The Heat led most of the game, thanks in large part to Jimmy Butler, who tallied 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Bam Adebayo scored 23 points for the Heat with nine rebounds, while Max Strus had 14 points.
In the closing stages, the Knicks, where Jalen Brunson scored 41 points, seemed to pull off a stunt and drag a decisive seventh game out of the fire. The team from New York crept closer and closer in the last minute and even narrowed the deficit to two points, but were unable to push through. A pair of Butler free throws and a missed 3-pointer by Quentin Grimes for the Knicks sealed the win for Miami.
The Heat reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in four seasons. Miami is the first eighth-seeded team to reach the Finals since the Knicks did so in 1999.
In the final battle, the Miami Heat will meet the winner of the series between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. That meeting is tied (3-3), both teams will decide on Sunday in game 7 who will advance to the final of the Eastern Conference.