Horford held the record for most playoff games (141) played without reaching the NBA Finals. Al Horford will finally get a shot at a title Herro aside, Max Strus' shooting struggles continued as well, and while he did knock down a crucial 3-pointer at the tail end of the game to cut Boston's lead down to just a two-point lead, he ended the night going 2 for 7 on 3-pointers. That's not entirely surprising, given Miami has gradually cooled off over the course of this series, and when Tyler Herro tries to make a comeback after missing three games and only plays six minutes, you're kind of at a disadvantage already. Lowry tacked on 15 points as well, but it really felt like the Butler show tonight, and that's ultimately the reason the Heat lost the game. Unfortunately, Butler's performance wasn't enough as he got minimal help outside of Bam Adebayo's 25 points. He was hustling for rebounds, loose balls and playing the very Jimmy Butler brand of basketball the entire night without a single break longer than a timeout. He got to the free-throw line essentially whenever he wanted to, as Boston struggled to contain him for the second straight game. What's even crazier, he made it look easy. 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.īutler was masterful in his Game 7 performance. I feel like Butler playing the full game will probably go overlooked, but I don't think there's very many players in this league who could do what he did tonight. everybodyīutler played the full 48 minutes, and he put his all into his performance to try and will the Heat to a win. You could see all the improvements these core guys have been working on over the years paying off in the biggest game of their careers tonight, and it just so happened to lead to a spot in the NBA Finals. It was Tatum's playmaking, a much-improved skill we've seen from him this season, that led to open 3s in the corners for Boston. It was the defense of Smart and Brown on Butler to not bite on his pump fake and limit the contributions of everyone else on the Heat. But it wasn't just the scoring that was impressive from all three players. 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. From the opening tip you could tell that the Celtics wanted to come out aggressive, and while the Heat gave Boston a scare in the final minutes of the game, it was because of the performances of Tatum, Brown and Smart that gave the C's the win. Throw in Smart's 24 points and it's pretty easy to see why the Celtics won this game. Tonight was no different, as Brown and Tatum combined for 50 points. So it's safe to say those guys shine when the lights are the brightest. 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. You don't believe me? Here's a stat that will blow your mind. Here's three takeaways from Boston's win over Miami in Game 7. With Boston's win, Ime Udoka becomes the first rookie head coach in NBA history to win multiple Game 7s Boston beat the Bucks 109-81 in Game 7 earlier in the East semis. But Butler alone couldn't get it done for the No. Jimmy Butler did most of the offensive work for Miami, finishing with 35 points while playing the entire game. Miami went on a late run and cut the deficit to two points, but Boston managed to hang on for the win. The Celtics led wire-to-wire, and responded every time the Heat went on a run. Jayson Tatum led the way with 26 points, and Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart added on 24 points apiece as the Celtics move on to play the Golden State Warriors for the championship, beginning with Game 1 Thursday in San Francisco. 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.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |