent of chaos on the opening possession of Recreation 5 of the Jap Convention finals towards the Miami Warmth.

Good was defending Jimmy Butler away from the ball, close to the highest of the perimeter, when Bam Adebayo of the Warmth drove to the basket. Good reached on the ball, stripped it free and dove to gather it close to the foul line earlier than shoveling it forward to Jayson Tatum for a fast-break layup and the sport’s first factors.

One play doesn’t outline something, in fact, particularly in a postseason collection. However that play — a clear steal earlier than the Warmth might even take a shot — appeared to trace at all the things that was to return in the course of the Celtics’ 110-97 victory, which prolonged their season. The Warmth lead the collection, 3-2. Recreation 6 is Saturday in Miami.

The Celtics, the No. 2 seed within the East, compelled 16 turnovers in Recreation 5. They threw a full-court press on the Warmth popping out of timeouts. They led by as many as 24 factors. By the fourth quarter, Warmth Coach Erik Spoelstra was pacing in entrance of the visiting bench along with his arms on his hips, and Butler, who completed with simply 14 factors towards a number of defenders, appeared weary.

“I needed to get us going,” mentioned Good, who checked out of the sport to an ovation after scoring 23 factors. “I needed to return in and provides my crew some vitality, particularly going towards a crew like Miami.”

He added: “We did the knocking round tonight.”

The strain is squarely on the Warmth earlier than Recreation 6. They will surely welcome the return of Gabe Vincent, their place to begin guard, who missed Recreation 5 with a sprained ankle. However in case anybody thinks they’re reeling, Butler supplied a Namath-esque assure at his postgame information convention.

“We are able to and we’ll win this collection,” he mentioned. “We’ll simply have to shut it out at dwelling.”

Not so way back, the Warmth had all of the momentum. The truth is, early within the third quarter of Recreation 4 on Tuesday, they gave the impression to be closing in on a four-game collection sweep. There was one possession in that sport when three offensive rebounds led to a 3-pointer by Max Strus, pushing Miami’s result in 9 factors in entrance of a house crowd that was primed to have fun a visit to the N.B.A. finals.

The Celtics might have crumbled like a sand fort into Biscayne Bay. However a humorous factor occurred: They promptly went on an 18-0 run. Not was the Warmth’s zone protection such a riddle. Not have been the Celtics’ 3-point pictures rimming out and in. And now not did the end result of the collection seem like a foregone conclusion after the Celtics’ 116-99 victory, which despatched it again to Boston.

A number of Celtics talked about the significance of a crew assembly between Video games 3 and 4, which occurred at a time when almost everybody exterior their locker room figured their season was toast. Coach Joe Mazzulla was fielding questions on whether or not he had misplaced his crew. Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been being scrutinized for his or her inconsistent play. Broadcasters have been cracking jokes about imminent journeys to Cancun.

“I imply, Recreation 3, that was as little as you will be,” Tatum mentioned. “The nice half about being that low is that you simply solely can play higher. It’s solely up from there.”

After Thursday’s win, Mazzulla mentioned one among his assistants had offered worthwhile perspective.

“The seasons are, like, 9 months lengthy, and we simply had a foul week,” Mazzulla mentioned. “Typically you may have a foul week at work. We clearly didn’t decide the perfect time to have a foul week, however we did, and we’re sticking collectively and preventing like hell to maintain it alive, and the blokes are actually coming collectively.”

The Celtics are making a behavior of digging holes — they trailed the Philadelphia 76ers, three video games to 2, of their convention semifinal collection — earlier than MacGyvering their method out. Good acknowledged that the Celtics might have been too lax in how that they had approached their collection with the eighth-seeded Warmth.

“They snuck up on us and acquired us,” mentioned Good, who was requested to elaborate. “That’s the factor about sneaking up on any individual: They’re not speculated to know you’re coming. In order that’s what occurred. We didn’t know. We didn’t see it, they usually acquired us. It wasn’t like we have been making an attempt to have that mind-set. It’s a part of the sport. It’s a part of life. It’s a part of the curler coaster of taking part in within the N.B.A.”

Now, the Celtics are midway towards snapping one among skilled sports activities’ most curious and seemingly shatterproof streaks. No N.B.A. crew has ever come again from a 3-0 collection deficit. Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Lakers grew to become the one hundred and fiftieth crew to have tried (briefly) and failed (miserably) when the Denver Nuggets swept them within the Western Convention finals.

As for the Celtics, Good pumped the brakes on trying past Recreation 6.

“To begin with, we’ve to fret about one — the subsequent sport, not two video games,” he mentioned.

On Thursday, Good was a kinetic drive. He linked on back-to-back 3-pointers for an early 10-point lead. He began the primary half with a steal and punctuated it with one, too, poking the ball away from the Warmth’s Caleb Martin. He defended and scored, grimaced and scowled, ending with 5 steals whereas taking pictures 7 of 12 from the sector and 4 of 6 from 3-point vary.

“He’s simply an emotional key for us,” Mazzulla mentioned. “When he’s locked in and taking part in each side of the ball at a distinct tempo, it type of provides us our id and our life.”