The Boston Celtics were dealt a big injury concern in their Game 4 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night when Kristaps Porzingis was forced out of the game early with a right soleus strain. It didn't matter in that game, and it didn't matter in Game 5, as the C's cruised to a 118-84 victory to advance to the second-round and send the Heat home for the offseason. And as has been the case for much of the year, Jaylen Brown was leading from the front for Boston in this big win.

Brown and Derrick White both dropped a game-high 25 points on their way to a fairly effortless victory, but they got contributions up and down the lineup from their supporting cast as well. While some folks will be looking at Brown and Jayson Tatum to step up and shoulder a larger load with Porzingis out, Brown doesn't see it that way, saying that he thinks it will require a team effort from the C's if they are going to make it without their star big man for however long he's out.

Via Jay King:

“Jaylen Brown was asked if he and Jayson Tatum need to do more without Kristaps Porzingis. ‘No,' Brown said. ‘I think we just have to continue to play our game like we’ve been doing our whole career and continuing to show our growth and trusting our teammates. I think if we’re going to win, we’re going to win as a team. And we’ve gotta be able to use everybody to their best strengths. So I think that’s what we’re more focused on is let the game come to you but do whatever it the game needs to get a win.'”

Jaylen Brown, Celtics embracing team mentality amid Kristaps Porzingis' injury

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) looks to get around Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) during the first quarter of game five of the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden.
Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

While Boston has one of the top duos in the league in Tatum and Brown, they also have an incredibly deep roster that helped them finish the regular season with the best record in the NBA. It's pretty telling that Al Horford was able to effortlessly slide into the starting lineup with Porzingis out, as that's the sort of depth that few other teams in the league possess.

Even beyond the big man rotation, the Celtics have so many ways in which they can beat their opponents. Brown had tons of success attacking Miami in the paint, leading the team with 22.8 points per game in the series, while White absolutely torched Miami for 22.4 points per game on a blistering 57.7 shooting percentage from the floor. Tatum didn't have a particularly great series, scoring 21.8 points per game but on just 41.6 percent shooting, and it didn't even really matter.

Regardless of whether the C's are facing the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Orlando Magic in the second round, they are going to have more firepower than the shorthanded Heat squad that the Celtics just dispatched. But as long as Boston continues to play as a team, with Tatum and Brown leading the way, they should be able to continue to dominate for as long as they are in the playoffs.