If the spectacle and the fight seen in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals hold true then the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are off for a long, fiercely contested streak. In match 1, Wednesday, it was finally the Floridians who won after extra time (117-114) negotiating better the last twenty seconds of the match. In attack, Jimmy Butler went to challenge Jayson Tatum near the circle to score with the fault and give his team two points ahead with twelve seconds on the clock (116-114).
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But the real key action to the win came in defense seconds later, when Tatum, again, outstripped Butler and appeared to be heading for a massive dunk that would have sent the game into double overtime. But Bam Adebayo said no, pulling off a magnificent block, the left hand almost touching the circle for a short time before repelling Tatum’s assault and securing the victory for his team. “That’s why he is the soul of our team in defense. He does everything with real strength. We love him for that! ”, Jimmy Butler said after the final whistle.
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The Celtics may have regrets for not having folded the game in regulation time. They had put a boost at the end of the third quarter with a 13-2 in 2’40 which allowed them to count up to fourteen points of margin at the start of the fourth period (85-71, 37th). But, especially under the leadership of Goran Dragic (29 points including 9 in the fourth quarter plus four assists in this period), the Heat was able to catch up little by little. To the point of glimpsing victory a few seconds from the end with a point ahead. But a foul obtained by Marcus Smart before the throw-in (after contact with Derrick Jones Jr) had allowed Boston to equalize on a free throw (106-106) before giving Tatum a chance (29 points but his last seven shots all missed) to win the match on a long shot. In vain already.
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Even with no home ground advantage (Boston was the “home” team by virtue of a better ranking in the regular season), this success allows Miami to mark its territory. And to prove that after eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the best team of the regular season, Butler and his teammates are not satisfied.
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