Heading into Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Boston Celtics on Friday, the Miami Heat looked just about done.
They had dropped Game 5 at home, scoring just 80 points as several members of the team were not 100 percent health-wise.
But Miami scored an inspiring 111-103 win in Game 6 to force a seventh game in South Florida, and Jimmy Butler said that team legend Dwyane Wade helped fire him up before the contest.
Butler looked terrible in Game 5, going just 4-of-18 from the field. But he clearly ate his Wheaties prior to Friday’s game.
He had the game of his life, scoring 47 points on 16-of-29 shooting and 4-of-8 from 3-point range, along with nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
As the Celtics tried to rally in the fourth quarter and close out the series, Butler was there to keep them at bay.
Another Heat player who bounced back was point guard Kyle Lowry.
He missed all six of his shots in Game 5, but in Game 6 he scored 18 points and dished out 10 dimes despite being compromised due to a hamstring ailment.
The Heat seemingly couldn’t buy a 3-point shot on Wednesday, but in Game 6 they shot a stout 42.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Miami seems to have a slight edge in Game 7, as the home team has won an overwhelming number of seventh games throughout NBA history.
However, this series has been so unpredictable that no one can safely predict what will take place in Miami on Sunday.