The Celitcs saw a six-point lead in the fourth quarter disappear.
The chance to force a deciding game in the Eastern Conference finals was there for the taking.
After trailing for a majority of Game 6 on Sunday night, the Celtics were in possession of a six-point lead with nine minutes remaining and appeared to be in prime position to take the Miami Heat to a Game 7.
But just when the Celtics began playing their best basketball of the night, they suddenly wilted at both ends of the court.
That opportunity to move into Game 7 vanished in a hurry when the Heat controlled crunch time, rolling past the Celtics for a 125-113 victory.
So after being at Disney World for nearly 12 weeks, the Celtics are headed home after losing in the conference finals for the third time in four years.
The Heat went on a stunning 26-6 run over six dominant minutes after falling behind by six points, closing the game by outscoring the Celtics, 35-17, in the last 8:48.
The Celtics missed 12 of their next 15 shots after going on a 20-6 run of their own to take a 96-90 lead with 9:15 remaining, and they were overmatched with the game – and their season – on the line.
"They were more aggressive,’’ said Marcus Smart. "They were getting whatever they wanted, at the free throw line, down low, open shots. Unfortunately, we didn’t combat it. We didn’t respond the way should have.
"We played a really good team. You’ve got to tip your hat to those guys. We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and see what needs to be fixed and come back next year.’’
Jaylen Brown said he was trying to process what happened as the door on the season was slammed shut on the Celtics.
"At the end of the day, they won and we lost,’’ said Brown. "We came up short. It stings. That’s all I’ve got right now.’’
The fifth-seeded Heat, now 12-3 in the postseason, will open the NBA Finals against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. The Heat are only the third team seeded fifth or lower to reach the Finals since seeding began in 1984, joining the 1995 Houston Rockets (No. 6) and the 1999 New York Knicks (No. 8).
The Celtics kicked away 14 and 17-point leads in the opening two games of the series, rallied for a Game 5 victory after being in a 3-1 hole, but couldn’t push the Heat to a deciding game.
"I give a lot of credit to Miami,’’ said Brown. "They’re a really good team. They play together for 48 minutes. They play hard, they play with pace. But at the end of the day, we had an opportunity. They won and we lost.’’
The Celtics couldn’t build on the momentum they had early in the fourth quarter, reverting to some bad habits at a most crucial time.
They had trailed, 84-76, late in the third quarter and went on that 20-6 run that ended with a Brown basket with 9:15 to go, making it 96-90.
But the Heat responded with the 26-6 spree over the next five minutes, leaving the Celtics flatfooted. The Celtics missed 12 of 15 shots right after opening the six-point lead.
They were down, 103-102, with 5:40 remaining after a Tatum basket, but the Celtics proceeded to miss six straight shots and turn the ball over twice. Tatum also missed a technical foul shot.
At the other end, the Heat were taking advantage of lapses by the Celtics defense with Bam Adabayo dominating inside and Tyler Herro scoring 11 fourth-quarter points.
"I thought today after we had the lead, Adebayo, and credit all of them, but Adebayo decided he was just going to drive the ball,’’ said coach Brad Stevens. "It put us in a real bind with the shooters around him.
"Their physicality is something I’m not sure that we probably talk about enough. They’re strong, they’re physical, they’re tough and (Adebayo) in particular dominated that fourth quarter. Even the plays where he didn’t score, his presence was so impactful and put us in a real bind with the ability to guard him.’’
Adebayo had 32 points on 11 of 15 shooting to go with 14 rebounds. He had 10 points and seven rebounds in the last quarter. Jimmy Butler added 22 points and eight assists while Herro scored 19 and veteran Andre Iguodola, who did little at the offense end the entire series, made all five of his shots and scored 15 points.
The Celtics were led by Brown with 26 points on 10 for 17 shooting with eight rebounds and Jayson Tatum (9 for 26 with another slow start) scored 24 points with 11 assists and seven rebounds.
Smart and Kemba Walker scored 20 points each and Gordon Hayward had 12.
The Celtics rarely led during the first three quarters, trailing, 33-27, after one quarter and were down by two (62-60 and 88-86) after the next two quarters.
Walker said that the Celtics learned a lot during the playoff run that will help in the future.
"Whenever we have leads, we have to learn how to maintain it, learn how to be better and not play in spurts which we did a lot throughout the course of the season,’’ said Walker. "We’ll get better. We’ve got a lot of talent.
"We didn’t play together because of injuries. This is our first year together. We’re going to have some time to grow. It’s going to be a fun group over the next couple of years.’’
For the first time in NBA history, the two teams in the Finals both missed the playoffs last season. James will be going against the team he led to a pair of championships before returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers and then signing with the Lakers.
Jim Fenton may be reached at jfenton@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFenton_ent.
The Link LonkSeptember 28, 2020 at 09:38AM
https://www.enterprisenews.com/sports/20200927/heat-send-celtics-home-in-game-6
Heat send Celtics home in Game 6 - Enterprise News
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