The Miami Heat didn’t allow the Boston Celtics to make history and become the first team in NBA history to return from 0-3 in a playoff series. Instead, they went to TD Garden for Game 7 and got a dominant 103-84 win that secured them a spot in NBA Finals.
The Heat made some history themselves, becoming just the second team to make the NBA Finals as the eighth seed, joining the New York Knicks did it in 1999. Miami now only have the Denver Nuggets standing in their way of winning the fourth championship in franchise history.
Miami saw another big performance from Jimmy Butler, who led the way with 28 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Caleb Martin joined in with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Butler deservingly took home the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP award, having averaged 28.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.1 steals during the Heat’s playoff run.
“I know the work that we all put into it, so I know what we’re capable of. Nobody is satisfied,” Butler said after the game. “We haven’t done anything. We don’t play just to win the Eastern Conference; we play to win the whole thing.”
The Miami Heat are aiming to become the first eighth seed in NBA history to win the title. They finished as No. 7 in Eastern Conference at the end of the regular season and even lost their first Play-In game to the Atlanta Hawks. But what came after was nothing short of impressive.
Miami dealt with the Chicago Bulls to secure the eighth seed and then went to upset the favored Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. After they knocked out the New York Knicks in the East semis, many believed their journey ends against Boston. But the Heat once again rose up to the challenge and showed that the “Heat culture” is really something that can’t be quantified with statistics, odds, or probability.
