Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
What Stood Out in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals: Celtics Don't Meet the Moment; Jimmy Butler Leads Heat to Game 7
Coming back to the TD Garden with a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, many thought the Celtics would punch their ticket to play on the NBA's brightest stage.
Instead, Jimmy Butler delivered a 47-point masterpiece, sending the series back to South Beach. It didn't have the same feel as when LeBron James did this to Boston in 2012, but the similarities are striking.
Butler's 47 points might not have been enough had the Celtics done a better job taking care of the ball. Giving it away 18 times, some at critical junctures that would determine the outcome, made ending Miami's season even more difficult.
Now, for a deep dive into why there will be a Game 7.
Heat Aggressive Early; Free Throws Help Celtics Keep It Close
P.J. Tucker scored the game's first points, swishing an open three from the right corner. After that, Jimmy Butler cut into the paint for a bucket at the rim to make it 5-0.
But Jayson Tatum answered, drilling a three at the right wing, drawing a roar from the TD Garden faithful.
Tatum then spun past Tucker, dropping the latter to the floor, earning a trip to the free-throw line. Tatum made both foul shots, tying the game at five.
On Boston's following possession, Butler stepped in front of a pass from Al Horford, who drove right and tried to kick the ball to Jaylen Brown beyond the arc on the left side of the court, leading to a Max Strus dunk at the other end. Kyle Lowry then stepped into an open three at the left wing to give Miami an early 10-5 lead.
And after Tatum swatted a Strus transition layup from behind, Tucker grabbed the rebound, eventually getting the Heat a Lowry layup to build a 12-5 advantage. That prompted Ime Udoka to take a timeout.
At the 7:20 mark, Brown went into the air without a plan, throwing the ball away as he tried to get it to Horford. It was Boston's fourth turnover. At the other end, Horford got whistled for a foul on Bam Adebayo, the latter's second personal. That brought Grant Williams into the game.
About 30 seconds later, Marcus Smart lobbed an alley-oop to Robert Williams on a terrific set play. That made it 12-7.
Smart then stole a bad pass from Strus, resulting in Tucker taking a foul to prevent the Celtics from getting a transition opportunity. It was Tucker's second personal.
With 4:53 remaining in the opening frame, Caleb Martin got a transition layup, finishing against Tatum. With his basket coming on the heels of a Butler three, it was a mini 5-0 run for Miami, going up 19-9.
Brown countered with a pull-up three from the right wing in transition to cut the deficit to 19-12.
With less than 3:30 to play in the period, the Heat generated four second-chance opportunities but couldn't convert. The Timelord emphatically swatted an attempted put-back by Butler.
But Miami maintained possession after its fifth miss, and Erik Spoelstra called for a timeout. Strus tried to launch a floater off the dribble, but it was to no avail, and Boston finally brought the possession to an end.
The Celtics capitalized on multiple trips to the free-throw line to cut it to 19-16, but Butler pushed the Heat's lead to six with an open three from the left corner.
Brown answered with a turnaround jumper from the right baseline, but then Butler drove from the left, getting into the paint and spraying the ball out to Martin for a three at the right wing. That made it 25-18.
With 47.1 seconds left, Adebayo dished to Butler as he cut down the middle of the paint for a layup that gave Miami a 29-20 advantage.
The last bucket of the quarter belonged to Boston as an Adebayo turnover led to a lefty layup in transition for Tatum. That brought the score to 29-22.
Both teams committed five turnovers in the first frame, but the Heat produced 14 points in the paint. Helping keep the Celtics close was them going 8/8 at the free-throw line.
Brown Get's Cooking, but Heat Take Two-Point Lead into Halftime
After Tatum scored the second quarter's first points at the free-throw line, Tucker swished a three from the left corner. But Tatum matched it with a 27-foot three from above the break to trim the gap to 32-27.
At the 8:56 mark, Payton Pritchard got the ball to Horford, posting up Lowry on the right block. When the double team came, he dished to a cutting Tatum, who spun for a dunk that made it 32-29 Miami.
Tatum followed that up by flashing into the middle of the paint, fielding a pass from Derrick White, and knocking down a fadeaway jumper to bring Boston within one.
After a Spoelstra timeout, Butler buried a three that Grant Williams contested well. It gave him a game high 17 points and extended the Heat's lead to 35-31.
With 7:05 to go, Strus drew a charge on Horford in transition, the latter's third foul. He stayed in the game, though. And Butler followed that up by attacking Grant Williams off the dribble, getting to the line for Miami's first free throws. Butler made them both, giving the visitors a 37-31 advantage.
Tatum countered, driving baseline for a two-handed jam. But Lowry responded, drilling a three from 25 feet, making it 40-33.
At the 5:22 mark, Tucker picked up his third foul. Smart grabbed him, and then Tucker inadvertently whacked Brown in the face. The latter got whistled and reviewed for a flagrant foul. After a second look, the call stood as a common foul.
After the stop in play, Brown came onto the court with a nose plug. Derrick White then produced his first field goal, attacking a Miami defense in disarray after an Adebayo switch. White's layup made it 40-35.
Brown followed that with a pull-up jumper above the foul line to cut Boston's deficit to three.
Brown then got deep into the paint for a pull up from six feet to make it a one-point game.
Brown kept coming, spinning through the paint, getting fouled by Martin, and giving the Celtics their first lead by knocking down both free throws.
At the 2:10 mark, Brown drove in for a layup, missed, but grabbed the rebound and banked in his put-back. He followed it up by euro-stepping past Martin, earning a layup and a trip to the line.
Brown and Martin bumped knees on the euro step. But as painful as that was, there was no way Brown was coming out of the game. He then added the extra point to put Boston ahead 46-42.
With 43.2 seconds left, Lowry stripped Smart, and Butler fed a cutting Adebayo for a thunderous two-handed jam, tying the game at 46. After a Tatum turnover, Butler earned a trip to the line, where he went 2/2, giving the Heat a 48-46 lead entering halftime.
The Celtics were shooting just 41.7 percent from the field, including 3/13 (23.1 percent) from beyond the arc at the break. But their aggressive approach led to 13 free throws, and they capitalized on each of them. They also produced 20 points in the paint. They also turned 13 Miami turnovers into 18 points at the other end.
As one would expect, Tatum and Brown led Boston's offense, scoring 18 points each. They were a combined 12/18 and 9/9 at the charity stripe.
But Butler led all scorers with 21 points, including shooting 3/3 from beyond the arc. As a team, the Heat were 8/16 on threes. They also generated 18 points at the paint and 11 off ten Celtics turnovers.
Playing with its season on the line, Miami was more aggressive than the last two games, but the hosts had to feel good about only being down two despite a mediocre first half, outside of Brown's second-quarter flurry. In that sense, it mirrored the situation Boston was in at halftime of Game 5.
Celtics Take Lead Temporarily, But Miami Punches Back
Tatum sparked the second-half scoring with an open three at the right wing. That gave Boston a 49-48 advantage.
At the other end, Brown picked up his third foul. After Smart dove, tipped Butler's dribble, nearly knocking it out off Butler, Strus collected the pass off the inbounds with one second on the shot clock and drilled a three from above the break.
At the 10:03 mark, Grant Williams picked up a loose-ball foul, his fourth personal, forcing him to the bench. Williams was rather upset about the call.
With 7:37 to play in the period, Smart countered a Butler layup that hung on the rim and rolled in, swishing a three from the right corner as Tucker fouled him, his fourth personal. Smart then made the free throw to make it 57-56 Miami.
But after that, Oladipo cut open for a jump shot from ten feet, and Butler stole an errant pass from Horford, taking it in for a dunk, prompting Ime Udoka to halt play. Butler also got fouled by Smart on his layup, and he tacked on the extra point to put Miami ahead 62-56.
After a pair of free throws by Oladipo, Smart got into double figures, banking in a layup to make it 64-58. But Oladipo responded with a step-back three from 27 feet.
Strus followed it by taking a cross-court pass from Lowry and burying a shot from 27 feet on the right side of the floor. The 70-58 lead represented Miami's largest of the game to that point. They were also on a 13-2 run, causing Udoka to take another timeout.
After the break, White got to the cup with no resistance, cutting the deficit to ten. Tatum then delivered a dart to Robert Williams, who got fouled at the basket. The Timelord made both free throws to bring the score to 70-62.
Brown then lofted a pass to Williams, and he reached up to the rafters and threw it down, delighting the home crowd and prompting Spoelstra to signal for a timeout.
Lowry knocked down a 30-foot three after the break, extending the Heat's advantage to 73-64. Brown then pushed off Oladipo, picking up his fourth foul. He stayed in the game, though.
Butler followed that up with a pair of free throws. He made a jumper that once would've been continuation, but rule changes resulted in him earning two points instead of three. The foul, which was on Smart, was his third.
Robert Williams then gathered a pass from Smart and laid the ball in to make it 75-66, but Butler buried a 17-foot pull-up jumper.
With 2:08 left, Tatum picked up a loose-ball foul, his second personal. Oladipo made both free throws, giving the visitors their largest lead, 79-66.
After that, the Heat doubled Tatum, and he kicked the ball out to an open White for a three from the right wing that brought the deficit back to ten. Robert Williams then blocked a Gabe Vincent three, leading to Tatum dishing to him for a dunk at the other end.
But Strus continued his bounce-back game, swishing a deep three at the right wing, giving him 11 third-quarter points and Miami an 82-71 lead. Williams countered with two more points at the rim.
White closed out the quarter with a pair of free throws, making it 82-75 entering the final frame.
Heat Fend Off the Celtics in the Final Frame
White ignited the fourth-quarter scoring with an open three off a drive-and-kick from Brown, trimming the gap to 82-78.
Butler responded with a 14-foot jumper as Grant Williams fouled him. Ime Udoka challenged the call but was unsuccessful. Butler made the free throw, giving the Heat an 85-78 lead.
Butler kept coming, driving, jump stopping, spinning, and swishing a turnaround jumper, giving him 35 points and Miami an 89-80 advantage.
But White answered with a three at the right-wing. He then drove the right baseline for a floater while getting fouled to make it 89-85. He couldn't turn it into a three-point play, though. It was the first foul shot either team missed.
White then drew a charge on Lowry as he drove into the middle of the paint and launched a floater. Tatum attacked off the dribble at the other end, banking in a sweeping hook shot, but got whistled for using his forearm to dislodge Tucker. It was a questionable call and Tatum's third foul.
At the 7:55 mark, Brown attacked in transition, producing a trip to the line, where he went 2/2, making it 89-87. Butler responded with a three, but Smart got a reverse layup to go at the left side of the rim, bringing Boston back within three, 92-89.
Tatum then earned a trip to the charity stripe, where he went 2/2 to make it a one-point game. But Butler attacked middle, cleared room with his upper body (legally), and banked in an open shot at the basket. That gave him 40 points and the Heat a 94-91 advantage.
Horford then tied the game as White drove and kicked it to him for an open three from the right wing. It was his first field goal of the game.
Horford then made the extra pass, getting the ball from Tatum and swinging to White for a right-corner three that gave Boston a 97-94 lead. That brought bedlam to TD Garden.
After a Heat timeout, Lowry took a pass from Butler and buried a three at the right wing to tie the game at 97.
Lowry and Smart then traded free throws to make it 99-99 with 3:27 to go.
White then made a terrific play to strip Lowry from behind after a missed three by Smart. That led to Brown getting fouled with Boston in the bonus, sending him to the line for two. It was also Lowry's sixth foul. Brown missed both shots, though.
Butler then attacked the rim, earning two points, a foul on Horford, and a free throw that gave the Heat a 102-99 lead with 2:06 left. White fouled Tucker on Miami's following possession, sending him to the line, where he went 2/2 to put the Heat up five.
With 1:25 remaining, a Horford three went in and out, and White got whistled for fouling Tucker after the latter grabbed the rebound. With Miami in the bonus, he went back to the line, going 1/2 to make it 105-99.
With 1:08 on the clock, Tatum got a floater to go on a second-chance opportunity, bringing it to 105-101. But Butler elevated for a face-up jump shot as the shot clock expired, giving the Heat a 107-101 lead with 43.9 seconds to play.
Strus then got whistled for a reach-in foul, trying to strip Tatum. That was his sixth. He and several teammates persuaded Spoelstra to challenge the call, but it was unsuccessful. Tatum made both free throws, cutting it to 107-103 with 40.7 seconds left.
After a Butler missed jump shot, Brown took flight for a transition dunk that initially got ruled a blocking foul on Oladipo. But after review, it got flipped to a charge on Brown, his sixth personal.
Butler then caught a risky cross-court inbounds pass, forcing Tatum to foul him to stop the clock. That sent Butler to the line with 10.9 seconds remaining. He made both shots, giving the Heat a 109-103 advantage.
Horford couldn't hit an open three, Smart fouled Vincent, and the Celtics knew they were on to Game 7 in Miami.
Butler finished with a game-high 47 points, delivering an absolute masterpiece. His team shot 15/35 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc. The Heat also produced 34 points in the paint, 24 on 25 free throws, and 22 off 18 Boston turnovers.
Tatum led the Celtics with 30 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. But he also coughed up the ball seven times. In the fourth quarter, he attempted one shot and scored six points.
Brown registered 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals. But he committed four turnovers, and in the second half, he took three shots and only scored two points.
It was for naught, but Boston got 22 points, five assists, and three steals from Derrick White. The Celtics took nearly as many threes as Miami but went 11/33 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc.
However, their aggressive approach led to 38 points in the paint and going 28/31 at the foul line. They also produced 23 points off 19 Heat turnovers.
It's a stinging loss for the Celtics, who, at best, gave up a chance to get some rest before the NBA Finals. At worst, their season ends in Miami.
Up Next
Game 7 of this Eastern Conference Finals series between the Celtics and Heat is Sunday night in South Beach. Tip-off is at 8:30 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
Jayson Tatum Points to Winning, Growth as a Playmaker for All-NBA First Team Selection
What Stood Out from Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals: In a Must-Win Game, Celtics Deliver
