Tatum shakes off rough start -- and shoulder issue -- for strong Game 5

BOSTON -- Jayson Tatum had a horrid start to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Heat, and for a while, it looked the Celtics' star may be dealing with a shoulder injury.

It's the playoffs, so no one is completely healthy. But Tatum was clearly bothered by his right shoulder in the early goings of Game 5.

He grabbed the shoulder early in the game after being bumped by Kyle Lowry, the same shoulder that he suffered a stinger in late in Game 3. He grabbed it again after he was whistled for an offensive foul on a drive to the hoop late in the second quarter and was slow to get off the floor after running into a sea of Heat players.

Tatum hit just one shot in the first half of Game 5, going 1-for-9 from the floor for four points. He front-rimmed most of his misses and looked like he was either grabbing his shoulder or flexing his hand and fingers after most possessions.

But coming out of halftime, Tatum looked like a different player. He finished the game with 22 points off 7-for-20 shooting, and flirted with a triple-double with 12 rebounds and nine assists.

He admitted that the shoulder was bothering him in the first half, but he put it out of his mind and focused on playing better basketball in the second half. Boston completely flipped the script with a dominant second half, as Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to score 37 points out of the break.

The win has Boston one victory away from the NBA Finals. The Celtics can end it with a win Friday night at TD Garden, but Tatum says they have a lot of work to do if they want to close out the Heat.

"This is far from over. We just went into Milwaukee and won a very big Game 6, so we know that it's possible," said Tatum. "We came in tonight with the mentality that it was a must-win game and we have to carry that over; go into Friday like we're down 3-2. 

"This is a great team that is well-coached and it's not going to be easy," he added. "I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a challenge but it's going to be fun."