Heat take surprising 2-0 Eastern Conference series lead over Celtics

Jimmy Butler (Google Images)

Like the Denver Nuggets, the Miami Heat are now six wins away from winning the 2023 NBA Finals. On Friday at the Toronto Dominion Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, the Heat upset the Boston Celtics 111-105 (thanks to 27 points by forward Jimmy Butler of Houston, Texas) to take a two games to none series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat were victorious even though they were 8.5 point underdogs. 

There was an anticipation that the Celtics would bounce back after their game one loss, which Miami won 123-116 on Wednesday. In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics regrouped after an opening 119-115 loss to Philadelphia to clobber the 76ers in game two 121-87.

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On Friday, there was simply no deja vu. The Celtics did have an 83-75 lead heading into the final 12 minutes, and expanded their lead to 12 in the first 90 seconds of the last period thanks to a Robert Williams III dunk. From that point forward, the Heat outscored the Celtics 34-16. Duncan Robinson made two key 27-foot three-pointers down the stretch, while Butler made back-to-back fired goals with three minuted left which tied the game at 100 and then put the Heat up by two at 102-100. It would be a lead that Miami would not relinquish.

Butler was one of five Heat players to reach double digits in scoring. Small forward Caleb Martin of Mocksville, North Carolina had 25 points, center Bam Adebayo of Newark, New Jersey had 22 points, Robinson of York, Maine had 15 points and shooting guard Max Strus of Hickory Hills, Illinois had 11 points. Game three is Sunday night in Miami.

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