The loss by the Miami Heat to the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday had multiple unforgettable plays down the stretch that decided the outcome of the 104-103 thriller that forced Game 7.
The Last Two Minute Report from last night's game is up. There are two incorrect calls – Caleb Martin should have been hit with a lane violation with just over a minute to go, and Gabe Vincent should have been called for a foul on Jayson Tatum with 33.5 seconds left.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 28, 2023
The NBA did acknowledge two missed non-calls in its Last Two Minute Report for Game 6, with both going in favor of the Heat.
A lane violation on Heat forward Caleb Martin came on a free-throw attempt by Celtics forward Jaylen Brown. With Boston up by four, Brown missed the free throw and Miami forward Jimmy Butler got the rebound.
The second came with Boston up by one, and Jayson Tatum missed his shot attempt while driving against Gabe Vincent.
“Vincent (MIA) moves laterally and turns into Tatum’s (BOS) path after his gather, initiating body contact that affects Tatum’s driving shot attempt,” the report read.
Boston won on a buzzer-beating putback by Derrick White off a missed jumper by Marcus Smart. Butler had given the Heat a one-point lead by making three free throws with 3.0 seconds left.
The foul by Al Horford on Butler was challenged to determine if Butler. Following the review, Butler was awarded three free throws instead of two and the clock was reset to 3.0 seconds. That additional time paid off for the Celtics at the end of the game.
The fact that the Celtics would up winning the game substantially diminished whatever controversy may have arisen from the two mistakes in favor of the Heat in the final two minutes.
Miami has lost three straight games and is in danger of becoming the first NBA team to lose a best-of-seven series after taking a 3-0 lead. Only three other teams have been forced to play a Game 7 after winning the first three games.
The winner of Game 7, to be played Monday in Boston, will advance to the NBA Finals to face the Denver Nuggets, who haven’t played since May 22 when they completed a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers to win the Western Conference Finals.
According to the injury report for Game 7 that was released Sunday, Vincent is questionable to play. The guard has an injured ankle, but it did not prevent him from playing in Game 6 after he had to sit out Game 5.
