East Conf. Finals Game 5 - Cleveland Cavaliers 83-96 Boston Celtics: Celtics' Player Ratings  

Aron Baynes - 8/10

Baynes swats away Clarkson's layup attempt

Stat line: 6 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3-of-7 from the field

Slotted into the starting lineup to deal with Tristan Thompson's presence on the glass and inside the paint, Baynes played a crucial role in Boston's win today. While his impact does not show up in the box scores, he was a big part of why LeBron was unable to get into the paint and score as and when he wanted.

He also defended TT extremely well, holding the undersized forward-center to just 1 point on 0-of-3 shooting while tallying more rebounds than him. Baynes has added the 3-point shot to his arsenal over this season, but he did not get a chance to display that on the night with only one shot attempt from downtown which he missed.

It remains to be seen whether Brad Stevens starts him in Game 6, but Baynes has proved time and again that he is capable of anchoring the Boston defense whenever required of him. This game was another exhibit that added to this notion.