After twelve years of waiting, the Celtics reconnect with the NBA finals they have so often played: guided by Jayson Tatum, they won (100-96) in Miami the decisive seventh game of their Eastern Conference game, despite Jimmy Butler, Sunday in the play-offs.
Finally Draymond Green, who had shouted it a little too soon, was right. Boston will be opposed from June 2 to Golden State, to try to win a record 18th title in 22 finals and to regain the lead over their eternal rivals the Los Angeles Lakers, who joined them at the top of the list in 2020 after their coronation at the expense of … Heat.
This will only be the second meeting at this stage between these two iconic league teams. In 1964, at the height of their hegemony, marked by winning nine championships in a row, the C’s got the better of the San Francisco Warriors, against the backdrop of one of the greatest rivalries in history between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.
This time, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will be given the opportunity to write their own history, following other glorious alumni, the Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Larry Bird and Paul Pierce, who had led the team to clover at his last title in 2008, against the Lakers.
“It’s what you work for all your life,” Brown responded. “We have to savor, but also rise to the challenge. We are going to play against a team that has already been there and has already been champions. We will have to produce our best game”.
The “Jay-Jay”, perfectly supported by Marcus Smart, were paramount to the success of the Celtics. Between them, they scored three-quarters of the team’s points (24, 24 and 20). Tatum (10 rbds 6 assists, 2 blocks), who wore a flocked armband of his idol Kobe Bryant’s N.24 “to invoke his know-how in N.7 matches”, was in cold blood, rewarded with the trophy Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
This trio was not too much to prevent Jimmy Butler (35 pts, 9 rebounds), still heroic, and Bam Adebayo on the inside (25 pts, 11 rebounds), from allowing the Heat to achieve a sacred comeback. Because Boston has always been in front of the score in this meeting, its lead culminating at 17 units (34-17, then 45-32). And seeing Miami only point to -6 at the break was a bit of a miracle.
But this miracle bore Butler’s name. In this second quarter, the winger held his own at arm’s length, facing C’s then much more skilful behind the arc (8/20 against 3/13) and much better organized, scoring 18 of 24 points (at 8/11 on shots) of his first period.
He was on schedule for his outstanding performance 48 hours earlier in Boston, where he had planted 47 pawns. But after adding twelve more points in the 3rd quarter, during which the gap between the two teams played like an accordion, going from two (56-54) to thirteen units (67-54), Jimmy started to tire.
Illustration 16 seconds from the end, when the Heat had returned to two points again (98-96) with a new banderilla from Strus: he lacked lucidity by preferring to shoot from long distance to put his people in front for the first time , rather than going to the circle to seek equalization. Missed shot, and behind, Marcus Smart (9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 interceptions) put the two free throws that sent the Celtics to the final.
“Achieving that with this group says it all. Few believed in us, but we got there,” commented Tatum, recalling that in early January, mid-season, after 41 matches, his team was in negative (20 wins-21 losses) and was in eleventh place, excluded from the play-offs. But she pulled herself together admirably afterwards to climb to 2nd position, thanks to the work of her coach Ime Udoka who was able to create chemistry with her players.
It will still be necessary to perfect it against the Warriors of Stephen Curry, who are not lacking in it and will try to win a 4th title in six finals since 2015.
