MIAMI (AFP) – The Boston Celtics, sparked by 26 points from Jayson Tatum, advanced to the NBA Finals by defeating Miami 100-96 on Sunday, setting up a title showdown against the Golden State Warriors.
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 on Thursday in San Francisco.
“We aren’t satisfied. We’ve still got a long way to go,” Tatum said. “We know we have a tough task ahead. I’m looking forward to it.”
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.
“We fought through a lot of adversity,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “We’re a resilient group.
We can’t ever really slam the door but we held them off. Now our focus is to win four more.”
Boston advanced after losing the conference finals three times in the past five seasons.
“To get over the hump with this group, it means everything,” Tatum said. “Not a lot of people believed in us, but it worked out.”
Tatum, who also had 10 rebounds and six assists, was named the Eastern Conference Most Valuable Player.
“It was the biggest game of my career,” Tatum said. “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.”
Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each added 24 points for Boston while Jimmy Butler led Miami with 35 points in a losing cause.
“Not good enough. I didn’t do enough,” Butler said. “Stats don’t mean anything. I learned I have to be better and I will be better. We’re going to come back better than ever.”
Miami, the East’s top seed, missed a chance at a second NBA Finals trip in three years and a first title since 2013.
“It’s one of the worst feelings in the world to address your locker room after a game like this,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s heartbreaking when it ends like this.”
