Derrick White played the champs with a field goal with 0.1 seconds left to give the Boston Celtics a 104-103 victory to claim a Game 7 victory against the Boston Heat. Miami, for a spot in the NBA Finals.
The Celtics became the fourth team to win three consecutive games after losing three games scoreless. The three previous teams that managed to force Game 7 played the final game at home, where the Celtics would be back in front of their home fans. Boston would be the first team in history to complete such a comeback in NBA history.
Just before the winning basket, Jimmy Butler made three free throws to give the Heat a one-point lead with three seconds on the clock.
Boston regained possession with just enough time to go for a final shot, which Marcus Smart missed, but White jumped on the rebound for the game-winning field goal with ten seconds left in the game.
Jason Tatum was a huge contributor to the win. He finished the game with 31 points on the board, including 25 in the first half. He also grabbed 11 rebounds to score the double.
Another key to the Celtics’ success was Jaylen Brown. The 26-year-old also scored twice with 26 points and 10 rebounds. He also received nine out of 16 shooting attempts.
Although Butler excelled late in the game, the Heat’s Stars had trouble converting their shots. Butler and Bam Adebayo blocked nine of their 37 shots in the match. Butler still finished a near triple-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists.
On Adebayo’s side, the match was much more difficult. He scored 11 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, but converted only a quarter of his shots.
Caleb Martin then took over Florida’s offense against the Heat’s troubled Stars. The winger finished the game with two goals on 21 points and 15 rebounds.
The Heat is the 151st team to go 3-0 in a best-of-seven series. All of the previous 150 clubs have completed the task, but the Celtics have made it clear they have other ideas on their mind. But coach Erik Spoelstra said his flock is far from giving up.
“Nothing has been easy for us this season. We’ll just have to do it the hard way,” he said in a post-match conference.
The Celtics are 5-0 when facing elimination this season, and 3-0 on the road. They beat Philadelphia twice to erase a 3-2 deficit in the second round.
The two teams have a final game date Monday at the TD Garden in Boston. The winner will face the Denver Nuggets in the Grand Finals, which start Thursday.
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