The Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 100-96 on Sunday and qualified for the NBA Finals, where they will face the Golden State Warriors.
The Celtics won the series 4-3 in Game 7 of the tie played at Miami’s FTX Arena, and were crowned Eastern Conference champions, thus qualifying for the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years.
Jimmy Butler again had an imperial performance, getting 35 points and 9 rebounds, but he missed a hasty triple that was key with 16 seconds left, when the Celtics only had a two-point lead (98-96).
“I thought about going for the win, and I did. I missed a shot, but I accept it. I didn’t do enough. Statistics don’t mean anything. I learned that I have to be better and I will be. We’re going to come back better than ever, “he said. Butler.
Jayson Tatum named Eastern Conference Finals MVP
Jayson Tatum was once again the star of the Celtics, scoring 26 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in 46 minutes of play.
The 24-year-old forward received the Larry Bird Award, awarded to the most valuable player of the Eastern Conference finals, where Tatum averaged 24.8 points, 8 rebounds and 5.5 assists in the entire tie.
“It’s a great honour, it’s the fourth time the group has come here. Not many people believed in us, but it turned out well,” said Tatum, who played with a wristband with the number 24 of Kobe Bryant and the colors of the Lakers.
“He was my idol, my aspiration, my favorite player. Today I watched some videos of him before the biggest game of my career. I wanted to honor him and share this moment in some way,” Tatum explained of Kobe.
Boston Celtics return to the Finals
The Boston Celtics will play their 22nd Finals in the 75 NBA seasons. His last participation ended with a defeat in 2010 against the Lakers of Kobe Bryant and the Spanish Paul Gasol.
The last time the Celtics were crowned with the title was in 2008. The team led by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen won the series 4-2 against the Lakers.
The NBA Finals will begin next Thursday, June 2 at the Chase Center stadium in the city of San Francisco, where the Warriors will have home court advantage.
With information from: France Media Agency
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