Miami entered the playoffs as an 8-seed and is now in the NBA Finals following a convincing Game 7 victory in Boston. Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin combined for 54 points in the win.
Author: Michael
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
The 2023 NBA Finals are set: the Denver Nuggets vs. the Miami Heat.
The Denver Nuggets are in the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. The Miami Heat are going to the NBA Finals for the seventh time since 2006. This isn’t the matchup anyone expected as the final battle for the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy, but it should be a fascinating showdown arguably featuring the NBA’s best player, best coach, and its most clutch playoff performer.
The Nuggets were the No.
With the Mavericks having ignominiously bowed out of the NBA playoff race in the final week of the season back in April, Dallas owner Mark Cuban has had a lot of time on his hands.
As it turns out, it has given him time to pose basketball fans a question some of them may not be comfortable answering.
“Got a question for everyone watching Heat vs. Celts right now,” Cuban tweeted Monday evening mere minutes into Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. “Who is watching on a pirated stream. I’m curious how prevalent it is.
Jayson Tatum’s Game 7 homage to Kevin Garnett appeared to inspire more than just Celtics fans on Monday, as the NBA Hall of Famer took to Twitter to shout out the star forward prior to Boston’s pivotal matchup against the Heat.
Tatum arrived ahead of the Eastern Conference finals finale at TD Garden wearing a KG-inspired jacket featuring the former Celtics star’s iconic “Anything is possible” quote from the 2008 NBA Finals.
With his fateful swipe of second base in the ninth inning of the 2004 ALCS’ Game 4 between the Yankees and Red Sox, Dave Roberts forever etched his name in Boston sports lore. So it should come as no surprise that, ahead of Monday night’s pivotal Eastern Conference finals Game 7 between the Celtics and Heat, the current Dodgers manager has clear feelings about how the matchup will end up.
“I don’t think that Heat have a chance,” Roberts said before his team’s game against the Nationals, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
The Heat have been without Tyler Herro since Game 1 of their first-round series against the Bucks. The sharpshooting guard sustained a hand injury in the series opener on April 16 and was expected to miss four-to-six weeks.
Ahead of the crucial Game 7 against the Celtics on Monday, rumors surfaced indicating Herro could potentially suit up for Miami after he was seen getting shots up after the team’s morning shootaround. Prior to tipoff, Herro clarified his status, informing fans that despite the speculation, he would not be available during Monday’s game in Boston.
This wasn’t the path the Heat envisioned after going up 3–0 on the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals on May 21.
At that point, Miami stood on the precipice of its sixth NBA Finals appearance in the last 13 seasons. Boston looked lost, with star forward Jayson Tatum and guard Jaylen Brown scuffling. The hot-handed Heat appeared destined to meet a Nuggets team that had just polished off the Lakers in the Western Conference finals.
Jayson Tatum arrived at TD Garden on Monday with a Kevin Garnett-inspired message for hopeful Celtics fans ahead of one of the most anticipated Game 7s in NBA history.
Tatum’s Celtics, after falling into a 3–0 hole, kept their season alive on Saturday with a wild 104–103 Game 6 win for a third-straight victory over the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. In doing so, Boston became the fourth team to force Game 7 down 3–0 and preserved a chance to make history as the first team to ever win a series facing those daunting odds.
Bass also sparked a social media firestorm in April after he blasted a United Airlines employee who refused to clean up popcorn spilled by his young children.
After missing Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals vs. the Heat, the Celtics announced guard Malcolm Brogdon will return for the crucial Game 7 on Monday night, per The Athletic.
The 2023 NBA Sixth Man of the Year will return to the team as the Celtics play in front of a home crowd at TD Garden.
Brogdon has played limited minutes since he suffered a right forearm strain during Game 1 on May 17. He scored 19 points in Game 1 and then 13 points in Game 2, but then only made one basket during the next three games as he dealt with the injury.