Golden State Warriors big man Draymond Green received some hate recently after he prematurely predicted that his team would be facing the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.
As Heat fans know, Green did end up predicting the Finals matchup correctly. Still, his prediction took some time to come true thanks to a masterful Heat performance in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Heat and Celtics.
On the road, the Heat benefited greatly from some Jimmy Butler heroics to force a decisive Game 7. While the Heat were not able to get it done at home in the final game of the series, their gutsy performance in Game 6 very much shocked Green.
He recently admitted that he thought they were finished after a big loss at home in Game 5 of the series.
“I thought there was no chance,” he said on Colin Cowherd’s podcast. “Obviously, Jimmy Butler had one of those Jimmy Butler-type games that we all now know that he’s capable of, and we didn’t just figure that out with that game. We been knew Jimmy was capable of that. … The reality is, if he didn’t get 49, they didn’t have a chance of winning. He had 35 last night, no chance at winning. But I was extremely shocked that they were able to go in without Tyler Herro and go into Boston and win Game 6. I thought there was no chance.”
In the end, the Heat were simply dealing with too many injuries to key players to overcome a talented Celtics team. It’s a tough way for such a fantastic season to end for Miami. The Heat finished the regular season with a 53-29 record and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Now, fans in South Florida will have to watch the Celtics and Warriors duke it out for the ultimate prize. Game 1 of their series is set for Thursday night at Chase Center.
As for the Heat, they will surely look to take care of unfinished business next season and make it back to the NBA Finals. Miami last made it to the Finals during the 2019-20 season, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
