Nba eastern finals11/24/2023 "Not again," said Celtics guard Marcus Smart, who had 24 points in 40 minutes himself. "When he shot that, I was like, 'Man, what the hell,'" said Brown, who finished with 24 points in 43 minutes. To get there, the Celtics managed to avoid what would have been a truly disastrous collapse, going from having a 13-point lead with 3 minutes, 35 seconds remaining to holding a seven-point advantage with just over a minute to go to having their season in the hands of Jimmy Butler with 17 seconds to play as the Heat superstar rose up for a transition pull-up 3-pointer that could've given Miami the lead. The series begins Thursday night (9 ET on ABC) at San Francisco's Chase Center in a matchup that features 123 games of NBA Finals experience across Golden State's roster, as compared to exactly zero for Boston's. "Difficult."įor the first time in 12 years, the Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals, where they'll face the Golden State Warriors. "Feels like it was always meant to be this way," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. So, it stands to reason, making it to the NBA Finals wouldn't be, either.īut at the end of a grueling seven-game series in the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat, that is exactly where the Celtics have returned once again.īehind terrific performances from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston won its third game at FTX Arena in this series, escaping with a 100-96 victory Sunday night in front of a sellout crowd that was thrilled by the exploits of the home team right to the game's waning moments. MIAMI - Nothing about this Boston Celtics season has been easy. NBA, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors Jimmy is just a real competitor.”īoston used a 21-2 run to turn an eight-point, first-quarter deficit into an 11-point lead.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserīoston Celtics outlast Miami Heat in Game 7 to cap grueling East finals: 'Feels like it was always meant to be this way - difficult' I think now people are just paying more attention. “I love that gnarly version of Jimmy,” Spoelstra said. After Max Strus made one of two free throws, Adebayo scored on a putback dunk to make it 105-100 with less than a minute to play. He made a 17-footer to tie it 100-all, and then a short fadeaway to give Miami the lead. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra challenged, but lost. Miami trailed 98-96 when Butler was called for an offensive foul, kicking Marcus Smart after landing on a missed three-pointer. I just don’t know if I was the best person to talk to.”Īfter Tatum missed from long distance – one of three missed threes in the fourth quarter – Butler drove to the basket to make it a four-point Boston lead. He hit a big shot and started talking to me. “But that’s just competition at its finest. “As long as we get the win, I’m good with it.”Īsked if Boston “poked the bear” by getting Butler angry, Brown said, “Next question.” But Butler said there was no doubt that the attempt to get him off his game actually fired him up. Butler scored at the other end and was fouled by Williams the two players leaned into each other – drawing double technicals – before Butler hit the ensuing free throw. Williams made a three-pointer to make it 96-87 and was talking to Butler on the way back down the court. The Celtics led by 11 in the third quarter and made it a dozen early in the fourth. We’ve got so much faith and trust in one another.” I love every bit of it,” Butler said on the postgame TV broadcast. Jaylen Brown scored 16 points on 7-for-23 shooting he went 1 for 5 with a turnover in the final quarter, when Miami outscored Boston 36-22. But there’s no point being up here sad and (stuff),” Tatum said. But the Celtics star went 0 for 3 with two turnovers in the fourth quarter, when Boston blew an 89-77 lead en route to a second home loss in three nights.Īfter finishing 13 games ahead of the Heat in the regular-season - and then watching top-seeded Milwaukee fall to Miami in the first round - the Celtics have stumbled on what appeared to be a clear path to their second straight NBA Finals. Jayson Tatum had 34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for Boston. “And I’m not going to turn and look otherwise because I respect him as an fucking player.” “He’s going to have to make every single tough shot the rest of the series,” Williams said. You could kind of see it in his eyes he was ready to go after that.”īam Adebayo had 22 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists for Miami, which returns home with a chance to sweep and become just the second No. “I knew that was going to be good for us,” said Caleb Martin, who came off the bench to score 25 points. Then ‘Jimmy Buckets’ scored and scored some more – nine points in all during a 23-9 run that turned a nine-point deficit into a 105-100 lead.
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