NBA News: Former Sixer Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat Eliminated by Boston Celtics
Former Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler was looking to make his second NBA Finals appearance with the Miami Heat this season.
When the Heat kicked off their playoff run, they instantly made it out of the first round as they knocked out the Atlanta Hawks in five games.
In round two, the Heat and the Sixers met for a seven-game series, which only required six matchups. After looking like the clear-cut, more dominant squad against a Joel Embiid-less Sixers, the Heat got off to a 2-0 start in round two.
However, the return of Embiid allowed the Sixers to battle back and picked up two wins of their own. With the series tied at two, the Heat took the lead with a commanding win at home before upsetting and eliminating the Sixers in South Philly for Game 6.
From then on, the Heat faced Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics. For the first four games of the series, the Heat and the Celtics traded wins every other game. It wasn't until Game 5 when Boston became the first team in the series to pick up consecutive wins.
While Boston had an opportunity to put the Heat away in six, Jimmy Butler put up nearly 50 points in the elimination matchup to force a Game 7. On Sunday night, the Heat and the Celtics met for the final matchup of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics got off to a hot start by outscoring Miami 32-17 in the first quarter, but the Heat battled back. By halftime, Miami was within six points of forming a comeback after a shaky start to the game.
Unfortunately for them, Boston wouldn't take their foot off the gas. The Celtics maintained their lead going into the fourth quarter after both teams went neck and neck coming out of halftime.
The game came down to the wire, but the Celtics never gave up the lead. After remaining out in front for the entire matchup, Boston stayed together and picked up a 100-96 victory to eliminate the Heat officially. Now the Celtics are headed to the 2022 NBA Finals to face the Golden State Warriors.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
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