The Boston Celtics had all the momentum but the Miami Heat did the impossible again, winning Game 7 and advancing to the Finals. Here's how they did it.
The Miami Heat were able to beat the Boston Celtics, 103-84, in Game 7, stealing momentum back and stifling Boston's attempt at a historic comeback. The Heat controlled this game late and were able to coast to a victory in the fourth quarter of this game. Caleb Martin ended up having one more great game in a series where he has been full of them.
3. Caleb Martin was the perfect role player for the Heat
Caleb Martin may have been the best player in this series from both teams. You can make an argument for Jimmy Butler due ability to make stopping him a number one priority for the Celtics. Still, the top statement in this paragraph would have been completely unimaginable to see going into this series.
He was locked in on the offensive end of the floor. He was especially hot in the third quarter of this game where it seemed like he couldn't miss. He ended up with 26 points shooting 68 percent from the floor. Additionally, he ended up with 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
2. Jaylen Brown's poor performance
Midway through the fourth quarter of this game, Jaylen Brown had more turnovers (8) than the entire Heat team had (7). Additionally, he continued to shoot very poorly from 3, finishing 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.
With Tatum clearly hobbled in this game, Brown needed to set up. He didn't play well at all which led to the Celtics having no shot. The biggest criticism of Brown's game for a while has been a lack of a dribble package against strong perimeter defenders. In this game, it clearly showed.
This is gonna be a very interesting summer for the All-NBA player with extension talks coming up.
1. Jimmy Butler
The Boston Celtics shot horribly in this game and Gabe Vincent/Duncan Robinson both had great games but Jimmy Butler's performance was too good to pass up for the final spot. He ended up shooting relatively poorly in this game, as he went 42 percent from the floor.
Still, he rebounded from a poor Game 6 by going for 28 points. Also, he ended up with 7 rebounds and 6 assists in this game. While that is not the most impressive stat line ever, he was still able to command the Celtics' defensive attention, which allowed Caleb Martin to go off for the entire game.
The Boston Celtics are heading toward a very weird summer. Jaylen Brown might have played his last game as a Celtic. The Heat have a weird outlook on their team as they head to the finals. Bam Adebayo has not played up to his potential and Kyle Lowry has not been worthy of the massive contract he has.
Jimmy Butler has been HIM but the reason that the Heat are heading to the finals is because of players like Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, and Max Strus. These players have really developed into amazing role players who can even step up and get you 30+. This is why Miami is heading to the Finals.
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