The Boston Celtics Continue Thriving Under Pressure In The East ...

MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 27: Derrick White #9 and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics react after ... [+] defeating the Miami Heat 104-103 in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals at Kaseya Center on May 27, 2023 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Saturday night provided the best example of why sports are beautiful. Regardless of who fans were rooting for, or who pundits picked to win, Game 6 of the East Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat encapsulated the spirit and enthusiasm that sports can give us.

Momentum swings. Desperation haymakers. Controversial whistles. Pandemonium at the final buzzer before anyone knows what exactly happened.

Game 6 had everything, and it left Miami fans stunned and silenced in the crowd once reality sunk in.

One-tenth of a second. Everything hinged on the precious one-tenth of a second Boston needed to keep the dream alive. It was the extra time they wouldn’t have received if head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t challenge the foul called on the previous play.

One play determined which version of history would be written. With the margin for error no longer existing, the Celtics still refused to go away. It might not have been as legendary as Curt Schilling pitching a remarkable Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, in what’s known as the “Bloody Sock” performance, but it was intense theater with identical stakes. Much like the Red Sox, these Celtics had to find a way to stave off elimination on the road against a rival they are undoubtedly sick of dealing with.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is a sideline out-of-bounds mastermind. With only three seconds left, you just don’t get anything easy. Not against him. That’s why Boston likely had to launch a 3-pointer — Miami wasn’t going to be fooled with any backscreen action, or give up anything in the paint. It was going to have to be a contested three.

Although most outsiders believed Max Strus should’ve been guarding the inbounder, Spoelstra revealed postgame that his team defended this exactly how he instructed. They elected to take away Tatum, with Strus lunging toward him before White made the pass. When Marcus Smart flew open, White sprinted to the rim. As he said, sticking in the corner doesn’t do your team any good in that situation:

Miami was this close to reaching the Finals for the second time in the last four years, and the sixth time under Erik Spoelstra:

Derrick White's buzzer-beating putback kept the Celtics' championship hopes alive, forcing a Game 7 ... [+] Monday in Boston.

White foreshadowed it before heading back to Miami for the pivotal Game 6. Having lived through chaos in last year’s East Finals, he knew what to expect on the road.

“It’s going to take 48 minutes of battling, scratching, clawing, and we’ve got to find a way to win,” he said before getting on the flight back to South Florida.

Boy, if that wasn’t the truth.

Not only did it require a lot of mental fortitude to walk into enemy territory and outplay Miami for most of the game, but it took a perfect storm of luck to escape with a victory. When Butler drew a shooting foul on the final Heat possession and nailed all three free throws, Boston knew it was going to take some good fortune.

Teams facing that scenario — trailing with three seconds left in an elimination game — typically don’t live to fight another day. No matter what shot you get, it’s going to come with defenders breathing down your neck. Plus, the odds of having time for a putback opportunity are extremely slim. If it’s a 3-pointer, the shot has a greater chance of bouncing hard off the rim than it does falling directly beneath the goal.

Let’s be real. The Celtics needed some unbelievable luck to force Game 7.

They needed the officials to give them a generous 3.0 seconds on the clock instead of 2.8.

They had to get a clean inbound pass that wasn’t tipped.

Either the shot had to fall through the net for a game-winner, or rim out at the ideal angle.

The Celtics were on the positive side of every outcome. Even acknowledging the hustle and IQ that White exhibited for getting to the right spot, the perfect type of miss fell into his hands. Exactly when it needed to.

For White, his immense contributions, timely shots, and unmatched effort continue lifting the Celtics. When they traded for him at the 2022 deadline, Boston was banking on him revitalizing their defense. He immediately did.

They were also hoping his shooting touch would improve, and he would no longer be viewed as a shaky spot-up threat. It didn’t happen right away, as he struggled from deep in most of last year’s playoff run. But now, the work is paying off.

White is now shooting 47.5% from three during this postseason, including 21-of-38 (55.3%) in this series.

“I’ll tell you one thing — if you didn’t know who D-White is, you know who he is now,” Smart said. “That dude has been phenomenal for us this whole year. Just playing the way we knew he could play when we picked him up. It’s been refreshing for us. It’s been a joy to watch and a joy to be on the court with him.”

White’s game-winning putback will be in the first paragraph of his career summary, and rightfully so. If the Celtics win the title, this will be the moment everyone points to.

However, it shouldn’t get lost in history that White led Boston in fourth-quarter scoring during this game. Along with the layup, he nailed two threes and played every second of the quarter. Throughout the game, he held Butler to 0-of-8 shooting, according to NBA matchup tracking.

This next shot, in particular, is flying under the radar. As the game was entering crunchtime, the Celtics were trying to target Duncan Robinson in any way they could.

To begin this play, Robinson briefly switches onto Tatum after a screen, then Butler quickly scram-switches him out of the matchup. As that’s taking place, White calls up Robert Williams, who Robinson is about to switch back to. That allows White to run his man into the screen, calmly walking into open space as Robinson is a few steps late:

It was only one of seven outside shots the Celtics drilled all game. Without that cushion, Miami easily could’ve taken advantage of Boston’s late-game struggles — more than they already did.

The Celtics’ folklore continues. Planning to write their obituary? You’ll be surprised at what happens next.

Boston has now won five consecutive road elimination games, a near-impossible feat that’s only happened twice in NBA history. Behind John Havlicek, the Celtics accomplished it almost 50 years ago, winning five straight from 1968 to 1974, a span of seven postseasons. The Phoenix Suns also did it from 1981 to 1990, over a stretch of 10 playoff runs.

For this version of the Celtics? The group that relishes averse situations, refusing to assert themselves until they’re hanging on by a thread? It has only taken 13 months to match the record.

The manner in which they get these victories is the most hilarious part.

Right after I penned this column describing how the Celtics rely so heavily on outside shooting and have trouble winning ‘ugly games,’ they managed to claw out an improbable victory with terrible 3-point efficiency.

Entering Game 6, Boston was 38-2 this season when shooting 40% or better from beyond the arc. Meaning, in the 60 games they didn’t, they had a 29-31 record.

With that in mind, if you would’ve said Boston would have their coldest shooting night of the year in Game 6, the only question left to ask is whether Butler or Caleb Martin won East Finals MVP for Miami.

The Celtics only shot 7-of-35 from downtown (20%) and still found a way. It was only the sixth time this year Boston has shot below 26% from three. Before last night, they were 0-5 in those instances, with three of the losses being blowouts.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult in the modern NBA to scrap your way to victories in spite of poor shooting. Losing the 3-point battle by 21 total points, as Boston did on Saturday, is just a recipe for disaster on most nights.

But in the playoffs, it doesn’t matter what the expected outcome is. The probability of winning doesn’t get you to the next round. Only playing until the final buzzer ensures that.

As the Celtics were getting blitzed and destroyed in Game 3, the primary takeaways were surrounding Boston’s lack of mental toughness and how this summer should bring many changes to the roster. Splitting up Tatum and Brown, or being reluctant to sign Brown to his upcoming extension, became a significant talking point for 48 hours.

It never made sense to me, personally. Not for a tandem that’s consistently shown they can reach the NBA’s final four and compete at the highest level. Throw in the fact both are still incredibly young and yet to reach their prime, and it’s a massive overreaction even if they lose this series on Monday.

The Celtics had an awful five-day stretch of basketball. They lost focus and blew two home games with double-digit leads. Calling any team “mentally weak” for that, especially after the same group made the Finals 12 months ago, felt way out of bounds.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 25: Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra calls out to his team against ... [+] the Boston Celtics during the first quarter in game five of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 25, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Miami is aware they let a monumental opportunity slip through the cracks. It’s not just because of the final play, either.

The fact it was a close game in the fourth quarter, with Butler and Adebayo combining to shoot 24.3% from the field, is a testament to how hard they battled as a unit. Boston’s lack of discipline and tendency to relax with any lead is also a contributing factor.

The Heat can review the Game 6 film and convince themselves it should’ve been a series-clinching win. They shot 14-of-35 at the rim on possessions that didn’t draw a shooting foul and a putrid 2-of-17 in the short-mid areas (floater range). It was just the seventh time in the last decade of playoff basketball that a team finished under 31% from two. Interestingly, Miami is also on that list from Game 4 of last year’s East Finals.

With the exception of the last couple plays in the wild Game 6, Tatum has owned the matchup with Butler in the last three outings. He’s attacking any matchup Miami throws his way, diversifying his shot profile, and embracing contact in the lane. Boston doesn’t force a Game 7 without him putting his head down, penetrating through the first line of defense, and applying pressure at the rim. He earned 15 trips to the foul line on Saturday, knocking down every single one.

When Tatum finds himself in the mid-post, he’s giving everyone the business, including Butler:

While there are still times Tatum likes to settle, he’s become so adept at attacking closeouts and making the defense pay when Boston puts them in rotation. Here, he notices the 2-on-1 opportunity he and Robert Williams would have against Adebayo just by punishing the hard closeout:

We’re seeing the beauty of Tatum’s development in this playoff run. How can you be effective when your jumper isn’t falling? Are there ways to impact the game when it’s just not your night?

That’s the thing — he’s still learning on the fly. It’s what makes this such a unique situation for Boston. Not only have they been championship contenders since 2020 ... but they have plenty to look forward to with Tatum only in his mid-twenties.

The Celtics are not out of the woods. As hard as it was for them to reach a 3-3 tie, it will be even tougher to eliminate the Heat.

This is a matchup between two teams that embrace the chaos. As psychotic as it seems, neither group would have it any other way.

Although, with Butler clearly getting fatigued down the stretch of this series, it’s fair to question whether or not he has the legs for another masterpiece. Just like he stunned TD Garden last year with a 47-point performance in 46 total minutes (on 16-of-29 shooting) when Miami had its back against the wall, he’ll have to leave it all on the floor.

For the city of Boston, the Game 7 atmosphere, on a holiday, will be out of control. The Celtics are hoping to create their own Memorial Day Miracle.

“It’s going to be like the fourth of July,” Smart said. “Fireworks going crazy.”