Miami (AP) — The Boston Celtics were one-tenth of a second away from being eliminated. The Miami Heat was one-tenth of a second out of the NBA Finals.
Derek White owned that last minute.
The white log is on dip as time expires And the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of the biggest comeback in NBA playoff history, defeating the Miami Heat 104-103 Saturday night to force Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
“Derek White, like a flash of lightning, just came out of nowhere and saved the day, man,” said Boston’s Jaylen Brown. “An incredible play.”
White knew it was good. The judges reviewed it, but it didn’t take long to give the official word.
Cheers to Boston. ruin for Miami.
“The ball came to me,” White said. “I took the picture.”
Maybe Boston will call it The Shot.
White became only the second player in NBA history to hit a putt with his team trailing and facing elimination – the other player was Michael Jordan’s “shot” against Cleveland in 1989.
“I was just happy,” White said. “The season was at stake. We don’t want to go home.”
Jason Tatum scored 31 points, Brown scored 26, and Marcus Smart added 21 for the Celtics, who became the fourth NBA team to erase a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series and force a deciding game. The others at that club — the 1951 New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, 1994 Denver Nuggets in the second round and the 2003 Portland Trail Blazers in the first round — have all lost Game 7, all on the road.
However, Boston will come home to shoot history. Game 7 takes place Monday night in the Celtics floor, a game that will determine who meets the Western Conference champion Denver Nuggets in a title series that begins Thursday.
“It’s a seven-game series,” Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said. “There is nothing better than Game 7s.”
Jimmy Butler made three free throws with 3.0 seconds left – the foul was originally called with 2.1 seconds left in the game; The referees returned 0.9 seconds after reviewing the play to see if it was a 3-point attempt that was missed by Al Horford – giving the Heat a 1-point lead. Miami capped off a 10-point rally with less than 4 minutes remaining.
The Celtics kicked the ball inside on their final possession of the game, passing it to Smart—who missed a three-pointer. But White sprinted from the inside point to the edge, the ball fell into his hands and he got the ball just before time ran out to extend Boston’s season.
There were other players among the players whose teams were facing an elimination game, but before Saturday, only Jordan and his team came up short.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzola was asked what was going through his mind at that moment.
“Nothing,” said Mazola. “Game 7.”
Butler scored 24 points and Caleb Martin 21 with the Heat, who are trying to make their unlikely trip to the title series by being only the No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals. They’ve now lost as many games this week — three — as their first 14 playoffs this spring combined on their way to dethroning No. 1 Milwaukee, then No. 5 New York and taking what was supposed to be the Insurmountable. 3-0 lead over the second-seeded Celtics.
“We have to get on the road and do something special,” said Butler. “But we have a private group.”
The Celtics have now won five of their last six Final East games in Miami — a stretch that includes Game 7 over the Heat last season to reach the NBA Finals.
This, obviously, ended the heat season. At least this time, Miami still has a chance.
“I don’t know how we’re going to get this done, but we’re going to go out there and get it done,” Spoelstra said. “And that’s what the next 48 hours are all about. Nothing has been easy this season for our group, and so we just have to do it the hard way.”
The Heat is the 151st team to clinch a 3-0 series lead in a best-of-seven series. All 150 of the previous clubs have finished the job. But the Celtics made it very clear that they had other ideas, and Mazzola listed plenty of reasons why.
“Faith. Love. Teamwork. Physicality. Faith. Hope.” Maz Allah said. “All of these things combined. It starts with the locker room. These guys had a choice to make and they chose to believe in each other.”
Tip-ins
Celtics: The Celtics are 5-0 when facing elimination this season, 3-0 on the road. They beat Philadelphia twice on the way to erasing a 3-2 lead in the East Finals, and now they’re tied for the series. … Malcolm Brogdon (right forearm strain) was downgraded approximately an hour before match time. … White scored 11 for the Celtics, and Robert Williams III scored 10.
Heat: Gabe Vincent scored 15, Duncan Robinson 13 and Bam Adebayo added 11 for Miami. … Diddy was at the game, as was former Heat guard Goran Dragic and Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk. … Unless Miami wins Game 7 in Boston, it could be the last home game for Heat forward Udonis Haslem for 20 years. The Heat are 613-297 in 910 home games with Haslem on the roster; This does not include the major bubble reboot games in 2020.
Game 7 History
The Celtics are 27-9 in Game 7s, winning their last four games — including one in Miami last season and one earlier this season, against Philadelphia in the Eastern Semifinals. They are 1-1 against the Heat all time in such games (they lost the deciding game in the 2012 East Finals in Miami), and 22-5 at home in Game 7.
The Heat are 6-5 all-time in Game 7s, have lost their last two games (at home against Boston in 2022, in Toronto in 2016), and are tied 0-2 when faced with such a game on the road. Besides the Raptors game seven years ago, they lost Game 7 in Atlanta in 2009.
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