Celtics

Jayson Tatum scored 26 points, Jaylen Brown generated 24, and the Celtics' defense held the Heat under 100 as Boston prevailed in Game 7 in Miami.

After the break, Lowry stepped into a three to make it 78-70. Oladipo countered, driving in for a bucket that brought it to 90-81. Tatum then drove and found Brown at the rim for a layup that made it 69-56. Tatum thought he extended it to 90-79 but got whistled for a charge as he tried to finish in transition. Smart answered with a layup to push it to 58-54. But Tatum answered, muscling his way to the basket for two points plus a foul on Vincent. He couldn't make the free throw, though. Butler then spun by White for a two near the basket to make it 24-17. Due to Miami being in the bonus, Lowry went to the line, earning his first two points. It was a terrific start for the Celtics. They shot 12/24 from the field, 5/9 (55.6 percent) from beyond the arc, and produced 14 points in the paint. After that, Smart delivered a dime to Williams for another deuce at the rim. But Horford responded, fielding a Jayson Tatum drive-and-kick and hitting a three that gave the Celtics a 12-5 advantage early. Jayson Tatum grabbed a Marcus Smart missed three and put it back for the game's first two points.

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the young Celtics look all grown up, and now they'll play for the NBA title.

He entered in the second quarter, missed his first three-point attempt and finished his run scoreless in seven minutes. Butler did find help in teammates Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry, but Miami played from behind most of the night, and when it mattered most, he was left carrying all the weight. When Butler missed a pull-up three that would have given Miami the lead with 16.6 seconds remaining, Brown grabbed the rebound. To win a Game 7 and go to the championship, on the road, is special.” Tyler Herro, who won the sixth man of the year award, had not played in the previous three games because of a strain in his left groin. “He passed his testing with the trainers. “We faced two elimination games in the last series.” The Heat spent the first two games without him struggling to find offensive rhythm but had no such problem in Game 6 because Butler transformed into the human embodiment of the “Fine, I’ll do it myself” meme. The 1995 Orlando Magic had 23-year-old Penny Hardaway in his second year and 22-year-old Shaquille O’Neal in his third. When former Celtics player Cedric Maxwell, who provides color commentary on the radio, wrapped up the broadcast, he turned and spotted Jason Jackson, who does radio for the Heat. Although the Celtics eschewed routine, coming into Game 7, Udoka felt their confidence remained as high as if they had been here before — because they have. By throwing their bodies around, they mucked up the game to the point that not even the defensive-minded Miami Heat could survive.

The Boston Celtics secured a nerve-wracking 100-96 Game 7 victory over the Miami Heat to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years.

Butler had twice exceeded 40 points during this series to drag Miami to a Game 7 but said he wasn't happy with his performance on Sunday. The Boston Celtics came out and did what they had to do in the series. This is the biggest game of my career thus far and I wanted to wear that armband to honor him and kind of share that moment in a way." "The shoes that I've been wearing the last couple games were dedicated to him. "Not good enough," Butler said. This is a typical Celtics win."

Boston appeared to be headed for the lottery at the start of the season, but now have a date with the Warriors in the championship.

But I think you just trust in yourself, trust in the work that you put in to get to this point and continue to work, and it can’t rain forever. I knew that coming in today and the group knew that.” Awaiting Boston is Golden State, and this is a matchup the Celtics can win. Tatum was a rookie when the Celtics made the conference finals in 2018, overcoming season-ending injuries to Gordon Hayward and Irving to push LeBron James and the Cavaliers to seven games before bowing out. “I came in with the mindset today that I was willing to do anything it took to win this game, however that looked,” Tatum said. Back then, Tatum believed a trip to the Finals was inevitable. “They allowed us to fix it and work it out.” The man that who spent years coaching under Gregg Popovich seemed to think he was him. “He kind of puts it on you to let you know that, hey, I’m not taking no slack. That’s right: The Celtics are headed to the NBA Finals. From the podium, Smart allowed it all to soak in. But whether it was the 48 minutes he played, the balky knee that has troubled him or the leprechaun that has seemingly attached itself to these Celtics since midseason, Butler’s shot came up short. For three quarters the Celtics had fended off a relentless, never-ending Heat charge, battling as a 15-point first quarter lead was whittled to six at the end of the second, and as a 12-point edge with 3 ½ minutes to play was sliced to two.

Boston will face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, starting on Thursday. The Celtics are looking to win their 18th NBA championship.

They have gone through the fire and they earned that right to go to the finals.” The Heat were down nine with 1:28 left after they trailed by 15 in the first quarter and 17 in the second. He played seven minutes in the second quarter and didn’t score. The Game 7 loss to LeBron and the Cavaliers in 2018. “My thought process was I was going for the win, which I did,” Butler said of his missed 3. Tatum, who averaged an even 25 points in this series, scored seven in the fourth quarter and finished with 10 rebounds. Playing all 48 minutes, he shot 13-of-24, was 8-of-11 from the foul line, and grabbed nine rebounds. There was the six-game loss to these Heat in 2020. I’m really grateful to be in this position.” They survived another 35 points from Heat star Jimmy Butler, not to mention a near dagger shot from him, and are headed to a league-record 22nd NBA Finals thanks to a 100-96 win in Miami Sunday night. “But he missed, we get the rebound, we move on.” Marcus Smart converted two free throws at the other end to seal it.

The Celtics held off a late charge from the Heat to conclude a grueling seven-game series and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years.

It's the fourth time in six campaigns for Brown and the fourth in eight for Smart. It is Horford's first trip after 16 seasons. Miami fought tooth and nail to stay in the game, getting a big game from Bam Adebayo (25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists) and making life miserable for Boston every second of the game at the other end. Ultimately, though, the Celtics won this series the way they have won so many games since turning their season around after a home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 21 dropped them to 23-24: by playing suffocating defense. After blowing an opportunity to end this series at home Friday night in Game 6, the Celtics were unanimous in their belief they would come back to Miami and win this one. Much of that was down to Butler's brilliance, as he had 35 points and played every second of the game. "I truly do," Tatum said, when asked if he thought those experiences helped the Celtics break through this time around. I've been a part of a lot of great teams, a lot of great teammates, and I'm so proud of this group." And for the first 46 minutes, they were true to their word. "[I] just didn't know how to act," said Celtics center Al Horford, who had been the record holder for most playoff games in NBA history without reaching the NBA Finals before Boston won this game. Instead of sending the Heat back into the lead, Butler's shot ricocheted off the front of the rim. And after Smart hit a pair of free throws, the Celtics could -- finally -- breathe easily. "Feels like it was always meant to be this way," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said.

MIAMI (AP) — Somewhere, Gregg Popovich must be pleased. Ime Udoka and Steve Kerr played for Popovich with of the San Antonio Spurs, both served as assistant ...

MIAMI (AP) — Not this time. After being thwarted on the doorstep of the NBA Finals three other times in the previous five seasons, the Boston Celtics have ...

The other was Houston in the 2018 Western Conference finals; the injury-plagued Rockets were 6.5-point underdogs and lost to Golden State 101-92. Heat: Butler was the second NBA player this season to play every second of a game. “You certainly have to credit the Boston Celtics organization and their team and their coaching staff. Celtics: Derrick White had to leave early in the fourth quarter because he was bleeding after his head got struck by Adebayo under a basket. “Today was the biggest test,” Brown said. Butler was up to 24 points at the break and Miami had gotten within 55-49 going into the third. Miami thought it had gotten within 56-54 when Strus rattled in a corner 3 early in the third. This Celtics team roared to life down the stretch and is still roaring. … It’s one of the worst feelings into the world to address your locker room after a game like this.” “The road that we took to get here, not a lot of people believed in us,” Tatum said. Ime Udoka’s first season as coach of the Celtics was not without immense challenges. Tatum — wearing a purple-and-gold armband bearing the number “24” of Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, his favorite player — had lost two East finals in his young career.

For the inaugural presentation of the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP award, it was only right to be given to a Celtic Legend in the making.

Look for bigger and better things, and obviously he's going to do the same in the championship series.” Well-deserved all the accolades he's getting and he's only 24 and not even touched his ceiling, not even close to that. Tatum’s ability to battle through adversity in the ECF reflected upon his full-season effort of helping the Celtics bounce back from a rough start. “He's a superstar, and he deserved that,” Butler said of Tatum’s first Finals berth. Friday night’s Game 6 loss could have been a breaking point for Boston, but Tatum did what he has done all throughout the postseason by leading them to a bounce-back win. Regardless of how long I've been in the league, I'm not too far removed from when I was in high school and when I was dreaming about moments like this.

Boston stands tall behind Jayson Tatum on the road to take the Eastern Conference title and advance to its 1st Finals in 12 years.

The Celtics brought him back last summer, and Horford has been a huge part of their success. It was a critical two possessions, giving the Celtics a little bit of a cushion after they saw a big lead become a one-possession game. And again, Tatum didn’t hesitate, attacking Vincent, drawing help and dropping the ball off to Grant Williams for a layup. Tatum gave the ball up and Derrick White missed a floater in the lane. But he held the ball for a couple of seconds and eventually, Victor Oladipo came with another double-team. With the Celtics going scoreless on five straight possessions spanning the third and fourth quarters, their lead was cut to three. But with the win, the Celtics are 7-2 on the road in these playoffs. It was an ugly start, with the Heat scoring just 17 points on 25 possessions in the first quarter. But it will remain a fascinating “What if” for the rest of time. Butler had made a pull-up 3 from the right side of the floor when the Celtics didn’t pick him up earlier in the game. And the Celtics, oh boy … They led this series 3-2, with a chance to close it out at home. Jimmy Butler had the ball in transition with his team down two in the final seconds of Game 7.

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.

Butler looked just as spry in the closing minutes of the game as he did at opening tip, and to put the cherry on top of this crazy sundae he's been dealing with a nagging knee injury as well. Butler played the full 48 minutes, and he put his all into his performance to try and will the Heat to a win. 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. 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. Miami went on a late run and cut the deficit to two points, but Boston managed to hang on for the win. 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.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in Game 7 100-96, advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. Here are some major takeaways from ...

In the playoffs, the Heat averaged 14 second-chance points. He only attempted two shots and just one three-pointer. -The Celtics’ Big Three: Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each scored 24 points while Jayson Tatum had 26.

Boston Celtics escape the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to take on Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in NBA Finals.

Early in the season, took a close loss and we had some guys in and out. As witnessed during this playoff run, the Celtics seem to find ways to make things hard on themselves. With all of that, the Boston Celtics do match up well against the Warriors and have a lot of confidence going up against a team they have found a way to beat even when they weren’t at their best. The Celtics will also need role players like Al Horford, Grant Williams, and Derrick White to make solid contributions. That strategy is not going to get the job done or raise Banner 18 against Curry, Klay Thompson, and those boys. After taking down Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler, the C’s now are set to take on Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum raises the NBA Eastern Conference MVP trophy after defeating the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the NBA basketball Eastern ...

Heat: Butler was the second NBA player this season to play every second of a game. The other was Houston in the 2018 Western Conference finals; the injury-plagued Rockets were 6.5-point underdogs and lost to Golden State 101-92. “You certainly have to credit the Boston Celtics organization and their team and their coaching staff. Celtics: Derrick White had to leave early in the fourth quarter because he was bleeding after his head got struck by Adebayo under a basket. Butler was up to 24 points at the break and Miami had gotten within 55-49 going into the third. “Today was the biggest test," Brown said. This Celtics team roared to life down the stretch and is still roaring. Miami thought it had gotten within 56-54 when Strus rattled in a corner 3 early in the third. ... It's one of the worst feelings into the world to address your locker room after a game like this." “The road that we took to get here, not a lot of people believed in us,” Tatum said. Ime Udoka’s first season as coach of the Celtics was not without immense challenges. Tatum — wearing a purple-and-gold armband bearing the number “24” of Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, his favorite player — had lost two East finals in his young career.

Former Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler was looking to make his second NBA Finals appearance with the Miami Heat this season. When the Heat kicked off ...

While Boston had an opportunity to put the Heat away in six, Jimmy Butler put up nearly 50 points in the elimination matchup to force a Game 7. However, the return of Embiid allowed the Sixers to battle back and picked up two wins of their own. In round two, the Heat and the Sixers met for a seven-game series, which only required six matchups.

Miami mucked the game up, so the Celtics won in the mud; will this prepare Boston for Golden State?

To Brown, Game 7 was "the biggest test, not just of the year, but of our careers." Throughout the playoffs, it has been the same story for the Celtics: They are terrifying defensively, and, while they've had some setbacks, slip-ups and sloppy stretches, they tend to find themselves before it's too late. For much of Game 7, it felt like the only thing that was working for the Heat was Butler's hero ball. But look at Tatum switch onto him, stay attached and contest the shot, and then look at how far Strus is from the basket when he gets into his shot -- this is a deep, difficult, uncomfortable look: The Bucks scored 99.4 points per 100 halfcourt plays in the regular season, which ranked sixth in the league, per Cleaning The Glass, and scored just a horrific 81.9 per 100 in the halfcourt against Boston. (As a point of reference, Oklahoma City and the Detroit Pistons ended the season in a last-place tie: 88.6 per 100.) Games when the offense doesn't click to the level it should, we can always rely on that. They finished with 13 turnovers, and only three of those led to a Heat transition opportunity. In the Heat's four losses in the conference finals, they scored 85.2, 65.7, 58.8 and 75.9 points per 100 halfcourt plays, respectively. In the second round against the Milwaukee Bucks, it was just as stifling: Another seven-game series, another 19 quarters in which the Celtics allowed 26 or fewer points, another four wins in which the opponent cleared that number only three times. We just couldn't make enough plays during the course of the game. Out of the 28 quarters that comprised the series, Miami managed more than 26 points only nine times, including those two garbage-time-heavy periods. This is a league in which the Oklahoma City Thunder, its worst offensive team, averaged 103.7 points per game, i.e. about 26 points per quarter.

The NBA Finals begin Thursday on ABC. What are the biggest keys to Warriors-Celtics?

The Warriors had a combined 32 assists in those games, a slight uptick over what they averaged per game the previous round against the New Orleans Pelicans (30.8). Those traits were on full display during Golden State's closeout win over Dallas, which switched 63% of the Warriors' on-ball screens in Game 5 per Second Spectrum -- the most of any Warriors playoff game. Golden State, meanwhile, hasn't had to play in a Game 7 this postseason and dispatched the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Think of how the Houston Rockets grounded Golden State's offense down at times in the 2018 conference finals, holding them below 95 points in back-to-back wins in Games 4 and 5. This Celtics roster enters the Finals with zero games of Finals experience, while Golden State has 123. None of the Warriors' three West opponents (Denver, Memphis or Dallas) were in the top half of the league in frequency of switching on-ball screens during the regular season, per Second Spectrum tracking. Boston followed that up with seven-game thrillers in the conference semifinals and conference finals. The Warriors know that with their style of play -- fast-paced with lots of ball movement -- turnovers are bound to happen. If the Warriors cut down on their turnovers, they will be far more difficult to beat. Golden State is averaging 14.8 turnovers per game in the playoffs (fifth worst of the 16 postseason teams) for 15.9 points. But unlike their dynastic run that spanned from 2014 to 2019, this trip to the Finals wasn't a given. The Golden State Warriors, led by three-time champions Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, are making their sixth Finals appearance in the past eight seasons.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday to advance to the NBA Finals. Former Indiana Hoosier ...

Morgan signed a 10-day contract with the Toronto Raptors in December of 2021 but was reacquired by the Maine Celtics on Jan. 1, 2022 after his 10-day contract expired. Nevertheless, it's good to see the undrafted Morgan have a chance to win basketball's most coveted trophy. It might not happen this year, but Woodson wants Kentucky and Louisville back on the schedule.CLICK HERE He was waived a few weeks later, but was quickly resigned by Boston's G-League affiliate, the Maine Celtics. Playing 13 games, Morgan averaged 12.3 points on 53.1 percent shooting, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals in 28.2 minutes per game. As the No. 3 seed, the Celtics have now taken down the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat en route to the NBA Finals where they'll face Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in a seven-game series. Former Indiana forward Juwan Morgan signed a two-year, $1,834,863 deal with the Boston Celtics in April to fill an open roster spot before the NBA playoffs. He spent the following two seasons playing for the Jazz and their G-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. Morgan could see an increased role if Williams or another Boston forward is sidelined with an injury. He started 85 of 128 games and was part of Indiana's 2016 Big Ten regular season championship team as a freshman. He scored his lone point of the playoffs in Boston's 127-102 game two win in Miami on May 19. Jayson Tatum became the first player to win the newly-named Larry Bird Trophy, which is given to the MVP of the Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 100-96 in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night.

Though they started strong and led by 15 after the first quarter, the Celtics couldn't shake the Heat until the final seconds of the game.

And they face the rested Golden State Warriors, who last appeared in the finals in 2019. Game 7 came down to the wire between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat on Sunday — but Boston ultimately prevailed. Boston now heads to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.

That's especially true for Robert Williams, who's dealing with left knee soreness and swelling that limits him movement-wise. After Sunday's victory, Ime Udoka ...

I've got the quad injury, I have the foot injury, and then I have the ankle injury. He understands we're not asking him to be the all-world second team defensive stopper." With no travel necessary before Game 4, it takes place Friday night. "It's not going to be the same long rotations as his average minutes from the year, but what he gives us out there is invaluable. Provided there isn't a sweep, any of the remaining three games that happen will come on the heels of three-day breaks as the Finals goes from San Francisco for Game 5 to Boston for six and back to the Bay for Game 7, if it's necessary. Now, he gets some rest, some much needed rest."