NBA Conference Finals: Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday, preventing them from becoming the first club to blow a 3-0 series lead in the NBA playoffs.
Following a devastating loss in the waning seconds of Game 6 at home on Saturday, Miami prevailed at Boston’s TD Garden to advance to the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, with the series set to begin on Thursday.
Miami’s Jimmy Butler, who was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 6.1 assists throughout the series, struggled in Game 6 but came back on Monday with a game-high 28 points.
Caleb Martin scored 26 points to help the Heat reach the NBA Finals after losing the previous three games, becoming the first No. 8 seed to accomplish it since the New York Knicks in 1999.
Bam Adebayo recorded a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists as Miami prevailed in the contest and took a 3-0 series lead. With this triumph, Miami increased their record in NBA Playoff games to 151-0 overall.
Derrick White scored 18 points and Jaylen Brown added 19 for second-seeded Boston, which became only the fourth NBA club in history to force a Game 7 after dropping the first three games.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, although he struggled the whole game after twisting his left ankle during the first play.
“That was difficult since it affected Tatum the rest of the evening. It became bigger. I was an empty shell of myself, which was irritating. Moving was challenging. It was annoying, especially because it occurred on the first play,” Tatum said.
Miami made 14 of 28 three-pointers and shot 48.8% from the field overall. Gabe Vincent and Duncan Robinson each added 10 points. Butler added seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals to Martin’s 10 rebounds and four hit three-pointers.
“I have such trust in myself, and I know what a tremendous team these guys are,” Butler said, “And we made it happen.We stayed together, we’re glad and grateful, but we still have four games to win.”
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