Brian Windhorst shared his thoughts on Jimmy Butler's performance to help the Heat force a Game 7 in Miami. (0:54) The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics will play a Game 7 in Miami on Sunday, after a series of ups and downs, including double-digit wins and injuries to star players. On the app and on the network. The winner will play the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. ABC and the app. The Miami Heat staved off elimination Friday night by defeating the Boston Celtics in a Game 6 win. The top-seeded Heat will try to cash in on any semblance of a home-court advantage despite the Celtics going 2-1 at FTX Arena in this conference final series. Celtics coach Ime Udoka said Saturday that they have been able to finish it on their home court. Looking ahead to Game 7 on Sunday, we asked our experts to highlight a player, coach, trend or strategy that could swing the outcome and propel one of these teams into the Finals. Here are their answers. After losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 Finals, he assessed the strategy against King James. He was making changes to the adjustments. He knew I was bluffing when I said I was not making an adjustment. The Heat coach paid homage to James, who led the team to four Finals and two titles. He was also showing a glimpse into his own world. NBA coaches make strategy moves during the playoffs, but they are not in an elite class. Even when he is faking a maneuver, he is still the grandmaster in the chess matches that take place over the course of seven. In the second half of Game 6 on Friday, he broke out double teams on the Celtics' Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum because he knew they had prepared for his zone defense. It helped buy time for the Heat to regain control of the game. The sixth Game 7 will take place on Sunday. He has won three of them, the last two being when James was with him. Game 7s are an example of the staggering institutional knowledge of the Heat. President Riley has been involved in more than a dozen. The Lakers won three in a row in 1988 under Riley. The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are tied 3-3 with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. You can watch the action on the internet. Game 7 is on Sunday. The program is on ABC The last time Boston and Miami faced off in a Game 7, the Celtics were stunned by a surprise game plan by the Heat. In his first 40 career playoff games, Bosh had only made four 3-pointers, but he made three in the second half of the Heat's victory in the Finals. We have earned the right to have this experience, according to Spoelstra. The road win in Game 6 was one of the things that Spoelstra talked about. Ime Udoka has the experience edge on the Celtics and he is ready to spring on them. Brian Windhorst. The Celtics were behind by two at halftime of Game 6 after a slow start. The Celtics scored 46 points at the midway point thanks to the 36 points scored by Jayson and Jaylen. But when the second half began, both were gone. The stars of Boston took seven shots in the second half. They took one in the fourth quarter. It will not get done in a Game 7 on the road. I think it is the flow of the game, how the game was going, and I think that is what caused my second-half struggles. The NBA playoffs run through June, when the league will crown a champion for its 75th season. The Celtics defeated the Heat in the East finals.
• Udoka: Celtics need better start in G7
• Celtics one win away from Finals
• Boston's defense is too much for MiamiHeat's Spoelstra orchestrating a Game 7 chess match
Second-half performance key for Celtics duo Tatum, Brown
The Warriors defeated the Mavs in the West finals.
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Scores, full schedule and more.
This is the third Eastern Conference final for Tatum, who has played in five NBA seasons. It is the fourth time in six seasons for Brown. Four years ago, they hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers in a Game 7 of the East final.
In that game, Tatum threw down a dunk over James, but it was the other team that advanced to the Finals. After Boston won Game 5, Tatum was asked if it felt different because Boston was up 3-2 in the series.
It does, and I was up 3-2 in my first year. I am a lot better than J.B. We are just older. We have been through some tough times.
When they went to Milwaukee and won a Game 6 to keep their season alive in the East semifinals, they went through tough times as well.
The Celtics need their leading men to rise to the moment Sunday and not allow the Heat to take them out of the proceedings like they did in Game 6.
Tim Bontemps.
The most important factor in the series has been the Boston defense, and it will be interesting to watch in Game 7. If he has another big game, Miami will likely advance.
Boston was the most efficient defense in the NBA this season because it defended drives as well as any other team. The Celtics were the first team in the league to hold drivers to just 0.93 points on average, thanks to their fleet of long and aggressive defenders.
In Game 6, the same crew was not at their best, as they were turned on by the pick actions of the other team.
In Game 4 and 5, he drove the ball just nine times and 10 times, respectively. In the sixth game of the series, he scored 20 points in the paint and added 11 more at the line and recorded 23 drives.
Kirk Goldsberry.
🔥Jimmy's Masterpiece🔥- 47 Points, playoff career-high- Scored or assisted on 68 points, the most ever when facing elimination in Conference Finals- 4 made 3s, tied for his most in a game this season
- 20 points in the paint, tied for his most in any game this season pic.twitter.com/IL6v4gxPH2
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) May 28, 2022
When Max Strus hits shots, Miami usually finds a way to win.
Strus scored 15 points in the series-clinching Game 5 win against the Atlanta Hawks. Strus had a combined 39 points and eight 3s in the two wins against the 76ers. In the third game of the series, it was 16 points, including a dagger 3-pointer that helped seal the win for Miami.
Strus knocked down big shots, while chipping in 13 points and three more 3s in the Eastern Conference finals. The fact that he did all that in Game 6 after missing all 16 of his shots in the previous two games made it that much sweeter for the Heat.
With Tyler Herro uncertain for Game 7 because of a groin injury, it will be up to the sharpshooting guard to deliver for the Heat. Strus has shown during the playoffs that he is not afraid of the stage, and now he has the chance to live up to it.
Nick Friedell.
Ime Udoka is the head coach of the Celtics.
The Celtics were one spot ahead of the Heat in the seedings for the playoffs. Las Vegas is not impressed. Boston is a 2.5 point favorite at the casino.
This is the third time in the last 20 years that a road team has been favored in a winner-take-all game. The LA Clippers lost Game 6 at home to the Houston Rockets in the 2015 conference semifinals, while the Golden State Warriors lost at Houston in the conference finals.
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The Warriors won their third championship in four years, despite the fact that the Rockets split the two games they played. The Celtics were the lower seed in the 2020 playoffs and played the Raptors on a neutral site.
The road Game 7 favorites have come within the last eight playoffs. Home-court advantage has waned in recent years, so it appears to have the edge in the Game 7.
Home teams in Game 7 have gone 13-8 with a plus-4.1 point differential. They were 22-9 over the previous 10 years. In the 1990s, home teams went 16-2 in Game 7s, out scoring their opponents by an average of 9.5 points per game.
The way the Celtics have dominated Miami over the course of this series makes it more logical that they would be favored on the road. Through six games, Boston has a plus-33 point differential, which is seventh-largest in NBA history. The road team went 4-2 in the deciding game of the previous six games where they had a plus 30 differential or better.
Kevin Pelton.
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