Jimmy Butler showed his competitive soul this Friday and, with 47 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, he led the Miami Heat at the TD Garden Boston and gave them a win for 111-103 which forced Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals, with the Golden State Warriors waiting in the Finals. Erik Spoelstra’s team came out the winner of a vibrant game, in which they had a thirteen-point lead in the third period and were trailing by three points in the fourth, before Butler silenced, with some plays of pure leadership , to TD Garden. It was supported by a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists from Kyle Lowry, in his best game in recent months, and by three triples from Max Strus (13 points) and two from PJ Tucker (11 points). The Celtics did not lack their usual defensive effort or leadership from their stars. Jayson Tatum scored 30 points, with 9 rebounds and 4 assists, and Jaylen Brown had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. In addition, Derrick White achieved the best performance of his ‘playoffs’ with 22 points and four triples, but his team had to give up before Butler’s epic night.
Butler, pure leader
And Butler agreed with him. With no margin for error in the Garden, the number 22 started strongly, with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in the first period, which allowed the Heat to gain a seven-point lead (29-22). He hit two three-pointers of two and Miami went five of eight, after the modest 7 of 45 recorded by Spoelstra’s men in the fifth game. But Butler (21 points, 9 rebounds), and partially Lowry (10 points), were the only ones to have offensive effectiveness in the first half. They accumulated 31 of their team’s 46 points at halftime and Boston, little by little, pushed by Tatum and Brown, managed to reduce the margin.
Tatum and Brown pull Boston
Tatum led the reaction by scoring thirteen straight points for the Celtics and finished the first half with 18 points, as did teammate Brown, whose big drive late in the second period gave Boston its first lead of the night (41-40), with a basket and an added foul.
It was in the third period when Butler was not left alone, but had the valuable help of Victor Oladipo and Max Strus who, with 11 points and three triples, launched the Heat to the maximum lead at 79-66. Boston trembled, but did not lose its lucidity. Ime Udoka called time out and, to the rhythm of Robert Williams in the paint, managed to stay close to his rivals and cut the deficit to the 79-72almost a victory considering that for a moment the Heat seemed in physical and mental control.
With a 7-0 run in the opening of the fourth period, the first three points from Horford and a triple from a magnificent White, the Celtics took the lead at 97-94, to unleash the madness of the Garden.
Butler and Lowry foil the comeback
However, on Butler’s big night, Lowry also slipped in with a pivotal 3-pointer to dampen the local enthusiasm and open an 11-2 Heat run that propelled Spoelstra’s men to a six-point lead in the 105- 99. Tatum brought the Celtics closer to 101-105, but another amazing buzzer-beater by Butler gave the Heat back six points, whose victory was confirmed by Brown’s offensive foul on Oladipo.
It will be the second time that the Celtics face a seventh game in these ‘playoffs’, after eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks in the previous round.