The Boston Celtics are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010 after defeating the Miami Heat 100-96 on Sunday night in Round 7. Jayson Tatum leads with 26 points, and Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each add 24 points to play the Golden State Warriors in the championship starting on Thursday in San Francisco.
The Celtics lead wire-to-wire and responded each time a heat was performed. Miami lags behind and reduces the deficit to two points, but Boston manages to win. Jimmy Butler did most of Miami’s offensive work, finishing with 35 points while playing the entire game. But Butler alone couldn’t do that in the heat of the first seed.
With the victory in Boston, Ime Udoka became the first new head coach in NBA history to win multiple Game 7. Boston defeated Bucks 109-81 in Round 7 early in the East Semifinals.
Here are three points from Boston’s victory over Miami in Round 7.
1. Tatum, and Brown and Smart, Oh My
Tatum and Brown live in Game 7. Don’t you believe me? Here are the statistics that will strike your heart. With the victory on Sunday night, Tatum set a 4-1 record in Game 7s and Brown set a 5-1 record in Game 7s. So it’s no exaggeration to say that those people are shining when the lights are brightest. Brown and Tatum scored 50 points, so there was no difference tonight. With 24 smart points, it’s easy to see why the Celtics won the game. The hint at the beginning tells us that the Celtics wanted to be aggressive. The heat scared Boston in the last few minutes of the game, but it was Tatum, Brown, and Smart’s performance that led to C’s victory. ..
This is exactly the type of performance that key players are looking for in a win-loss contest, and the stars have gone to Boston. But it wasn’t just the scores that impressed all three players. It was Butler’s smart and brown defense to avoid biting the fake of his pump and limit everyone else’s contribution on the heat. It was Tatum’s playmaking, a very improved skill he saw this season, that led to Open 3 in the Boston corner. You could see all the improvements these core guys have been working on for years tonight in the biggest games of their career, and it’s just like that in the NBA Finals. It led to the spot.
2. Jimmy vs. everyone
Butler played full for 48 minutes and did his best to win the heat. Butler’s playing in full games probably seems overlooked, but I don’t think there are many players in this league who can do what he did tonight.Even more crazy, he showed it Easy. Butler looks as good as he saw on the opening chip for the last few minutes of the game, and is also dealing with a persistent knee injury to put the cherry on top of this crazy Sunday.
Butler was familiar with his Game 7 performance. He basically reached the free throw line at any time as Boston struggled to contain him for two consecutive games. He played rebounds, loose balls, and very Jimmy Butler brand basketball all night without breaks longer than time-outs.
Unfortunately, Butler’s performance wasn’t good enough, with minimal help other than Bam Adebayo’s 25 points. Raleigh also scored 15 points, but it felt like a butler show tonight. That’s why Heat eventually lost the match. That’s not surprising given that Miami is slowly chilling in the process of this series. You are already at a disadvantage when Tyler Herro tries to make a comeback after missing three games and playing only six minutes. Apart from the heroes, Max Strus’s shooting struggle continued. He knocked down an important three-pointer at the end of the game, reducing Boston’s lead to a two-point lead, but ended the night with two. 7 with 3 pointers.
3. Al Horford finally aims for the title
Horford held the record for most playoff games (141) played without reaching the NBA Finals. But with Boston’s victory tonight, the streak was cut off and the veteran forward has his first shot in the championship. Horford has played 13 playoffs in his 15-year career and has reached three conference finals (once in Atlanta and twice in Boston), but each time he is short. But after he didn’t reach that point for years, Horford would have the best shot of his first, and perhaps the ring.
The Celtics will play against the Warriors, who open as a favorite to win everything, unlike the Golden State team a few years ago, who led an embarrassing team every night. While the Warriors did a quick job with the Dallas Mavericks in the West Final, the Celtics offer a much tougher match for the Warriors in the final. Horford plays an important role in making life difficult in the Warriors’ defense. If you keep knocking down 3 seconds with a high clip, like the post-season length (45.6%), Boston will be in good shape. The first spot to win the title since 2008.
