The Miami Heat eliminated the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning Game 6 of the best-of-seven series 125-113.
The Heat will now face the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, with Game 1 scheduled for Saturday.
At the start of the playoffs, no one expected the Heat to make it this far. Led by Jimmy Butler, who is on his fourth NBA team, third-year power forward Bam Adebayo, and 20-year-old rookie sensation Tyler Herro, the Heat have managed to silence all their doubters.
They first swept the Indiana Pacers, then crushed the Milwaukee Bucks (who had the NBA’s best record this season) in just 5 games, and proceeded to beat the Boston Celtics in six.
After Herro lit up the Celtics in Game 5 with 37 points, Game 6 was all about Adebayo, who scored 32 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and added five assists.
Butler was consistent as ever, adding 22 points and eight assists of his own. Andre Igoudala, who will be making an appearance in the NBA finals for a sixth straight season, adding 15 points off the bench as the Heat easily handled the Celtics.
Team president Pat Riley deserves a lot of praise for completing this quick and improbable rebuild after losing LeBron James in 2014 to the Cleveland Cavaliers and franchise cornerstone Dwayne Wade retiring in 2019.
