Celtics Game

Jimmy Butler put on a show for the ages with the Miami Heat facing elimination. He may have to deliver another one on Sunday as a spot in the NBA Finals is ...

They lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 Finals. "You put yourself in this position, going up 3-2, to have two games to win one," Udoka said. They last reached the NBA Finals in 2010. Limiting Butler will be the Celtics' top priority -- and probably the second and third as well -- in Sunday's affair. I've played with some great players, and he's one of the best players I've played with. "They've got so much belief in me," Butler said.

The Celtics led by 15 after the first quarter. Miami's Jimmy Butler fueled the Heat's comeback attempt, but it wasn't enough.

After winning 28 of their final 35 games to close out the regular season, the Celtics pulverized the Nets with a four-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs. Butler scored 47 points on the road in Boston, forcing a winner-takes-all Game 7 in Miami. But with their season on the line in Game 6, the Heat responded. It remained one of the staples of his film sessions as the Celtics labored with growing pains, and it was a message that eventually took root. Now, perhaps, the very best is yet to come. The Celtics went out and beat Philadelphia by 48 points for their ninth straight win. But that was only one part of the Celtics’ winning formula. After one quarter, the Celtics led by 15 points, and had held Miami to 17 points, 6 of them by Jimmy Butler. When the Heat pushed back it was largely because of Butler. He scored 18 points in the second quarter and helped the Heat cut their deficit to just 6 at halftime. The Warriors, who are trying to resuscitate a dynasty that had been on hiatus, are pursuing their fourth championship in eight seasons. It was not until late January that they figured out how to defend, share the ball and win with any semblance of consistency. The trophy is named for the Celtics icon Larry Bird. MIAMI — More than four months into a remarkable turnaround, the Celtics seem determined to keep it going.

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 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.

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.

Jimmy Butler made a guarantee Friday night that the Boston Celtics simply would not allow to come true.

That’s eight straight, game-changing points from Boston, all of which were earned by putting pressure on the rim. Jayson Tatum ignited the run with two free throws, then he found Grant Williams for a layup shortly thereafter. Their lead at one point swelled to as many as 17 points, and it hovered around double-digits for the majority of the contest. Miami had clawed back to within three points on a Jimmy Butler running layup, but the Celtics responded like champions do. Boston’s most important run of the game, outside of that opening spurt that set the tone for the night, was an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter that gave the team some breathing room. In fact, the Heat never led for a single second of Game 7 as Boston advanced to the NBA Finals with a 100-96 victory.

SportsLine's model simulated Game 7 of the Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics series in the Eastern Conference finals.

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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.

For starters, this was a shot Butler had made earlier in the game.

All of this is to say, Butler, despite only scoring four points on 2-of-6 shooting in the fourth quarter on Sunday, earned the right to pull up for that shot with a chance to send the Heat to the Finals. He had 35 points on Sunday. That makes for 82 points over the last two games of this series. He felt good about the shot, it was a clean look, and he had the guts to take it. He had made the exact same shot in the first half. True, Horford wasn't the one having to stay in front of Butler in this play, as he was on the play in question, but Horford is more than capable of moving his feet on the perimeter, and chances are, if he does stay reasonably close to where he can contest at the rim, officials are going to give him a lot of leeway to defend aggressively at that juncture of a Game 7. Had that shot gone in, Butler, depending on what the Celtics might've done on the other end with still plenty of time on the clock, was in line to etch his legacy as one of the most clutch performers in postseason history. Even better, the ball was in the hands of Jimmy Butler, who had once again been phenomenal in Game 7 after going for 47 in Game 6.