The Eastern Conference finals are heading back to South Beach, as there will be a Game 7 between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.
Miami put together a gritty performance, staving off elimination with a 111-103 win in Game 6. Jimmy Butler rebounded from two subpar games in a row, dropping 47 points along with 9 rebounds and 8 assists. His 47-point outburst ranks second in Heat playoff history, trailing only LeBron James' 49 against the Brooklyn Nets in 2014, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Heat players like Udonis Haslem and P.J. Tucker used Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green's words as motivation. Green predicted that his team would face the Celtics in the NBA Finals after the Warriors won the Western Conference finals Thursday.
"Tell Draymond I said I appreciate it," Tucker told SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt in a postgame interview.
Butler mentioned a pregame call with Heat legend Dwyane Wade as a source of inspiration for his performance Friday night. His big-time outing elicited reactions from former teammate and Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, among others.
"Mama there goes that man"
— Joel "Troel" Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) May 28, 2022
Jimmy Buckets!!!
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) May 28, 2022
47 9 and 8 against that defense.. salute!
— Seth Curry (@sdotcurry) May 28, 2022
JIMMY BUCKETS 🪣🪣
— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) May 28, 2022
The Celtics put forth a valiant effort to close the gap in the fourth, led by Derrick White. He scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half, the most he has scored in any half since joining the team in February. Jayson Tatum led Boston with 30 points but failed to produce in the fourth quarter. He took only one shot and scored six points in the final frame.
Despite the loss, the Twitterverse commended White on an exceptional outing.
LETS GO DWHITE!!!!
— Lonnie Walker IV (@lonniewalker_4) May 28, 2022
Go crazy Derrick White
— Wilson Chandler (@wilsonchandler) May 28, 2022
JT x JB been hoopin all series !
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) May 28, 2022
They really just take turns getting a bucket😂🔥🔥🔥
The Celtics and Heat will meet in Game 7 on Sunday with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The rest of the NBA world took to social media to react to a thrilling Game 6.
Yeah let's go ahead and get a game 7!🤷🏿♂️ These dudes going at it!!
— Theo pinson (@tpinsonn) May 28, 2022
Game 7 #NBAPlayoffs
— NC (@pg30_Cole) May 28, 2022
Game seveeeeeeeeen pic.twitter.com/11vsq69ORo
— Zaza Pachulia (@zaza27) May 28, 2022
