Yet again, the Miami Heat have failed to put away the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, and they will now face an uphill climb to reach the NBA Finals.
Boston pulled out a stunning 104-103 win in Game 6 on Saturday, and Jaylen Brown made his latest statement of confidence afterwards.
Jaylen Brown: "I feel like now we got a new confidence. We been to hell and back."
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCom) May 28, 2023
The Heat won the first three games of this series, and just about everyone was counting out the Celtics. But the Celtics won Game 4 and Game 5 by double digits to make things interesting.
They led for much of Game 6, and when they were up by 10 points with about five minutes left, it looked like a Game 7 in Boston was a certainty.
Even though he struggled from the field, Jimmy Butler led a Miami comeback, and after being fouled on a 3-point attempt near the end of the fourth quarter, he made all three free throws to put his team up by one.
Afterwards, it looked like the Heat had gotten the stop they needed when Marcus Smart missed a 3-pointer, but guard Derrick White snaked inside for an offensive rebound and putback just before time expired. The home crowd at Kaseya Center was absolutely stunned, as they thought Butler’s foul shots would provide the final margin for a Heat victory.
OH MY GOODNESS DERRICK WHITE WINS!!! pic.twitter.com/ZWiB1Xfjap
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) May 28, 2023
Now the series heads to Massachusetts for a winner-take-all contest on Monday. Throughout their storied history, the Celtics have rarely lost a Game 7 at home, but there may be a sliver of hope for Miami in Boston’s subpar home record throughout this year’s playoffs.
If there is one team that has the fight, resolve and mental toughness to overcome this difficult situation and win a Game 7 in Boston, it’s the Heat. But one has to wonder if those things have been greatly punctured at this point, as they get closer and closer to becoming the first team in NBA history to lose a series after being up 3-0.
