Boston fans can finally stop holding their collective breath because in Game five of the Eastern Conference Finals, the third member of its Big Three finally acted like it.

Ray Allen, who hadn’t been able to find his shooting touch this postseason, busted out of his slump by pouring in 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting. He led Boston to a 106-102 victory, and a 3-2 series lead. Allen also went 5-for-6 from the three-point line. Prior to this game, he had been 3-for-14 from behind the arc against Detroit.

Despite scoring 25 points in Game three, coming into Game five, Allen was only averaging 14.6 points on 38-percent shooting. Against Cleveland in the second round, he averaged a woeful 9.3 points points per game on 33-percent shooting.

Allen’s shooting slump had been one of the biggest stories of the postseason, and Celtic fans were encouraging him with every shot. He got off to a hot start in Game five by hitting a pair of three-pointers in transition, and that seemed to set the tone for the night.

Allen’s touch was also evident from the free-throw line where he went 6-for-6, including nailing two clutch free throws with six seconds remaining in the game.

Another welcome sight for Boston fans was Kendrick Perkins. Perkins added playoff career-highs with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Perkins was a force in the paint, and is a big reason why Boston out rebounded Detroit 42-25. Kevin Garnett led all scorers with 33 points, and also contributed on the glass with seven rebounds.

The victory in Game five is huge for the Celtics because in all playoff series that were tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has won the series 83 percent of the time. The Celtics look to be in the driver’s seat to reach their first NBA finals since 1986, and if Allen has fought through his slump, they will be very tough to beat.

Other Thoughts…

Statintelligence.com welcomes Ray Allen to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Celticsnews.com was wowed by Game five.

Coachingbetterbball.com says Ray Allen shot his way out of his slump.

Pokopya.com declares Allen is back in the Big Three.

Oddjack.com recaps the pivotal fifth game.