The Miami Heat are not dead yet. We’ll have a do-or-die game 7 on Sunday night in South Beach after Jimmy Butler led the top-ranked Eastern Conference team to a decisive 111-103 victory in Game 6 at TD Garden to expand the series and keep it. its title hopes alive.
Butler was fantastic for Miami when they needed him the most, as he finished the victory with a record 47 points, along with nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Butler also had a lot of help, as Kyle Lowry became one of his best games of the postseason, finishing with 18 points, 10 assists and four boards before eventually dropping out.
For Boston, Jason Tatum and Jaylan Brown did their best to bring the Celtics to first place in the finals since 2010, but in the end it was not enough that the two combined 50 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists while shot combined 15/25 from the field.
Now we will enjoy the best that the sport has to offer on Sunday night. Game 7.
Here are four key findings from the game:
1. Butler has his own moment “LeBron Game 6”.
Ten years ago, the Celtics won Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami to take a 3-2 lead at Heath and returned home with a chance to end things. LeBron James did not allow this to happen, collecting his famous game in “Game 6”, finishing with 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists to shatter the Celtics’ dreams.
Butler rerun on Friday night.
After not appearing in the last few games, he was great in this one. Driving to the canvas for powerful finishes and free throws, strong jumpers to beat the clock for punches, jumping in theft lanes – he did a little of everything to keep Heat season alive.
In the end, he finished with 47 points, the highest in his playoff career 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 some great nights throughout his career, including the finals, so it may not be his best performance, but it’s right there.
2. Miami finally made a few punches
In games 4 and 5 Heat shoots a combined 60-of-184 (32.6%) of the total field and 21-of-81 (25.9%) of 3-point ground. They looked as if they had run out of gas and no answers against the elite Celtics defense, and there was little reason to expect things to turn around in Game 6.
But, of course, as the old saying goes: that’s why we play games. While Butler was in the lead, another key factor in Heath’s save of the season was that he finally made a few punches. They knocked down 15 3 points, which was their highest in the game this series and second in the entire playoffs, and shot 46.2 percent of the field.
More importantly, they came up with every single connector they needed. Aside from fouling too much, the Celtics’ defense was again impressive. Heat’s shot was just wide. Again and again they hit deep 3s and shot-clocking beating jumpers with a hand in their face.
The one from Max Strus was the best in the band.
3. The Celtics can’t close it
Celtics head coach Ime Udoka summed it up well during his post-match press conference: “We won there, but we are making things harder for ourselves than we should be.”
The Celtics entered Game 6 on Friday night with a chance to end the series and advance to the finals for the first time since 2010. Instead, they will have to make another trip to Miami for Game 7, where they will have to win for the third time in the series. to keep your season alive.
And while Jimmy Butler’s efforts and Heath’s punches should not be overlooked, it still feels like the Celtics are letting the victory slip through their fingers.
In the first place, they turned the ball too often. The first game of the match was a bad pass from Jason Tatum and they finished with 17 turns, which led to 23 points for the Heat. Once again, the formula is quite simple: if the Celtics take care of the ball, they win. For the playoffs they are already 1-4 with more than 15 turns and 10-12 when they stay at or below that number.
Another classic problem for the Celtics, which appeared in game 6, was the poor attack at the end of the match. Derrick White hit 3rd, leaving 4:47 to bring them ahead, 97-94. They scored only six points at the end of the road, four of them on the free throw line. During the final section, they were 1 of 7 on the field with two turns. As is often the case in these situations, they slowed things down, tried to play isolated basketball, and didn’t look good.
The good news from the Celtics’ point of view is that these are fixable problems and they have shown the ability to go back to the playoffs. They are 5-0 after a loss, and four of those wins are in double digits. The bad news is that to make it 6-0, they will have to win match 7 on the road, which is not an easy proposition.
Please check the checkbox to confirm that you want to subscribe.
Thank you for registering!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
I’m sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
4. White’s big night goes to the wind
When the Celtics traded for Derrick White at the deadline, there were some who thought the team had given up too much by sending Josh Richardson, their first-round pick in 2022 and the first-round pick in 2028. San Antonio Spurs. But Brad Stevens made the move because he thought White gave the team a chance to fight for the title.
So far in the playoffs, Stevens has proven himself right. White stepped up in many places when Marcus Smart was out of action due to injuries and gave them another defender who can handle the ball and attract others. On Friday night, however, White’s result stood out.
As the Celtics desperately needed a spark in the fourth quarter, White did. He scored two points with 3 points and then went inside for one and-one, which he celebrated with a roar in front of the enthusiastic audience. Later, while the Celtics were still struggling to take over, he performed again. First, a sharp pass to find Al Horford equalizer 3, then 3 more of his own from the corner to bring the Celtics in front.
He finished with 22 points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals from the bench in his best playoff run. Alas, it was in vain, because the Celtics could not stand the stretch.
Add Comment