Here are the scores, updates, and results of the NBA 2021-2022 Regular Season between the Miami Heat (MIA) and the Boston Celtics (BOS) on May 30, 2022 (All times are in Philippine Standard Time) at the FTX Arena.
The Boston Celtics outlast the Miami Heat in game seven and advances to the Finals where they are going to face the awaiting Golden State Warriors.
This is Boston’s 22nd appearance in the Finals, 17 of them turned into championships. The Celtics are tied with the Lakers with the most chips won in the league.
The Celtics had a strong start in the first quarter where they tallied 32 points while limiting the Heat to only 17 points.
Jayson Tatum was awarded the Larry Bird ECF MVP as he led the squad with 26 points, ten rebounds, and six assists. Throughout the matchup, “JT” knocked down difficult looks and splashed crucial three-pointers in the last period. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart contributed 48 combined points in the win against Miami, 24 for both of them.
“This is amazing,” Smart said after the contest. “We finally got over the hump.”
Tatum wore a Lakers-themed armband with Kobe Bryant’s number on it which is the number 24. “The Black Mamba” is Tatum’s favorite player.
Jimmy Butler was phenomenal again for the Heat but missed a three-pointer late in the fourth quarter that would have given the team a one-point lead. “Jimmy Buckets” registered 35 points and nine boards while hitting 13 of his 24 attempts on the floor.
Miami loses the chance to enter the Finals. Their last Finals appearance was back in 2020 when they got defeated by the Lakers 4-2. In the same year, Miami won against Boston in the conference finals 4-2 before they advanced into the Finals.
Bam Adebayo added 25 points for Miami. The big man was not able to hit most of his shots in the final period as he missed point-blank shots while they were trailing Boston’s lead.
Miami sparked an 11 to nothing run late in the fourth quarter and got close to two points at 98-96 off of a three-pointer from Strus. However, they still lost to the Celtics.
“It’s just one of those really tough moments,” Spoelstra shared. “You can’t prepare for it. … It’s one of the worst feelings into the world to address your locker room after a game like this.”
Kyle Lowry had 15 points for Miami while Strus had eight markers in the losing effort. Grant Williams added 11 points for the Celtics while White had eight points.
Boston never trailed in the matchup and kept it that way until the final buzzer sounded off. Miami kept on chasing Boston’s winning margin but was not able to take it from them.
“It’s heartbreaking when it ends like this,” Head coach of the Heat said. “You certainly have to credit the Boston Celtics organization and their team and their coaching staff. … We tip our hats off to them. They are a heck of a basketball team.”
The Celtics tips their hats to the Heat and enters the 2022 NBA Finals.
“Today was the biggest test,” Brown shared. “Not just of the year, but of our careers.”
Heat vs Celtics
32-17; 23-32; 27-26; 18-21
The scores:
Heat (96) – Butler 35, Adebayo 25, Lowry 15, Strus 8, Oladipo 9
Celtics (100) – Tatum 26, Smart 24, Brown 24, Wiliams 11, White 8