Game 6: Heat 111, Celtics 103 | Series tied 3-3
Who was the guy? Jimmy Butler. The Miami Heat star looked horrendous in the previous two games. Even in the Game 3 win in Boston, Butler only had eight points on 3-of-8 shooting. But with their season on the line and in the home of the Boston Celtics? Butler may have taken the deed to the building. He was absurd. Every bit of explosiveness and execution he lacked in Games 4 and 5, he made up for with complete domination. He made jumpers, created space inside and jumped passing lanes to create easy buckets in transition. Butler finished with 47 points on 16-of-29 shooting from the field, 4 of 8 from beyond the 3-point arc and 11 of 11 from the free-throw line. Not to mention, he gave them nine rebounds, eight assists, and four steals with only one turnover in 46 minutes.
It was a reminder that Butler might be the most bullheaded, determined player in the NBA when he can turn it on. When he wants to leave his fingerprints on a basketball game, he ends up leaving fingerprints, claw marks, and those lines on his palm that let you know how long his life will be, how many kids he’ll have, and if he’ll end up with lower back issues. It’s possible I don’t know a lot about palm reading. He carried the Heat when most people counted them out. Now he has a chance to do it on Sunday to give the Celtics their first set of back-to-back losses in this postseason.
Key stat: 31. That’s the combined number of points from Kyle Lowry and Max Strus in Game 6. This backcourt has been struggling over the past two games. They combined for seven points throughout those two games. Not seven points per game. Seven points total over two games. Lowry had three points on 1-of-6 shooting while Strus gave the Heat zero points on 0 of 7 from the field in Game 4. Then Strus had four points on 0-of-9 shooting while Lowry put up a goose egg on six shots in Game 5. Both of them had good games in Game 6 with their season on the line. Thirteen points on 5-of-12 shooting for Strus and Lowry had 18 points on 5 of 14 from the field, while also dishing 10 assists. Massive effort for both players compared to their previous two games.
The moment it was over: Marcus Smart tied the game up at 99 when he knocked down two free throws with 3 minutes, 27 seconds left. From there, the Heat went on an 8-2 run to put themselves up six points with 43.9 seconds remaining. Butler had an and-1, P.J. Tucker made a couple of free throws and Butler made a long 2-point jumper following Jayson Tatum’s floater. At that point, the Celtics needed some luck to mount a comeback. The Heat didn’t lose the foul/free throw game after that and secured the win.
What can the Celtics do to win Game 7? Stop turning the ball over. Yes, they forced a lot of turnovers by the Heat, but they matched them every step of the way in giving it right back to Miami. The Celtics were way too sloppy with the ball. They didn’t rebound the ball well, giving up 11 offensive rebounds. Once Butler got into a rhythm, they never did enough to force the ball out of his hands and make someone else beat them. Especially when it was apparent Bam Adebayo wasn’t going to be aggressive, they should’ve funneled all of that action to him. The best defense in the league was a step behind all game. They have to set the tone with their defensive toughness to take Game 7 on the road.
What can the Heat do to win Game 7? Butler needs to carry them once again. Adebayo needs to be aggressive and take those opportunities in the middle of the floor. They need more shooting performances from Strus and Lowry. Forcing turnovers and turning them into easy transition buckets is huge. The Heat have the formula. It worked in Game 1. It worked for most of Game 3, and they still won the game. They can’t come out and let Boston be the aggressors. The Heat have to throw the first punch, second punch, third punch and then weather the storm.
Sunday
Eastern Conference finals Game 7: Celtics at Heat, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
(Photo of Jimmy Butler: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
