The Miami Heat are not dead yet. On Sunday night in South Beach, we will have a 7th game to die for after Jimmy Butler led the Eastern Conference Series Leaders team to a crucial 111-103 victory in the 6th game at TD Garden to extend that series and maintain its position. the title waits alive.
Butler was great for Miami when they needed him most, as he finished the win with a maximum of 47 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Butler also had a lot of help as Kyle Lowry made it one of his best postseason games finishing with 18 points, 10 assists and four rebounds before finishing with a foul.
For Boston, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown did their best to take the Celtics to their top spot in the Finals since 2010, but in the end, it wasn’t enough for the two to combine to score 50 points, 15 rebounds. and nine assists while firing a combined 15/25 from the field.
Now, we will enjoy the best that sport has to offer on Sunday night. A game 7.
Here are four key points in the game:
1. Butler has his own “LeBron Game 6” moment.
Ten years ago, the Celtics won the fifth game of the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami to advance 3-2 to the Heat and returned home with a chance to close things off. LeBron James didn’t let that happen as he put together his famous “Game 6” performance, finishing with 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to crush the Celtics ’dreams.
On Friday night, Butler reprized the role.
After not showing up for the last few games, he was spectacular in this one. Driving down the lane to get powerful finishes and free throws, hard jumpers to get past the throwing clock, jumping into the passing lanes to steal … he did a little bit of everything to keep the Heat season alive.
In the end, he finished with 47 points, the highest of his career in the playoffs and the second highest in a playoff game in the history of the Heat franchise, and added nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals. . Butler has had great nights throughout his career, even in the finals, so it may not be his best performance, but it’s up there.
2. Miami finally made some shots
In Games 4 and 5, the Heat shot a total of 60 of 184 (32.6 percent) from the field overall and 21 of 81 (25.9 percent) from 3-point ground. They seemed out of gas and unanswered against an elite Celtic defense, and there was little reason to expect things to change in the sixth game.
But, of course, as the old saying goes, that’s why we play games. While Butler led the way, another key factor in the Heat’s victory to save the season is that they finally made some shots. They defeated 15 triples, which was their highest in a game in this series and the second highest in all playoffs, and shot 46.2 percent from the field.
More importantly, they arrived with every clutch they needed. Aside from missing too much, the Celtics defense was again impressive. The shooting of the Heat was better. Again and again they hit deep 3s and hit the jumpers with one hand on their face.
This one, by Max Strus, was the best of the group.
3. The Celtics can’t close it completely
Celtics head coach Ime Udoka summed things up well during his post-match press conference: “We won there, but we made it harder than necessary.”
The Celtics reached the 6th game on Friday night with the opportunity to close out the series and advance to the finals for the first time since 2010. Instead, they will have to make another trip to Miami for the 7th game, where they will have to of winning for the third time in the series to keep his season alive.
And while Jimmy Butler’s effort and the Heat’s shooting shouldn’t be discounted, once again it looks like the Celtics passed a victory between their fingers.
First, they spun the ball too often. The first play of the match was a bad pass from Jayson Tatum, and they finished with 17 balances that led to 23 points for the Heat. Again, the formula is very simple: if the Celtics take care of the ball, they win. For the playoffs, they are now 1-4 with more than 15 balance losses and 10-12 when they stay at or below that number.
Another classic Celtics problem that arose in Game 6 was the poor offense at the end of the game. Derrick White hit a triple with 4:47 of the end to put them ahead, 97-94. They only scored six points the rest of the way, and four of them were on the free throw line. In the final stretch, they were 1 of 7 from the field with two losses. As happens too often in these situations, they slowed things down, tried to play isolation basketball, and didn’t get along.
The good news from the Celtics perspective is that these are fixable issues and have shown the ability to recover in the playoffs. They are 5-0 up after a loss, and four of those wins have come down to two figures. The bad news is that making it 6-0 will have to win a game 7 on the road, which is not an easy proposition.
Please check the box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe.
Thanks for signing up!
Stay tuned to your inbox.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
4. White’s big night is lost
When the Celtics switched to Derrick White on the deadline, there were some who felt the team gave up too much by sending Josh Richardson, his 2022 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick exchange to the San Antonio Spurs. But Brad Stevens took the plunge because he felt White had given the team a chance to compete for a title.
So far in the playoffs, Stevens has proved himself right. White has risen in many places when Marcus Smart has been sidelined due to injury and is being offered another defensive mind that can handle the ball and involve other people. On Friday night, however, it was White’s goal that stood out.
With the Celtics in desperate need of a spark in the fourth quarter, the Whites delivered. He hit two triples and then came in for an i-one that he celebrated with a roar in front of the ecstatic crowd. Later, with the Celtics still looking to take the lead, he delivered again. First, a strong pass to find Al Horford for a 3-pointer, then another 3-pointer from the corner to put the Celtics ahead.
He finished with 22 points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals from the bench in his best playoff outing. Unfortunately, it was lost because the Celtics could not stand the stretch.