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Bam Adebayo. Mark J. Terrill / AP
Miami Heat, the revelation team that nobody ranked among the best this season, will play the NBA title with the Lakers of its old acquaintance LeBron James.
Those from Florida settled the final of the Eastern Conference with a resounding victory (
125-113)
that put the final 2-4.
A few weeks ago, no one was betting on the Heat.
They didn't qualify for the
playoffs
last season, they didn't have any superstars, they weren't in any of the forecasts, including the annual poll among sports directors that ranked Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Boston, Brooklyn and Toronto as favorites, and concluded the regular phase in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
His
playoff
performance
has been impeccable.
Eliminated Indiana (0-4), Milwaukee (1-4) and Boston (2-4).
Erik Spoelstra has managed to set up a very compact and effective team, with many players capable of taking center stage.
In the sixth game against the Celtics, his best assets were Adebayo, with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists, and Jimmy Butler, with 22 points and 8 assists.
Adebayo lifts Miami to Finals!
đź’Ş @ Bam1of1's playoff career-high 32 PTS, 14 REB help the @MiamiHEAT win Game 6 and advance to the #NBAFinals presented by YouTube TV!
MIA / LAL Game 1: Wednesday at 9 pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/PjHNHdFDXQ
- NBA (@NBA) September 28, 2020
The Heat already dominated from the first quarter, but the Celtics reacted, came within two points at the end of the second and third quarters and even took the lead (90-96) with nine minutes remaining.
But Adebayo, Butler and the effectiveness of the seven players Spoelstra used ended up sapping the stamina of Brad Stevens' team.
The contribution of the veteran Andre Iguodala, who this season hardly played due to physical problems, was the best throughout the playoffs, with 15 points, without a single error in the field goals including four triples, in addition to 3 rebounds and two steals. ball.
Tyler Herro, the 20-year-old rookie who already caused a sensation with 37 points in Game 4 against the Celtics, shone again with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists.
Spoelstra has managed to implement, in certain phases of the games, a very effective zone defense and a configuration of the quintet on the court without a pivot, with the
small ball
, weapons that the Celtics also used.
The defense of Brad Stevens' team failed to stop the offensive effectiveness of the Heat, who obtained a remarkable 56% accuracy on field goals and also scored 22 points from the free throw line, 10 more than their rival.
Brown's 26 points and 8 rebounds, Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart's 20 and Jayson Tatum's 24 were not enough to lead the Celtics to a final they have not disputed since they lost it in 2010 to the Lakers of Kobe Bryant and Pau. Gasol.
Miami returns to the final six years after it concluded its golden four-year term with the trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
That team, already led by Erik Spoelstra, Heat coach since 2008, played four consecutive finals and won two rings, in 2012 and 2013. The president of the Heat is Pat Riley, he won five titles with the Lakers, one as a player ( 1972) and four as a coach (1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988), plus another as an assistant coach (1980).
He also coached the Knicks and signed for Miami as coach in 1995. He left the bench in 2003, but returned in 2006 to relieve ousted Stan Van Gundy, and won the first title in Heat history.
Now, as president of the Florida franchise, he will face his former team, the Lakers.
LeBron James will also face the duel in the final against his old team.
Miami, 125;
Boston, 113 (4-2)
Miami:
Dragic (13), Duncan Robinson (15), Butler (22), Crowder (9), Adebayo (32) -starting team-;
Herro (19), S. Hill (0) and Iguodala (15).
Celtics:
Kemba Walker (20), Smart (20), Brown (26), Tatum (24), Theis (6) -starting team-;
Hayward (12), G. Williams (0), Kanter (3), R. Williams (2) and Wanamaker (0).
Partials:
33-27, 29-33, 26-26 and 37-27.
THE 'PLAYOFFS'
East End
Miami, 125;
Boston, 113
(4-2)
West end
Lakers, 117;
Denver, 107
(4-1)
The final
Lakers-Miami (3.00, early morning from Wednesday to Thursday)
Lakers-Miami (3.00, early morning from Friday to Saturday)
Miami-Lakers (Oct. 4, 1.30)
Miami-Lakers (Oct.6, 3.00)
Lakers-Miami (October 9, 3.00)
Miami-Lakers (Oct. 11, 1.30)
Lakers-Miami (October 13, 3.00)
