after the miracle And MadnessGabe Vincent broke the silence inside the Miami Heat’s locker room Saturday night by humming along to “Life Goes On,” a song by Ed Sheeran featuring Luke Combs.
Most of Vincent’s teammates were long gone, heading home to the Miami area where they faced the collective challenge of figuring out how to recover from a soul-crushing loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
But back in the locker room, where an oversized portrait of Larry O’Brien’s NBA championship trophy is sewn into the carpet and a series of murals depicting the franchise’s past victories line a tunnel leading to the court, the atmosphere is bleak. The lyrics of a song about heartbreak didn’t help. They spilled out of Vincent’s iPhone all tin and hollow, as if music were blasting through a radiator:
It hit like a train, I ran out of words.
I have nothing to say, everything hurts.
“Awesome song,” said Vincent.
Nothing this season has been easy for the Heat, and Vincent hinted that there may have been some poetic justice at work after the Celtics won 104-103 in Game 6, tying the series at three games apiece. An amazing Derrick White answered the buzzer – the ball almost left his fingertips A tenth of a second to spare — extended the Celtics’ best-of-seven series and season, forcing a Game 7 in Boston Monday night.
The Heat couldn’t be closer to securing a spot in the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets. And then, in an instant, that dream somehow seemed so far away.
“It’s like it’s meant to be this way,” Vincent said. “But, you know, go to Boston and win.”
Vincent, the team’s starting point guard, made it look simple, but this series was a carnival ride. The Heat won their first three games to set themselves on the cusp of history as they attempted to become the No. 8 second seed to qualify for the NBA Finals, joining the 1998-99 Knicks. Now, the Celtics are seeking to become the first team to win an NBA playoff game after trailing by three games to none.
“This is a series from hell,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “At this point in time now, I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but we’re going to get up there to get it done.”
It was a public vote of confidence after a game full of missed opportunities for the Heat. from where we start? Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, the two MVPs, combined to shoot 9 of 37 from the field.
Butler, in particular, seemed completely passive for most of the game. There he was in the second quarter, catching the ball at the top of the perimeter with the shot clock going downfield. But instead of driving, Butler sent a pass to Duncan Robinson, who had no choice but to lift an 11-foot runner who was holding the front of the rim. A few seconds later, Celtics quarterback Jason Tatum was on the other end throwing the ball.
But other plays can also haunt the Heat. In the fourth quarter, for example, Adebayo grabbed the edge blocking a shot, which was against the rules and resulted in a 4-point possession for the Celtics.
As a team, the Heat shot 35.5 percent from the field. They missed hook shots, jumps, jumps and floats. They still had a chance thanks to Caleb Martin, who slid into the starting lineup and scored 21 points, and Butler, who asserted himself late and missed a 3-pointer attempt with 3 seconds remaining. He made all three free throws to lead by one point.
But it was all a prelude to the final sequence – a 3-point attempt by the Celtics’ Marcus Smart that flew in and out, and White pulled back. The Heat’s Max Stross was hedging Tatum, blocking him from getting the ball, but that left White with an open pass to the basket to continue.
Spoelstra said, “I thought we had a lot of things covered in that play, and sometimes things just don’t crack you up. I don’t think there are any regrets about that. It’s just a shame.”
Butler, who scored 15 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, took the blame.
He said, “If you play better, we’re not in that position.” “And I will be better. That makes me smile, because these guys follow me. So when I play better, I think we play better as a whole.”
After finishing the regular season with a 44-38 record, the Heat fell into the championship game and lost their opening game to the Atlanta Hawks. Then, the Heat trailed the Chicago Bulls by as much as 6 points in the fourth quarter of the elimination game before going on a game-winning run to narrowly slip into the playoffs.
But something strange is starting to creep inside Heat: the higher the challenge, the better they’ll perform. Facing the top-seeded Bucks in the first round, Miami lost their rotation players, Tyler Hero and Victor Oladipo, to long-term injuries, which should have been an issue. But Butler was great as the Heat took a five-game lead.
But this version of Butler has been missing as the lead in the Heat trilogy has slipped away. He missed shots, hesitated to drive, and turned the ball around. In other words, he looks tired from the rigors of a long season.
Now, Miami is facing its biggest test yet. Butler said he plans to decompress by playing a game of spades late at night.
He said, “I will not allow our men to resign.” “I don’t care what no one says. Everything will be fine.”
For the second seed Celtics, Game 7 is another chance for them to salvage their season and fulfill their vow to return to the NBA Finals, one year after losing to the Golden State Warriors. Tatum was inconsistent, even in victory, routinely staying scoreless for extended periods of time with his season jeopardized every night. He scored just 6 of his 31 points in the second half of Saturday’s game.
“We all understand it’s not time to celebrate,” Tatum said. “We haven’t achieved anything.”
It was nearing midnight when Butler called guard Kyle Lowry to his locker for a quiet conversation. Vincent had vacated the premises, taking his volatile music with him.
At the front of the room, the screen had exactly one item on the team’s schedule for Sunday: a 1:30 p.m. trip to Boston.