Boston Celtics hold off late Miami Heat comeback to win Game 7

The Miami Heat season has come to an end as the Boston Celtics hold off a late comeback to win Game 7 100-96 to go to the NBA Finals. Jayson Tatum was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP after his efforts in this series, which is definitely deserved. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo showed up in a big way and combined for 60 points, but it just wasn’t enough as they fall short of the ultimate goal.

This is one of the toughest losses to take in my life as a Heat fan. To see this team down 98-85 with 3:30 left in the game and respond with an 11-0 run to bring it within two was one of the most incredible displays of effort and will I‘ve seen from a Heat team. I respect that to the highest degree, even with the pain I’m feeling after this disappointing loss. The reality is that we just didn’t have enough and when it mattered most Boston was the better team and they earned this victory.

We need to appreciate what we just saw from our star duo. They did what star players are expected to do on the big stage and I can only smile about that, especially in Bam’s case. They were the only source of offense the Heat had all game long and it was honestly working as they were getting the looks they wanted and making things happen on both ends. Jimmy once again was having his way against this incredible defense and finished with 35 points on 13-of-24 shooting, nine rebounds and a steal. Many will criticize him for taking that fast break three at the end of the game when we were down just two points. I’m on the side that feels attacking a back pedaling Al Horford and getting to the basket is the better option. However, thinking about that for too long will make me lose my mind. I’d rather think about how Edrice “Bam“ Adebayo showed up and gave his team what they needed when it mattered most. He had a double double with 25 points and 11 rebound to go with four assists and no turnovers.

I think we can all agree that it is amazing to see Bam and Jimmy play amazing in a pivotal Game 7, however when the rest of the team shoots 12-of-44 (27%) from the field that’s not a recipe for success. Max Strus made some big plays down the stretch, but for the majority of this game and the series he was unable to get many clean looks with Bostons defense not allowing him to get comfortable. He finished Game 7 with just eight point on 3-of-10 shooting and five of those were in the final minute of the game, just not enough. Kyle Lowry had 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, a block and two turnovers. Aside from the inconsistent shooting he was what we needed today, a veteran to settle things down when things weren’t looking good. He made multiple big time plays and that needs to be said, but he also was unable to replicate his stellar shooting from Game 6 and that was ultimately needed with Tyler Herro clearly still dealing with his groin injury in this gam. I‘m happy we have him, but I’m hoping he‘s able to keep his body right for the remainder of this hefty contract.

Boston got the contributions they needed from the trio of Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart as they combined for 74 points on 25-of-58 shooting (43%) as well as 17 assists to just seven turnovers. Took much better care of the ball and took turns making plays for others. They also got a strong defensive game from Al Horford, who made his presence felt early with a steal and block that led to fast break buckets in the first quarter. The veteran finished with five points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steals and earned his first ever trip to the Finals in his career. He has the most ever playoff games played by a player to not go to the Finals before tonight, and he definitely deserves it. Grant Williams saw a lot of minutes tonight and he responded as well with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, six rebounds and a block.

I thought the Miami Heat defense was there tonight again as they held the Celtics to just 41% shooting as a team, but their team offense and bench just couldn’t generate enough good looks against this physical Boston defense. Plus, Boston generated their looks in the flow of their offense much better than Miami with 22 assists on 35 field goals made compared to just 16 assists on 37 fields goals for the Heat. Not what you want to see from a team that consistently talks about their strength in numbers throughout the season, but the injuries were just too much for them.

I’m still extremely proud of my team for coming out and fighting back all night to keep this game competitive. You hate to see them lose, but the front office knows what needs to be done to make this team successful. As hobbled as they were, this team was a Jimmy three away from going to the NBA Finals. They will be back.

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Stay tuned for more articles this summer as I will be discussing possible prospects in this upcoming draft (if we don’t trade our pick away) and off-season targets for the Miami Heat.