Jimmy Butler, Erik Spoelstra remain confident in Heat after Celtics comeback from 3-0 to force a Game 7
“At this time right now, I don’t know how we are going to get this done, but we are going up there and get it done.”
The Celtics are the fourth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-0 in a series. Their opponents still maintain confidence going into Game 7, even after the devastating way they lost Game 6.
The Heat were just seconds away from winning the Eastern Conference finals. Jimmy Butler made all three free throws with three seconds left to put Miami up 103-102, giving it the lead after it trailed by 10 just five minutes prior.
Butler was seen on the bench telling his Heat teammates “one stop” after he made his free throws, as that was all they needed to avenge their Eastern Conference finals loss to the Celtics a year prior.
After Marcus Smart’s Hail Mary turnaround jump shot following the inbounds pass rimmed out, Derrick White crashed the board and got the putback in right before the buzzer to give the Celtics a one-point win that forced Game 7.
Adding to the miraculousness of the shot, White was the player who inbounded the ball to Smart, roughly 30 feet from the basket. White was able to get to the rim without being boxed out because the player covering him, Max Strus, was doubling Jayson Tatum on the inbounds pass.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t second-guess his decision to have Strus send extra attention at Tatum.
“Making that ball go anywhere but Jayson Tatum,” Spoelstra explained his decision. “Ideally, you would think, you hope you do the right things. That thing just bounced a different way. That’s the only place it could have bounced to hurt us. I thought we had a lot of things covered on that play, and sometimes things just don’t break your way.
“I don’t think there’s any regrets on that. It’s just a shame.”
Both squads don’t have much time to prepare for Game 7, which will take place in Boston at 8:30 p.m. on Monday.
Spoelstra knows that the turnaround for his team has to be quick as they stare at potentially being on the wrong side of NBA history.
“This is the way this season has been. This is one hell of a series,” Spoelstra said. “At this time right now, I don’t know how we are going to get this done, but we are going up there and get it done. And that’s what the next 48 hours is about.
“There’s been nothing easy about this season for our group, and so we just have to do it the hard way. That’s just the way it’s got to be for our group.
“We wish we would tip this thing off, right now. Right now, let’s tip this thing off, and let’s play another 48 minutes. But we’ll wait 48 hours and do this thing in Boston.”
Spoelstra’s star player followed his lead when speaking to reporters following Saturday’s thriller.
“Basketball at its finest. Very, very, very entertaining,” Butler said. “But that’s good basketball. I think, I believe, as we all do, like you’re going to get the same test until you pass it, I swear. We were in this same position last year. We can do it. I know that we will do it. We’ve got to go on the road and win in a very, very, very tough environment.
