Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
What Stood Out from Game 7: Celtics' Defense, Tatum's 26 Points Lead Boston to NBA Finals
The Celtics have punched their ticket to play on the NBA's brightest stage, snapping a five-game losing streak in games with a chance to reach the NBA Finals, dating back to 2012.
The league's top-ranked defense led the way, limiting the Heat to 96 points, including 17 in the opening frame and 21 in the fourth quarter. Offensively, Tatum generated a team-high 26, and Brown produced 24.
Now, a deep dive into what stood out as Boston broke through to the NBA Finals, where the Warriors await.
Celtics Throw the First Punch
Jayson Tatum grabbed a Marcus Smart missed three and put it back for the game's first two points. After that, Al Horford swatted a P.J. Tucker three, leading to a Jaylen Brown layup at the other end.
Boston got another stop, creating a transition opportunity for Brown, who went one-on-three, earning a trip to the free-throw line and a foul on Kyle Lowry. Brown went 2/2, giving the Celtics a 6-0 lead.
Lowry then attacked Brown off the dribble, getting the latter to bite on a pump fake, producing a trip to the line. Lowry made the first shot but missed the second.
Smart then pulled up in transition, knocking down a three from the right wing to make it 9-1 visitors.
On Boston's following possession, Lowry fouled Smart reaching in for a steal, picking up his second personal.
Lowry stayed in, but Smart subbed out for Derrick White. Smart changed his sneakers but appeared to tell the trainers he was fine. He returned to the floor about two minutes of game time later.
White then threw a careless pass that Jimmy Butler stepped in front of for a breakaway jam. That made it 9-3. But Horford responded, fielding a Jayson Tatum drive-and-kick and hitting a three that gave the Celtics a 12-5 advantage early.
At the 7:33 mark, Lowry couldn't get a layup to go down, but Bam Adebayo cleaned up the miss with a thunderous two-handed dunk to make it 12-7.
Nearly a minute later, with Tucker and Lowry on Tatum, the latter dished to a cutting Grant Williams for a layup plus a foul on Max Strus. Williams added the tax, giving Boston a 17-7 lead.
Tucker then threw a careless pass Smart intercepted, and while he couldn't immediately capitalize, the visitors retained possession with an inbound under the hoop. As the Heat failed to match up, Tatum drilled a three from above the break, pushing the advantage to 20-7.
Horford then swatted a Strus dunk attempt, leading to Brown feeding Grant Williams for a layup that made it 22-9.
After that, Smart delivered a dime to Williams for another deuce at the rim. Following a sloppy sequence that included a Tatum airball on a three and him missing a layup, Butler got a layup that cut the deficit to 24-11.
Gabe Vincent followed that up with a three from above the break while getting fouled by Horford. He made the free throw, trimming the gap to single digits, 24-15.
Butler then spun by White for a two near the basket to make it 24-17. But Boston responded as Brown drove and kicked it out to White for a left-corner three to extend the lead to ten.
With 1:00 left in the opening frame, Tatum pulled up for a three from above the break, giving the Celtics a 30-17 advantage.
With 10.5 seconds on the clock, Brown faked like he would pull the ball back out, then split Vincent and Butler, as the latter went back to his man, earning two points deep in the paint. That gave Boston a 32-17 lead entering the second quarter.
It was a terrific start for the Celtics. They shot 12/24 from the field, 5/9 (55.6 percent) from beyond the arc, and produced 14 points in the paint. They took seven shots in the restricted area, reflecting an aggressive approach aided by holding the Heat to 33.3 percent shooting, including 1/7 (14.3 percent) on threes. That led to Boston generating 13 fast-break points.
Tatum had eight points, Grant Williams scored seven off the bench, and Brown chipped in six.
Celtics Stop Playing Up-Tempo, Heat Go on the Attack
Searching for offense, Erik Spoelstra brought Tyler Herro in 23 seconds into the second quarter.
Brown ignited the second-period scoring with a layup off a Herro missed three from the left corner.
At the 9:58 mark, Butler attacked Grant Williams off the dribble, getting a pull-up jumper from inside the paint to drop as he got fouled by Williams. He added the free throw, making it 34-20.
About 30 seconds later, Brown drilled a three from the right wing, giving the Celtics a 37-22 advantage. But Adebayo responded with a powerful jam, absorbing contact from Grant Williams as he rotated late. The foul was Williams' third, bringing Horford back in the game. Adebayo missed the free throw, keeping the score at 37-24.
With 7:44 to play in the frame, an ill-advised missed three from Smart, shooting early in the shot clock and launching a deep three from the left-wing, led to a layup and a trip to the line for Butler. He converted it into a three-point play, bringing the score to 39-27.
At the 6:50 mark, Smart drove with little resistance, generating two points at the rim. That made it 41-28.
But the following four points belonged to Miami. First, there was a Butler layup. Then, Adebayo grabbed his miss and got the put-back to go. But Tatum answered, muscling his way to the basket for two points plus a foul on Vincent. He couldn't make the free throw, though. That kept the score at 43-32.
Then, after the Celtics forced a shot clock violation, wiping out a Vincent three that banked in, Tatum found Smart as he slipped a screen for the former, earning two points deep in the paint. That gave Boston a 45-32 advantage with 5:18 remaining. That prompted Spoelstra to take a timeout.
At the 4:30 mark, Brown swung the ball to White, who buried a three from the left wing, giving the Celtics a 50-34 lead.
Tatum pushed the lead to 53-38, knocking down a three off the catch at the right wing.
But Strus made it 53-41, stepping into a three at the left wing for his first field goal. Butler then cut it to 53-44, walking into an open transition three. That gave him 24 points. It also caused Ime Udoka to halt play.
After the break, Brown got a tough jumper to go as the shot clock neared expiration. That extended the visitor's advantage to 55-44 with 1:07 left.
Lowry drew two fouls late in the quarter. First, against Horford while fighting for a defensive rebound. Due to Miami being in the bonus, Lowry went to the line, earning his first two points. Smart then got too physical trying to wall off Lowry as he drove towards the basket. He made both foul shots again, bringing the score to 55-49 at halftime.
The Heat had to be thrilled with only being down six despite a poor first quarter and shooting 42.1 percent in the opening frames, including 3/13 (23.1 percent) from beyond the arc.
But the Celtics slowed down their pace offensively, allowing Miami to get set defensively; between that and some ill-advised shots, the Heat started playing with more energy. They also got to the line 22 times, producing 14 points.
On the heels of his 47-point masterpiece, Butler led all scorers with 24 at the break. He repeatedly had success targeting White.
As for Boston, the visitors were 8/20 (40 percent) on threes, and generated 26 points in the paint, but five turnovers led to 12 points for the hosts.
Brown led the Celtics with 15 points, Tatum had 13, and Smart scored nine.
In the second half, they can't stop playing up-tempo. It leads to isolation basketball, lower quality shots, and adverse situations like the Heat closing out the second quarter on an 11-2 run.
Third Quarter One of the Most Competitive in This Series
Adebayo sparked the third-quarter scoring, getting an eight-foot jumper to rattle in to make it 55-51.
After Smart went 1/2 at the free-throw line, Strus got a left-corner three to fall, cutting the deficit to 56-54. Smart answered with a layup to push it to 58-54. But the officials later reviewed the play and determined he stepped out of bounds, wiping out the basket.
Smart extended the lead to 63-54, taking a kick-out pass from a driving Brown and knocking down a three from slightly above the left corner.
Tatum pushed it to 65-52, attacking in transition for a layup.
Then, with the score 65-54 and Boston continuing to play up-tempo, Robert Williams drew a foul on Butler. He made both foul shots, giving the visitor's a 67-54 advantage.
Tatum then drove and found Brown at the rim for a layup that made it 69-56. But Adebayo hit a turnaround jumper as the shot clock expired, bringing it to 69-58. The Celtics answered as Brown attacked Adebayo and kicked the ball out to Smart for a three that extended the lead to 72-58, prompting Spoelstra to take a timeout.
At the 6:07 mark, Strus drew a charge on Brown, the latter's third foul. Strus appeared to slide in late, but Udoka decided to save his challenge.
Nearly a minute later, Oladipo trimmed the gap to seven, fielding a Buter kick out and burying a three from 28 feet to make it 72-65. That resulted in Udoka pausing the action.
With 4:04 remaining, Brown drove in for a layup, beating Butler to extend the Celtics' lead to 76-67.
Tatum then cut from the left side to the right half of the restricted area, generating two points at the rim off a feed from Horford, giving Boston a 78-67 advantage, prompting Spoelstra to take a timeout.
After the break, Lowry stepped into a three to make it 78-70. It wasn't nearly as impactful, but evoked a flashback to when he tied Game 6 at 94 with a three after a Miami timeout.
At the other end, Grant Williams cleaned up a Horford miss. The initial ruling was shot-clock violation, but the ball hit the rim, and the officials overturned the call, making it 80-70.
Lowry then snaked his way into the paint off an Adebayo screen, producing two points plus a foul on Tatum. He made the free throw, cutting the deficit to 80-73.
Brown extended Boston's advantage to 82-73, attacking in transition for a righty layup.
Butler answered with a dunk that brought the score to 82-75, where it stood entering the final frame.
Celtics' Defense Leads Them to the NBA Finals
Adebayo opened the fourth-quarter scoring, elevating for a Vincent lob and throwing down the alley-oop dunk. That made it 82-77. After Strus stripped Robert Williams, Butler attacked for a layup to cut it to 82-79. That prompted a quick timeout from Udoka.
After a pair of free throws by Tatum, he drove and dished to Grant Williams for a layup that made it 86-79.
At the 9:21 mark, Adebayo inadvertently elbowed White in the head, cutting him open. That brought Brown back into the game while the training staff attended to White.
After that, Lowry tried to draw a charge on Brown, but it got ruled a blocking foul; disagreeing with the call and knowing it would be Lowry's fourth personal, Spoelstra challenged the ruling. Upon review, the officials corrected their initial decision. As a result, it was Brown's fourth foul. He stayed in the game, though.
With 8:56 to play in the Eastern Conference Finals, Grant Williams pulled the chair on Lowry, and while he maintained his dribble as he went to the floor, he called for a timeout that left the Heat with one remaining.
Horford then made it 88-79 with a transition layup. Tatum thought he extended it to 90-79 but got whistled for a charge as he tried to finish in transition. It was his fourth personal.
Smart made it 90-79 with a floater in the middle of the paint, putting Boston on an 8-0 run. Oladipo countered, driving in for a bucket that brought it to 90-81.
But Tatum answered with a side-step three from the left wing, pushing the Celtics' lead to 93-81; for good measure, he shot a look to a courtside Aaron Donald after the basket.
Then, Tatum got the ball on an inbound under Miami's hoop, shook Butler, and swished a jumper as the shot clock expired, giving Boston a 95-85 advantage with 4:28 to go.
With the score 96-85, Smart drove down the right side of the paint and induced a foul on Butler, sending him to the line, where he made both free throws.
Lowry responded with a mid-range fadeaway. That brought the score to 98-87. Strus then elevated for a put-back jam that cut it to 98-89 with 2:35 on the clock.
Oladipo then produced a transition layup to make it 98-91. Lowry followed it up with the same type of basket to trim the gap to 98-93 with a minute left.
After that, Brown accidentally elbowed Adebayo in the chin, picking up his fifth foul. Udoka challenged the call but to no avail.
Strus then swished a three from the right wing. That made it 98-96. At that point, the Heat were on an 11-0 run.
After a Butler missed three in transition, Smart got fouled and made both free throws, giving the Celtics a 100-96 lead with 11.4 seconds left. Spoelstra then took a timeout.
After the break, Strus missed an above-the-break three, but Horford got whistled for a foul on Oladipo going after the rebound. Strus couldn't capitalize on another opportunity from beyond the arc, Horford grabbed the miss, and Boston punched its ticket to the NBA Finals.
Outside of that 11-0 run by Miami, the Celtics played suffocating defense in the final frame, holding the Heat to 21 points. They created the cushion necessary to advance, but Boston only scored 18 in the last quarter.
Tatum led the Celtics with 26 points, ten rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. Brown registered 24 points, six boards, and six assists, and Smart produced 24 points, nine rebounds, five dimes, and two steals.
Boston generated 46 points in the paint, 20 on the fast break, 19 on 24 free throws, and 14 off ten Miami turnovers. The visitors also did a better job protecting the ball than in their losses, limiting the giveaways to 13.
As for the Heat, Butler had another outstanding performance, finishing with a game-high 35 points. Adebayo also stepped up with 25, helping Miami produce 56 points in the paint and 24 trips to the line (16/24).
But the Celtics held the hosts to 42 percent shooting from the field, including 6/30 (20 percent) from beyond the arc.
It wasn't always pretty, but no team challenges its opposition quite like the Heat do. The Celtics didn't meet every challenge in this series, nor was it realistic to think they would, but they earned three road wins and fought their way to a date with the Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Up Next
The NBA Finals start Thursday night. Tip-off for Game 1 is at 9:00 ET. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
Miami Heat Fined $25,000 for Violating NBA's Rules on Bench Decorum
