Jayson Tatum had 26 points, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart followed with 24 apiece, and the Celtics survived the late Miami Heat surge to win 100-96 on Sunday night in the final game of the NBA Finals. ‘It’s in the NBA.
Al Horford also contributed with 14 rebounds for the Celtics, who didn’t fall behind in scoring towards the win on the court.
The Celtics will have a formidable command to face the Golden State Warriors for the Larry-O’Brien Trophy. The series will begin Thursday in San Francisco.
Jimmy Butler, who allowed the Heat to force a seventh game with his 47 points on Friday in Boston, had a total of 35 points in his last meeting of the season. Bam Adebayo added 25 points for the Heat, who failed in their attempt to erase an 11 -point deficit with three minutes remaining.
A nine-game winning streak from the Heat closed the gap at 98-96. With 17 seconds on the clock, Butler tried a three-pointer to fly from the basket and the Celtics won.
The Celtics, who have taken the flag in their last four Eastern Finals, are holding on.
They will play their first grand final since their title in 2010.
Source: Radio-Canada
