Derrick White saved the Boston Celtics’ season on Saturday with a buzzer-beater to force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Take a listen to the Celtics radio call.
What a roller coaster ride Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals was on Saturday. The Boston Celtics looked to be cruising to a victory in the fourth quarter, but then the Miami Heat came back, taking a late 103-102 lead after a brutal foul by Al Horford allowed Jimmy Butler to get three free throw shots, which he successfully made. So, the Celtics, down 2-3 in the series, had to make a shot in three seconds, or their season would end.
Derrick White accepted that challenge. White inbounded a pass to Marcus Smart, who missed out on a three-point shot. With the ball bouncing out of the basket, White grabbed the rebound and hit a put-back shot at the buzzer to give the Celtics the 104-103 victory. With this, there will be a Game 7 in Boston on Monday night.
Celtics fans, you may have seen every angle of the final play of Game 6. Now, let’s listen to the call by the Celtics radio team of Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell.
Listen to radio call of Derrick White’s Game 6 buzzer-beater to save the Celtics’ season
Much like those watching at home and the fans in attendance for Game 6 at the Kaseya Center, Grande and Maxwell were waiting for a decision from the officials. After a replay, it was determined that White’s shot was good and that the Celtics were victorious.
In 42 minutes of playing time, White recorded 11 points (4-for-10 from the field, 3-for-7 from three-point line), six assists, four rebounds, and three blocks.
Jayson Tatum led the way for Boston, as he scored 31 points after making 8-of-22 field goal attempts and all 15 free throw shots. 25 points of those points were scored in the first half. Tatum also secured 12 rebounds to notch a double-double for the fifth-consecutive game.
Jaylen Brown notched a double-double of his own, scoring 26 points (9-for-16 on field goal attempts, 8-for-10 on free throw shots), and 10 rebounds.
The Celtics will host the Heat in Game 7 on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET. Not only would a win by Boston secure a spot in the NBA Finals, but they would also become the first team in NBA playoff history to overcome an 0-3 deficit to win a series.