NBA Playoffs: Celtics Beat Miami In Game 7 To Win Eastern Conference Finals

30th May 2022 - by Louis Kalinga

Miami, the East’s top seed, missed a chance at a second NBA Finals trip in three years and a first title since 2013

PHOTO | CGTN
SUMMARY
  • The Boston Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals by defeating Miami 100-96 on Sunday, setting up a title showdown against the Golden State Warriors
  • The 17-time NBA champions were sparked by 26 points from Jayson Tatum, who also had 10 rebounds and six assists and was named the Eastern Conference Most Valuable Player\
  • Boston hadn’t been to the finals since losing 12 years ago to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics haven’t won the NBA crown since 2008

The Boston Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals by defeating Miami 100-96 on Sunday, setting up a title showdown against the Golden State Warriors.

The 17-time NBA champions were sparked by 26 points from Jayson Tatum, who also had 10 rebounds and six assists and was named the Eastern Conference Most Valuable Player.

Boston captured the winner-takes-all matchup to claim the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals 4-3 and secure a place in the championship series, which begins Thursday in San Francisco.

"We aren’t satisfied. We’ve still got a long way to go. We know we have a tough task ahead. I’m looking forward to it," Tatum said.

The Celtics, who eliminated 2021 NBA champion Milwaukee in seven games, led from start to finish but had to hold off a Heat fightback in the dying minutes to reach their first NBA Finals since 2010.

Boston advanced after losing the conference finals three times in the past five seasons.

“It was the biggest game of my career. Going through those tough times helped us grow, helped us learn. They kept coming at us. We kept responding. We left it all on the floor. We got it done," he added.

Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each added 24 points for Boston while Jimmy Butler led Miami with 35 points in a losing cause.

Miami, the East’s top seed, missed a chance at a second NBA Finals trip in three years and a first title since 2013.

Golden State split two games with the Celtics in the regular season, winning 111-107 in December at Boston and losing 110-88 in March at home when star guard Stephen Curry was injured.

Boston hadn’t been to the finals since losing 12 years ago to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics haven’t won the NBA crown since 2008.

The Warriors, in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years, seek their fourth title in that span and the first since 2018.

Smart had six points in a 10-1 spurt by Boston for a 65-52 Celtics lead early in the third quarter, but a 7-0 Heat run soon after pulled Miami within 72-65 and the Celtics carried an 82-75 lead into the final quarter.

An 8-0 Celtics run early in the fourth quarter lifted Boston ahead 90-79, the Heat missing nine shots in a row.

Max Strus’s three-pointer closed an 11-0 run to lift Miami within 98-96 in the dying seconds, but Butler missed a late three-pointer, Smart hit two free throws and the Celtics held on.

Boston’s Al Horford, a 35-year-old Dominican center, played 44 minutes and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to reach his first NBA Finals.