Erik Spoelstra's postgame comments cause for concern?
It appeared for a short period at the very end of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals that the Miami Heat were going to fend off the Boston Celtics' furious attempt to come back from a 3-0 deficit. After Jimmy Butler knocked down three free throws to give the Heat a 103-102 lead, Miami was seconds away from heading to the NBA Finals.
But after a missed 3-point attempt by Marcus Smart, it was Derrick White who stepped into the hero role for the Celtics, flying in to tip the miss back as time expired and give Boston a 104-103 win. White sucked the air out of the arena, and whatever momentum hadn't been shifted following two straight wins now moved entirely in favor of the Celtics.
After the brutal loss, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was honest but also direct in his thought process of the Heat going back to Boston for Game 7 after dropping three straight.
"I don't know how we're gonna get this done, but we're gonna go up there and get it done." Spoelstra said.
The "I don't know how we're going to get it done" part is brutally honest, considering he's essentially admitting to having the full understanding of how emotionally draining this loss was, not even factoring in the two losses prior.
As hard as winning each of the previous three games for the Celtics certainly had to be, the Heat finding a way to go back to Boston and win Game 7 now will almost certainly be tougher. Miami couldn't get virtually anything inside the arc to fall early in this game, and their 3-point shooting was really what bailed them out.
The Heat shot 46.7 percent from deep, while the Celtics finished the night at just 20 percent. Miami only shooting 35.5 percent from the field prevented them from ever having a shot to take the game over. The trio of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Gabe Vincent made just 15-of-55 attempts on the night, and the only two other players who attempted more than 10 shots were Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson, who both shot over 45 percent, with Martin going 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
Regardless of how you look at Game 7, the momentum favoring the Celtics and the series being back in Boston are both massive factors. But the simple fact of how the Heat lost Game 6 in such heartbreaking fashion is enough to put a ton of faith behind the Celtics to win this series and advance to the NBA Finals.
More must-reads: