BOSTON -- There's no questioning the Boston Celtics' talent, but one popular critique of the team in recent years has been its toughness.
That especially was the case in last year's Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Miami Heat, whose physical play proved too much for Boston in the seven-game series. In this year's first-round rematch, however, the Celtics looked like the tougher team as they steamrolled Miami in five games.
The Heat did their best to rattle the C's by mucking the series up. In Game 1, Miami forward Caleb Martin caused a stir with a controversial foul on Jayson Tatum. While Jaylen Brown and others confronted Martin, Tatum popped back up and immediately walked to the other side of the court to take his free throws.
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Tatum took another shot in Game 4, a post-whistle foul by Heat big man Bam Adebayo that caused him to fall and tweak his ankle. After the game, Tatum shrugged off the incident as a non-issue.
It's becoming more apparent with each playoff game that these Celtics are different than years past. After Wednesday's emphatic Game 5 win over Miami, Tatum had a message for those who continue to question their toughness.
"The world we live in is, there's gotta be something wrong with every team. That's what they like to say," Tatum said. "You can see how talented we are. I think it's lazy or easy to say that teams can out-tough us. I never understood that. Like, what's the definition of tough? Having louder guys on your team? That s--t don't make you tough.
"Everybody has their own definition of what toughness is. Playing the right way, showing up every day to do your job without complaining. I think that's being tough."
These Celtics undoubtedly fit that definition.
Tatum finished Game 5 vs. Miami with 16 points on 4-of-9 shooting while grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds. Derrick White and Jaylen Brown led the way in scoring with 25 points apiece, as the C's shot 40 percent from 3 (16 for 40) while holding Miami to just 84 points on 3 of 29 3-point shooting (10.3 percent)
The Celtics will meet either the Orlando Magic or Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals -- two matchups that will continue to test their toughness. The Cavs currently lead that series 3-2 and will have a chance to clinch in Friday's Game 6.
