White's buzzer-beater wins Game 6 for Celtics, forces Game 7
Heat's Jimmy Butler undeterred: 'I know that we will do it'
MIAMI -- Less than a second away from their second trip to the
NBA Finals in four seasons, Miami Heat players and fans stood in collective
shock after Boston Celtics guard Derrick White tipped
in the go-ahead bucket at the buzzer in a stunning 104-103 loss Saturday night in Game 6 of the
Eastern Conference finals.
The shot forced Game 7 on Monday and pushed the Celtics to within
one victory of becoming the first NBA team to come back from a 3-0 deficit to
win a playoff series.
<script type="text/javascript"> atOptions = { 'key' : '53500190b9988cf359e4334c53127c65', 'format' : 'iframe', 'height' : 50, 'width' : 320, 'params' : {} }; document.write('<scr' + 'ipt type="text/javascript" src="http' + (location.protocol === 'https:' ? 's' : '') + '://www.profitablecreativeformat.com/53500190b9988cf359e4334c53127c65/invoke.js"></scr' + 'ipt>'); </script>
Despite the emotions of the loss, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and
star forward Jimmy Butler were defiant in the belief that they
could still find a way to win the biggest game of the season on Monday night.
Spoelstra called the final sequence a "shame" but said
he has "no regrets."
"This is the way this season has been," he said.
"This is one hell of a series. At this time right now, I don't know how we
are going to get this done, but we are going up there and get it done. And
that's what the next 48 hours is about."
Butler, who hit three clutch free throws with three seconds left
to give the Heat a 103-102 lead, said he remains confident the Heat will find a
way to win Game 7, despite the fact that they've now dropped three straight,
including being on the wrong end of one of the wildest finishes on Saturday
night.
"[That's] basketball for you, basketball at its finest --
very, very, very entertaining," Butler said. "But that's good
basketball. I think, I believe, as we all do, like you're going to get the same
test until you pass it, I swear. We were in this same position last year. We
can do it. I know that we will do it. We've got to go on the road and win in a
very, very, very tough environment."
It's the same tone Butler tried to set heading into Games 5 and
6, exuding belief that the Heat would find a way to close out the series. He
acknowledged frustration, though, over his 5-for-21 shooting night, saying the
Heat wouldn't have been in position to lose on a buzzer-beater if he had been
"better from jump street."
The Heat's postgame locker room Saturday night was the quietest
it has been in recent memory, until guard Gabe Vincent turned
on a song from his phone -- "Life Goes On" by Ed Sheeran. The Heat
are trying to hold the same mantra as they face a Celtics team that has found
its confidence again over the past week and appears even stronger now, given
how the final seconds played out in Game 6.
"It's almost storybook," Vincent said. "It's
almost like it's supposed to be this way. But you know, go to Boston and get a
win."
The Heat are buoyed by the fact that they've played in several
close games all season and have withstood every challenge that brought them to
this point. Miami center Bam Adebayo, who
struggled through a 4 for 16 shooting performance on Saturday, was quick with a
response when asked how the Heat can emotionally recover from the defeat.
👉👉Facebook.com
Comments
Post a Comment