Miami Heat

Jimmy Butler put on a show for the ages with the Miami Heat facing elimination. He may have to deliver another one on Sunday as a spot in the NBA Finals is ...

They lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 Finals. "You put yourself in this position, going up 3-2, to have two games to win one," Udoka said. They last reached the NBA Finals in 2010. Limiting Butler will be the Celtics' top priority -- and probably the second and third as well -- in Sunday's affair. I've played with some great players, and he's one of the best players I've played with. "They've got so much belief in me," Butler said.

The Celtics led by 15 after the first quarter. Miami's Jimmy Butler fueled the Heat's comeback attempt, but it wasn't enough.

After winning 28 of their final 35 games to close out the regular season, the Celtics pulverized the Nets with a four-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs. Butler scored 47 points on the road in Boston, forcing a winner-takes-all Game 7 in Miami. But with their season on the line in Game 6, the Heat responded. It remained one of the staples of his film sessions as the Celtics labored with growing pains, and it was a message that eventually took root. Now, perhaps, the very best is yet to come. The Celtics went out and beat Philadelphia by 48 points for their ninth straight win. But that was only one part of the Celtics’ winning formula. After one quarter, the Celtics led by 15 points, and had held Miami to 17 points, 6 of them by Jimmy Butler. When the Heat pushed back it was largely because of Butler. He scored 18 points in the second quarter and helped the Heat cut their deficit to just 6 at halftime. The Warriors, who are trying to resuscitate a dynasty that had been on hiatus, are pursuing their fourth championship in eight seasons. It was not until late January that they figured out how to defend, share the ball and win with any semblance of consistency. The trophy is named for the Celtics icon Larry Bird. MIAMI — More than four months into a remarkable turnaround, the Celtics seem determined to keep it going.