From the moment the game tipped off, the stars seemed to have aligned for the Miami Heat to close out the Boston Celtics. On the first possession of the game, Jayson Tatum went up for a lay up and came down wrong on his ankle.
Although it looked like he would leave the game, Tatum decided to push through. Tatum, the Celtics leading scorer, became a liability. Anybody watching the game could see that Tatum’s ankle injury was hindering him.
As the game wore on, the Miami Heat took notice and continued to put pressure on Tatum to stop them. However, that was only parts of the story.
Boston Celtics Cold From The Three
The Celtics could not buy a three point shot even if they tried. The Celtics threw up 42 three point attempts and only cashed in 9. While the Miami Heat landed 50% of their threes.
Even so, the no one of the Celtics side elevated their game to match the moment at hand. Jaylen Brown scored only 19 points, just 5 more than the injured Tatum. The questions surrounding Browns commitment to the Celtics will only get louder after this performance.
Marcus Smart and Derrick White did not do any better. Honestly, for a critical Game 7 home game, the Celtics were a joke.
Caleb Martin Comes Up Big For Miami
The undrafted third-year NBA player out of Nevada came up big for the Heat. Scoring 26 points in 45 minutes of playing time. Martin continued to hit big shot after big shot down the stretch.
Going 4-6 from behind the arc. His 26 points played a significant role for the Heat in Game 7. Needless to say, it became more apparent that Martin was ready for the moment when his name was called.
Jimmy Butler Fulfills His Promise
Last year, Jimmy Butler made a proclamation that the Miami Heat will return to the Eastern Conference Finals and win it. Now, a year later in Game 7 no less, Butler looks like a prophet.
Butler, the heart and soul of the Miami Heat, put up 28 points. He lead all players in scoring. rightfully so, the Miami Heat awarded Jimmy Butler with the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP Award.
Denver Nuggets Awaits
The Nuggets swept the Lakers last week. We all expected the Miami to do the same to the Celtics after going up 3-0. However, the Celtics found new life and here we are.
Denver will be well rested heading into Game 1. The most dominant big man in todays game, Nikola Jokic, will be well rested. On paper, the Miami Heat do not have anyone on their roster to defend him. Heat’s head coach Erik Spoelstra will have to put his best game plan together to stop Jokic.
In these playoffs, Jokic is averaging a triple-double. 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. Unlike Joel Embiid, Jokic will not slow down for anyone. He is up to the challenge of securing Denver it’s first ever NBA Finals Championship.