Celtics blow golden opportunity as Butler, Heat force Game 7

May 28—BOSTON — It's difficult to find the words to vividly describe what exactly unfolded at TD Garden on Friday night.

With a golden opportunity to advance to their first NBA Finals since 2010, the Boston Celtics came out flat and disengaged in front of a deafening home crowd that was fully expecting a series-clinching victory.

You can blame the refs all you want. Yes, they were puzzlingly inconsistent and unquestionably whistle-happy.

But let's make one thing clear: The Celtics did this to themselves. The Miami Heat outplayed them, out-willed them and for all intents and purposes, they embarrassed the Green.

It's easy to harp on all the things the Celtics did wrong, and I'll get to that shortly. But let me start by crediting what the Heat did well.

First and foremost, Jimmy Butler was magnificent. After two consecutive lackluster performances in Games 4 and 5, it appeared the 32-year-old all-star had run out of gas. He was hobbled by a nagging knee injury and couldn't seem to find any sort of rhythm against the hard nosed C's defense.

But on Friday night, in an elimination game for his team, Butler looked anything but hobbled or fatigued. He got going early and often, making big shot after big shot, including a 3-for-3 start from beyond the arc en route to a 21-point, 9-rebound, 6-assist performance in the opening half alone.

The individual onslaught continued after intermission, as Butler relentlessly drove the paint, picked his spots and made the Celtics pay. His fadeaway jumper to beat the shot clock and give Miami a 107-101 lead with 43 seconds to go was the flame throwing dagger and perfectly summed up his otherworldly night.

Butler finished with 47 points (16-for-29 from field and a perfect 11-for-11 from line) to go with nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

Boston simply had no answer.

"Throughout the game we had our chances," said Celtics head coach Ime Udoka. "We got off to a slow start and Butler was aggressive; we didn't match his intensity."

Kyle Lowry was also surprisingly effective. The 36-year-old looked equally finished after his last few outings — including a 0-point, 0-assist dud in Game 5. But he's a champion, and he left it all on the floor in an 18-point, 10-assist affair before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

Heck, even Max Strus, the same Max Strus that couldn't hit water out of a boat over the last few contests, delivered with some timely long balls to halt any Celtics momentum.

The Heat played at their very, very best on Friday night, and Boston simply didn't match their drive.

I've said it time and time again: when the Celtics play their brand of basketball, team basketball with an emphasis on defense first, there's not a team in the NBA I'd pick over them.

Their biggest problem is inconsistency. I'll admit it: heading into Game 6 I thought the Celtics were finally over the hump, finally past all those avoidable inefficiencies that lead to demoralizing losses.

Apparently, they still need time to grow — and that's a tough pill to swallow when you're just one win away from a trip to Golden State next Thursday.

Boston woke up in the fourth quarter, mounting a valiant comeback and making things interesting down the stretch. Derrick White (Celtics' career-high 22 points) hit some huge shots and lit a fire under his team, and with just over three minutes remaining in regulation, it was a tie ball game.

But Jaylen Brown, who scored just TWO points in the second half, bricked a pair of free throws that would've given his team the lead late and ignited an anxious Garden crowd. Butler then came down, hit a layup and got fouled.

That was a massive swing and an avoidable one at that.

Jayson Tatum, who finished with 30 points on an efficient 9-for-12 shooting, turned it over four times in the fourth quarter alone and scored just six points in those final 12 minutes.

These are your two stars, and they failed to deliver after their team crawled all the way back.

As good as the Heat played, Boston still could have — and should have — won this game.

Now, instead of having the luxury of five days of rest before taking on a very good Warriors team, a Warriors team that is more than likely going to be harder to beat than Miami, Boston has to fly back down to Florida and beat the Heat on their home floor.

It can be done, and the Celtics have shown the ability to bounce back in big moments. But it's also the last thing they wanted, the last thing they needed at this stage of a hopeful and achievable journey to Banner 18.

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Nick Giannino can be reached at NGiannino@Salemnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.

Contact Nick Giannino at NGiannino@Salemnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.