76ers Rival Watch: Celtics Win Game 6 Thriller vs. Miami Heat
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The Boston Celtics are on the path to making history. After going down 0-3 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the red-hot, eighth-seeded Miami Heat, the Celtics are suddenly one win away from booking a trip to the NBA Finals for the second year in a row.
The Heat reached dangerous territory on Thursday night when they paid a visit to the Celtics in Boston and came up short with a blowout loss.
While allowing the Celtics to climb into the series at a 2-3 deficit, it wasn’t the end of the world for Miami, who had to simply win one game at home in Game 6.
But the matchup down South Beach on Saturday night was anything but simple for the Heat.
Through the first quarter of action, the Celtics and the Heat kept it close, with Boston finding a slight edge and going up 34-29.
Going from a high-percentage shooting quarter to a low one in the second quarter, the Heat outscored the Celtics by one point and went into halftime trailing just four points after being down by as many as 11 points through the first half of action.
The Celtics shot significantly better in the first half, draining over 50 percent of their shots. To compare, Miami drained under 40 percent of its attempts. However, the difference from beyond the arc allowed the Heat to stay within striking distance.
Boston came out looking like the better team in the second half. Although they had four more turnovers than Miami in the third quarter, they managed to extend their lead to 13 points, as the Heat could only make just five of their 27 shots from the field.
With a 79-72 lead going into halftime, it seemed the Celtics were bound to force a Game 7. However, we learned during the 2023 NBA Playoffs that the Heat should not be doubted in crunch time.
During the fourth quarter, Miami picked up some momentum and knocked down 53 percent of their shots. They managed to change the lead over four times.
In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Miami trailed by two when Jimmy Butler was fouled beyond the arc. He picked up three free throws and successfully put the Heat out in front with three seconds left to go in the game.
With a timeout, the Celtics managed to draw up one play, which featured a Marcus Smart 26-footer that missed. Fortunately for Boston, Derrick White was there for the last-second tip-in, which put the Celtics out in front at 104-103.
After the further review confirmed White got the shot off in time, the Celtics officially forced a Game 7. The Heat and the Celtics will meet in Boston for the seventh and final time on Monday night. The winner moves on to face the Denver Nuggets for the NBA Championship.
