The Boston Celtics were left on the verge of a miracle this Monday after falling 84-103 in Game 7 of the Eastern Finals against the Miami Heat. After tying the series at three, Joe Mazzulla’s men were about to overcome a 0-3 deficit in the playoffs, something that has never been achieved before in NBA history. However, Jayson Tatum’s injury and Jimmy Butler’s good work deprived the Celtics of making history.
The Heat, for their part, who started the playoffs as the top seeds, did not give up this time and won the Eastern Conference for the seventh time in their history, driven by 28 points from Jimmy Butler, named MVP of the Eastern Finals, and 26 from Caleb Martin. Next Friday they will begin the fight for the ring against the Denver Nuggets at the Ball Arena.
The Celtics, who had won the last three games after losing the first three, were one win away from achieving an unprecedented feat in American basketball, but fell just short at home in a game marred by Jayson’s sprained ankle. Tatum in the first action of the match. However, he did not give up and played the game, but did not go beyond 14 points and 14 rebounds. The injury prevented him from being the protagonist as he was in the seventh game of the previous round against the Philadelphia 76ers, when he had 51 points.
Jayeln Brown was the leading scorer with 19 points and Derrick White had 18, but the Celtics paid dearly for their lousy 3-point percentages, just 9 of 41 (21%). They also made a long series of management errors and lost 15 balls.
In the Heat Butler finished with 28 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals, and Martin also put in a brilliant performance with 26 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, with four of six on three-pointers. Bam Adebayo had a double double of 12 points and 10 rebounds to make Miami the second franchise capable of reaching the Finals coming off the eighth seed.
Tatum’s injury affected the game from the start and the Celtics suffered tremendously from the arc after missing their first 10 3-point attempts. They made just 6 of their 23 field goals and scored 15 points, the worst mark of their season for a quarter. The Heat, on the other hand, very choral from the beginning, dominated the game without trouble and went into the break with an 11-point lead (41-52).
After the break White took the reins of the greens and managed to close the gap on the scoreboard. However, his efforts were thwarted time and time again by Caleb Martin, who held his own. In the last period the Heat delivered the final blow after a resounding 7-0 run that gave them a 17-point lead (83-66).
Desperation seized the Celtics, still with Tatum on the track, who chained a series of failures that gave the Miami team even more strength. Finally, Bam Adebayo took the opportunity to close the match with an ‘alley-oop’ to make it 103-82, against a TD Garden that emptied out in the final minutes of the match.
After the game Jimmy Butler, elected MVP of the Eastern Finals, stressed that “nobody is satisfied, we have not done anything, we are not playing to win the Eastern Conference, we are playing to win the title.” A title for which they will fight against the Denver Nuggets starting Friday in Colorado.
