Author: Monojit Mandal
Celtics 104 -103 Heat
The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat on Saturday night in a dramatic 104-103 game to narrowly miss out on the playoffs. Derrick White seized the opportunity with a tenth of a second remaining and made a crucial tackle as time was running out. The Celtics were on the verge of pulling off the biggest upset in NBA postseason history because of their heroic performance, which also forced a thrilling Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
White’s kick was undeniably successful, and the atmosphere of tension in the crowd was evident. The confirmation came quickly, despite careful study of the play by the officials, sending Boston fans into a frenzy of joy. The Miami Heat players, on the other hand, were heartbroken and wondered what could have happened.
Michael Jordan’s famous buzzer-beater, affectionately known as “The Shot”, which he made for the Chicago Bulls against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1989, has been compared to White’s last-second heroics. With his team down and facing elimination, White became only the second player in NBA history to achieve such a feat.
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, Jaylen Brown added 26 points and Marcus Smart added 21 points to the scoreboard as the Celtics pulled off an incredible comeback. They collaborated to create a remarkable performance that made them famous. As only the fourth team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series and force a decisive Game 7, the Celtics entered an elite group. Although it’s worth noting that the three previous teams from this club lost Game 7, they did so away from home.
The Boston Celtics will now play at home for the chance to make history. At home, they have Game 7 against the Miami Heat scheduled for Monday night. This is a crucial battle. The winner of this exciting clash will have the opportunity to compete against the Denver Nuggets, who won the Western Conference, in the much-anticipated championship series, which will start on Thursday.
Boston was leading the entire game by 5 to 7 points. However, with less than four minutes to go, the Heat pulled off an incredible comeback, wiping out a ten-point lead.
When Jimmy Butler made three important free throws with 3.0 seconds remaining, giving the Heat a one-point lead, the anxiety reached its peak. Initially, the foul was called with 2.1 seconds left, but after careful analysis, the referees added 0.9 seconds to the game to determine whether Al Horford had fouled Butler on a three-point attempt.
Derrick White was given the responsibility of receiving the ball for the Celtics on the decisive play. Marcus Smart quickly received the ball from White, but unfortunately missed the chance to win the game with a three-pointer. White, showing remarkable agility, raced from his entry position to the basket, grabbed the ball and made a layup as time was running out, extending the Celtics’ season and shocking the Miami Heat.
Although there have been several buzzer-beaters in elimination games, until Saturday only Michael Jordan had done it while his team was losing. However, despite 21 points from Caleb Martin and an admirable 24 points from Jimmy Butler, the Heat were unable to complete the victory. In an effort to become the second No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals, the club is currently trying to start its own improbable path to the championship round. However, the team had its share of difficulties, losing three more games this week than in its first 14 playoff games this spring.