May 10, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) reacts after the basket made by Bam Adebayo (not pictured) during the second half in game five of the second round for the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Heat were on the brink of elimination, but star Jimmy Butler had a performance for the ages to lead the team to a 111-103 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 6.
The Boston Celtics took Game 5 this past Wednesday to bring the franchise one victory away from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. And they had the chance to clinch their spot against the Golden State Warriors in the Finals with a win in Boston.
But Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat had other plans.
The Heat defeated the Celtics 111-103 to force Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals behind a 47-point performance by Butler.
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Butler scored his 47 points by making 16-of-29 field goal attempts and all 11 of his free throw attempts. In the previous two games of the series, Butler put up a total of 19 points. The star also recorded nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
According to the ESPN broadcast, Butler is now the second player to ever record multiple 40-point, four-steal performances in a single playoff series. The other player to do so was the legendary Michael Jordan in the first round of the 1988 playoffs.
It was quite the way for the Heat to make a statement, as many thought they were as good as done against the Celtics in Boston on Friday night. In fact, they heard Draymond Green of Golden State predicting that they would be facing Boston in the Finals. Udonis Haslem told the ESPN commentary crew “Tell Draymond thank you.”
The series now returns to Miami for Game 7. Will the Heat ride the momentum of Game 6? Or will the Celtics close it out on the road to face the Warriors in the NBA Finals?
Game 7 takes place on Sunday, May 29 with tipoff time scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.