8th seed, Miami Heat, advances to the All-NBA finals. They are Champions of the East. Despite being forced to a game 7 by the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat took total control of the final game of the series and got a blowout win on the road, 103-84.
The Heat exerted dominance in game 7, shooting 49% from the field, 50% from deep and 83% off the free throw line. They attacked the game with purpose and resilience, knowing that they could not bottle a 3-0 lead, and Boston Celtics did not do much to stop them as they were abysmal all game long.
Miami’s success in the playoffs is not a result of a one-man’s work but an overall team effort. Yes, Jimmy Butler has always been HIM alongside Bam Adebayo but this time around, Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Kyle Lowry and Max Strus all stepped up to the plate.
The Perfect Underdog Story
“Sometimes you have to suffer for the things that you really want,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “This group has shown fortitude, when there are inevitable letdowns and failures, to have that perseverance to pick yourself up, to have that collective spirit to keep on forging ahead until you get to accomplish what you want to.”
The Heat had a mediocre regular season and needed to make it to the playoffs through the play-ins, which they did, but they lost the first play-in game to the Atlanta Hawks before winning against the Chicago Bulls in the play-in finale for the No. 8 seed.
They were immediately faced with the task of going up against the first-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, which they won in five, they also defeated the No. 5 seed, the New York Knicks in six games and to crown it all, they conquered long-time rivals, No. 2 seed, the Boston Celtics in seven exhilarating games.
Against all odds, they became the ECF Champions and the second No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals (New York Knicks, 1999).
Jimmy Butler was named the Eastern Conference MVP and rightly so, but Caleb Martin is a worthy mention as he carried his side all through the series, especially when it mattered most, dropping 26 buckets, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Driving the attack the entire game.
Caleb Martin series stats in the Heats/ Celtics series
Game One: 15 PTS | 6/11 FG | 3 3PT
Game Two: 25 PTS | 11/16 FG | 3 3PT
Game Three: 18 PTS | 7/11 FG | 4 3PT
Game Four: 16 PTS | 6/9 FG | 2 3P
Game Five: 14 PTS | 5/12 FG | 2 3PT
Game Six: 21 PTS | 7/13 FG | 4 3PT
Game Seven: 26 PTS | 11/16 FG | 4 3PT
Finals boost for Miami Heat
• It’s the First Finals for the Nuggets and the Second in four years for Heat, which means the Miami Heat will go into the final with more experience.
• Tyler Herro who was not available for most of the playoffs after fracturing his hand, is expected to return in game 3. Herro has been an integral part of the team and coach Spoelstra would be happy to have him back.
• The Heat Mentality
Speaking after the game, Butler said :
“We stayed together as a group. As a team, we talked about going and getting a tough one on the road. We did just that, But we’re not satisfied. We’re excited. We’re happy. But we’ve got one more to get.”
A Celtics perspective: No Banner 18
Boston Celtics, a game shy of being the first NBA team to turn a 3-0 deficit around.
The Celtics led by five points at the start of the game before conceding a 14-4 run to end the first quarter and going on to trail by as much as 17 points.
Mazzulla’s men stunk from deep, shooting 21%. They simply struggled offensively and it did not help that their star man, Jayson Tatum, picked up an ankle injury in the first play of the game in an attempt to Euro-step around Gabe Vincent.
Although Tatum remained in the game, he was not himself but still managed to get a double-double, scoring 14 and rebounding 11 times.
Derrick White took up the offensive mantle, but it was not enough to see the Celtics through. Jaylen Brown had a tough night, committing eight turnovers.
Despite watching a documentary on the Boston Red Sox’s comeback from a 3-0 deficit against the New York Yankees in the 2004 World Series, the Celtics failed to emulate. There goes another chance at Banner 18.
The Boston Celtics would be gutted at their performance but they leave the playoffs with their heads up. They could have easily gone down by a sweep but instead, they forced a game.
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