Missing a tenth game at the Kaseya Center in Miami when the ball left the hands of Derrick White. The score was 103-102 for the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics were eliminated at that moment. time stopped and what happened next is already NBA history. The escort had just worked a miracleto give one more life to his team, the fourth already in this tie and, incidentally, he had just finished put the basket of his life. Because the ball went in, with no time left on the stopwatch, and the Celtics forced a game 7 from which the other NBA finalist will come out, the one who faces the Denver Nuggets for the champion title.
If these Celtics have shown anything in recent years, it’s two things. One, they get confused easily. Two, who fight to the end. The first three meetings of the series touched the first version. The next three came out the second and that’s why we are 3-3. That’s why they are the fourth team in history to put a series in this situation after starting losing 3-0. None of the previous three ended well for the one who came from behind, but there is something different this time. It will be the first time that whoever tries to come back plays the seventh game at home. So far, the Celtics have won only five games this season in which it was either that or go home. Only five teams in history had done something like this.
This time they have White to thank. Jimmy Butler (24 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists) made three free throws after being fouled by Al Horford on a 3-point attempt. There were three seconds left and the Heat were 1 up. White took out of the band, the ball was received by Marcus Smart who launched a triple, but the ball did not enter. And during that little space of time between when Smart shot and the ball was thrown out of the rim, White ran from the sidelines to the hoop.as if he had seen something that no one else had seen. A play of faith. Faith that the ball was going to fall right into his hands, which is what happened. With almost no time, she scrambled to her feet and released him. Basket, two points and 103-104. Enter directly into the saints of Celtic history and the legend of the game-winning shots in the playoffs. In elimination matches it is the sixth in historybut if we dig further it is the second that gets in without time and with his team below on the scoreboard. The other is one of the most famous pitches in history. The one from Michael Jordan to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1989. The Shot.
The match was a continuous pursuit of the Heat to the Celtics, who did not finish leaving but they did not let them get ahead either. A +12 midway through the third quarter was the biggest away advantagealthough the one that seemed decisive was the 88-98 five minutes from the end. Since then partial 15-4 for the locals until White’s basket. It is not the first time that the Heat carried out a game that they had lost in these playoffs. In Boston, without going any further, they already did it. But this time the coin was tails for them at the last second. They got Gave Vincent back regarding the fifth game and they covered the hole of turnovers (5-12). The point guard was important in controlling the game. In attack, along with Butler, Caleb Martin stood out above all with 21 points, as well as grabbing 15 rebounds. The Heat they missed again a more stellar version of Bam Adebayo (11+13)which he showed in the first matches of the series.
In front, Jayson Tatum did a little bit of everything with his team on the edge of the precipice. It cannot be said that the boy, 25 years old now, does not have cold blood and a heart for battle. This time it was not good at all because, although he went to 31 points, top scorer of the game, he missed all the triples he tried (0/8) and only made 36.4% of his shots field. yes, it was perfect from the personnel line (15/15), grabbed 12 rebounds, gave 5 assists and put 2 blocks. It is their seventh meeting these playoffs of 30+10+5, equaling a record set by LeBron James in 2018. The bad news for The Heat is that they did not win a game in which the Celtics only made 20% of their triples. But it is that those from Florida, meanwhile, only hit 35.5% of all their shots. And that despite touching 50% from long distance (14/30).
Now the story of a year ago repeats itself, although changing the scenario. last season we saw a game 7 in Miami between these same two teams, which fell on the side of Boston. The Celtics are 27-9 in sevenths playoff games, 22-5 at homeand they have won the last four they have played. The Heatfor his part, They are 6-5, although they don’t know what it means to win one away (0-2). It is the first time that two teams have played a seventh game two seasons in a row since 1995, when a Rockets-Suns and a Pacers-Knicks were repeated. Tomorrow, at 02:30 Spanish time, early morning from Monday to Tuesday, the final round of a series that will go down in history.
|
7
Kyle Lowry |
|
22
Jimmy Butler |
|
42
Kevin Love |
|
44
Cody Zeller |
|
40
udonis haslem |
|
13
Bam Adebayo |
|
55
Duncan Robinson |
|
24
Haywood Highsmith |
|
2
gabe vincent |
|
31
Max Strus |
|
16
Caleb Martin |
|
77
Omer Yurtseven |
|
5
Nikola Jovic |
| Min | pts | RT | RO | DR | Ast | Per | rec | Tap | T1 | T2 | T3 | FR | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7
Kyle Lowry | 18 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2/2 | 3/5 | 0/1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
22
Jimmy Butler | 46 | 24 | eleven | 7 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12/14 | 3/17 | 2/4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
42
Kevin Love | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
44
Cody Zeller | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
40
udonis haslem | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
13
Bam Adebayo | Four. Five | eleven | 13 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3/4 | 4/16 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
55
Duncan Robinson | twenty | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 2/5 | 3/6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
|
24
Haywood Highsmith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
2
gabe vincent | 41 | fifteen | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 3/12 | 3/6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
|
31
Max Strus | 25 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1/3 | 2/5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
16
Caleb Martin | 40 | twenty-one | fifteen | 1 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3/4 | 3/5 | 4/8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
|
77
Omer Yurtseven | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
5
Nikola Jovic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
36
Marcus Smart |
|
42
Al Horford |
|
57
Mike Muscala |
|
91
Blake Griffin |
|
7
Jaylen Brown |
|
0
Jason Tatum |
|
9
Derrick White |
|
40
Luke Kornett |
|
44
robert williams iii |
|
12
Grant Williams |
|
eleven
Payton Pritchard |
|
30
sam hauser |
|
99
Justin Champagne |
| Min | pts | RT | RO | DR | Ast | Per | rec | Tap | T1 | T2 | T3 | FR | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
36
Marcus Smart | 42 | twenty-one | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 4/11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
42
Al Horford | 31 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0/0 | 2/4 | 0/2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
|
57
Mike Muscala | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
91
Blake Griffin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
7
Jaylen Brown | 38 | 26 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8/10 | 9/12 | 0/4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
0
Jason Tatum | 43 | 31 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 15/15 | 8/14 | 0/8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
9
Derrick White | 42 | eleven | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0/0 | 1/3 | 3/7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
40
Luke Kornett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
44
robert williams iii | 17 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 4/5 | 0/0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
12
Grant Williams | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/1 | 0/3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
eleven
Payton Pritchard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
30
sam hauser | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
99
Justin Champagne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |