I would not have bet money on the Celtics in Game 5 but they did great. The Celtics actually did not play all that much better than they did in Cleveland (36.5% Fg% for example), to me it was more about how poorly Thompson, Smith, and Hill played. I was expecting the Cavs to be better. Either way, I will take it.
They did change up the defense on LeBron which worked, especially when Smart was in for Rozier. They still switched but then played a soft sag to tilt the defense toward LeBron without fully double teaming. As the play developed, they either went to a full double or rotated back to reset the match ups. It clearly worked as Lebron was held in relative check and the rest of the starters really didn't hurt us. This was part good scheme, part good execution/intensity, and part not hitting shots. I thought Smart in particular did a great job of being in position to help/double while still getting back to his man or whoever was left after a rotation.
Can the Celtics win one on the road?