Boston Celtics. (Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports)
The Boston Celtics are going to the NBA Finals after taking down the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Boston Celtics got a do-or-die victory, 100-96, on the road on Sunday night over the Miami Heat. In doing so, they punched their ticket to the NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors.
For most of Game 7, the Celtics had complete control over the Heat. They just left all the drama for late.
Boston had a double-digit lead going into the final stages. Then Miami finally put it together and launched a furious comeback, getting as close as two points down with under a minute to play.
In the end, Jimmy Butler couldn’t get his shot to go. He finished with 35 points and nine rebounds in a losing effort.
On the Celtics’ side, the trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart made the difference. Tatum had 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while the latter two each had 24 points.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to the showdown.
Best tweets, memes and reactions from Celtics-Heat Game 7
Boston took control of proceedings in a hurry, jumping out 32-17 first-quarter lead. They were up 9-1 within a few minutes so to say they got off to a fast start would be an understatement.
In a bad hole from the start, the Heat spent the rest of the game launching comeback attempts. They trimmed the deficit to six by halftime. However, they still trailed by seven at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter followed the same formula. Miami got close once or twice but they weren’t able to keep the pressure on or make the critical basket when the opportunity presented.
The Celtics will now take on the Warriors for all the marbles. This is their first trip to the NBA Finals since they lost to the Lakers in 2010.