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The Miami Heat’s last best chance to eliminate the Boston Celtics disintegrated with a Derrick White put-back as time expired in Game 6 on Saturday
The Celtics defeated the Heat, 104-103, setting up a final and seventh game in the Eastern Conference Finals.
White grabbed a rebound on a missed Marcus Smart 3-point attempt at the rim and made the game-winning basket.
The Celtics squandered a 98-88 lead with 3:41 left in the fourth and trailed 103-102 after Miami’s Jimmy Butler made three free throws with three seconds go to.
The Heat still have a chance to win the series ― Game 7 is Monday (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and the winner faces Denver in the NBA Finals ― but they will have to win in Boston against a team sensing a historic comeback.
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No team has returned from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series in 150 tries and just three previous teams have a forced a Game 7 after losing the first three games of a series.
Boston can become the first to do it. The Celtics have momentum, experience, confidence and home-court advantage to pull it off.
For all their faults, they know how to win with their season on the line. Boston relied on its two All-NBA players to force the win-or-go-home scenario.
Jayson Tatum had 31, 11 rebounds, five assists and two blocks and Jaylen Brown had 26 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Boston’s Marcus Smart added 21 points.
Down 3-0 a week ago, the Celtics avoided elimination for the fifth consecutive game since trailing Philadelphia 3-2 in the conference semifinals.
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The Celtics were shorthanded, missing Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, who was out with a strained right forearm.
While Boston received the necessary performances from its two stars, the Heat did not. It’s difficult to criticize Butler, considering all that he has given the Heat, but he was 5-for-21 from the field for 24 points and Bam Adebayo had 11 points on 4-for-16 shooting. They were a combined 7-for-33 shooting midway through the fourth quarter.
As bad as Butler and Adebayo were, the Heat led 83-82 with 7:56 in the fourth and 103-102 with three seconds left.
Miami’s Caleb Martin added 21 points, and Miami’s Gabe Vincent, who missed Game 5 with a sprained left ankle, had 15 points.
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