It was the defense of Smart and Brown on Butler to not bite on his pump fake and limit the contributions of everyone else on the Heat. But it wasn't just the scoring that was impressive from all three players. It's the exact type of performance you want out of your key players in a win-or-go-home contest, and the stars were out for Boston on the road. From the opening tip you could tell that the Celtics wanted to come out aggressive, and while the Heat gave Boston a scare in the final minutes of the game, it was because of the performances of Tatum, Brown and Smart that gave the C's the win. Throw in Smart's 24 points and it's pretty easy to see why the Celtics won this game. Tonight was no different, as Brown and Tatum combined for 50 points. So it's safe to say those guys shine when the lights are the brightest. With the win Sunday night, Tatum now improves to a 4-1 record in Game 7s, while Brown is now at a 5-1 record in Game 7s. You don't believe me? Here's a stat that will blow your mind. Here's three takeaways from Boston's win over Miami in Game 7. With Boston's win, Ime Udoka becomes the first rookie head coach in NBA history to win multiple Game 7s Boston beat the Bucks 109-81 in Game 7 earlier in the East semis. But Butler alone couldn't get it done for the No. Jimmy Butler did most of the offensive work for Miami, finishing with 35 points while playing the entire game. Miami went on a late run and cut the deficit to two points, but Boston managed to hang on for the win. The Celtics led wire-to-wire, and responded every time the Heat went on a run. Jayson Tatum led the way with 26 points, and Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart added on 24 points apiece as the Celtics move on to play the Golden State Warriors for the championship, beginning with Game 1 Thursday in San Francisco. If any team is going to do it, it might as well be this infuriating group.Īs Kevin Millar said about his Boston Red Sox team way back in 2004, “Don’t count us out.The Boston Celtics are heading back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010 after beating the Miami Heat on the road 100-96 in Game 7 Sunday night. Boston, meanwhile, will look to force a Game 7, one that will give them the rare opportunity to make history. Game 6 is on Saturday in Miami, where the Heat will look to become the second eight seed to make the NBA Finals. Haywood Highsmith - getting the 36 minutes that Gabe Vincent left vacant as he sat out with an ankle sprain - scored 15 points off the bench in his first real action this postseason. Jimmy Butler had a meager 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists, though he sat for much of the fourth. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Imagesĭuncan Robinson (!!!) led the Heat with 18 points, while Bam Adebayo added 16 points and eight rebounds. White shot 72 percent from the field and 75 percent from three in his best outing this postseason. Boston never trailed, forced 16 Miami turnovers, and knocked down 41 percent of their threes. Marcus Smart (23 points and five steals), Jayson Tatum (21 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists), and Jaylen Brown (21 of his own) all finished in double-figures to lead the charge.

(It should have been a bigger blowout, but garbage time is called garbage time for a reason.)ĭerrick White had 24 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead the way for the Celtics. They won by 17 in Game 4 on Miami’s home floor, and then promptly took the Heat to task with a misleading 13-point win in Boston. But suddenly, Boston has won two games in a row to make this a series, and has looked dominant doing it. Then again, so did the sweep that looked and felt inevitable after Game 3’s debacle of a performance from the Celtics, one that put them in a 3-0 hole. A close-out opportunity at home feels almost storybook. Teams that start a series with a 3-0 advantage are 150-0, after all. The Heat, given their commanding start to the series, still own a 3-2 advantage, and now have a chance to close out the series at home. On Wednesday night, the Celtics took one small step closer to history, beating the Heat in dominant fashion on their home floor to send the series back to Miami for Game 6. Given that they’re still alive today, I’ll give you one guess as to what their record is in those games. Thursday night marked the fourth time the Boston Celtics have faced and elimination scenario this postseason. Celtics fend off Heat at home, 110-97, force Game 6 in Miami

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