A series that will go into the NBA history books. The Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 84-103 on Monday night, finished 3-4 and advanced to the finals of the best league in the world where they will play against the Denver Nuggets.
Boston, in front of a home crowd, dreamed of becoming the first in the history of the best league in the world to come back from 3-0 down, but froze and was defeated in a one-sided game. Miami makes history of its own by becoming the second team to finish eighth in the regular season to reach the Grand Finals.
This game may have been decided in the first quarter. Jayson Tatum, who led Boston all season and in the playoffs, landed badly on his foot and limped for almost the entire game. He finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, but was far from his usual ability.
Jimmy Butler, on the other hand, continued to deliver one of the rarest postseasons a player has displayed in league history, recording 28 points and 7 rebounds en route to being named MVP of the series. He got big help from Caleb Martin, who shelled out 26 points of his own in an impressive game of his own.
Jimmy's steal and slam tied the Heat's largest lead of the night at 17 😳
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/Jop9TwH694
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 30, 2023
Jayson Tatum. He barely stood on his feet, Photo: AFP
Butler is named MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals, Photo: AFP
The Heat led by 17 points in the first half and dominated unchallenged throughout the game. Derrick White (18 points) tried to lead a comeback in the third quarter, but got no help from teammates. Jaylen Brown (19 points) had a weak game going 8-of-23 from the field, and Al Horford and Marcus Smart also finished with fewer than 10 points.
Miami, which had only 8 players, got nice contributions from Gabe Vincent (10 points) and Bam Adebayo (12 points and 10 rebounds) as well as Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson who finished with 7 and 10, respectively, but helped win the final quarter. In three days, she'll try to continue her magic journey in the Grand Final against Denver.
The Heat are the second 8-seed in NBA history to reach the NBA Finals, joining the 1998-99 Knicks! pic.twitter.com/JMjwRgJhjk
— NBA (@NBA) May 30, 2023
Caleb Martin. A big game of its own, photo: AFP
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Derrick White. Tried to lead a comeback, photo: AFP
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