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The Miami Heat have given up three opportunities to close the Boston Celtics after going 3-0 up in the conference finals. The Heat lost Saturday's Game 6 at home 104-103 after Derrick White made the buzzer-beating layup. Miami was blown out in Games 4 and 5.
The Heat's superstars, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, struggled massively in Game 6. The former tallied 11 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, shooting only 4-of-16 from the floor. Butler, meanwhile, had 24 points, but he shot only 5-of-21.
He came alive in the clutch, though. He scored 13 of his 24 points in the last five minutes. Butler also iced a hattrick of go-ahead free throws to give the Heat a 103-102 lead with three seconds left, which the Celtics overcame behind Derrick White's buzzer-beater.
Game 6 was Miami's best shot at making the NBA finals. They had a homecourt advantage in this contest but failed to capitalize on it. The Heat will now face an uphill task of beating the Boston Celtics in Game 7 on the road.
They have claimed two wins this series at the TD Garden, but the Celtics look much different than they did in those games. The Miami Heat fans were livid with their team after they blew another shot at closing the Celtics. One fan wrote online:
"Cancun"
Another added:
"Adebayo is fucking a**. He did garbage last game too"
More reactions followed:
Miami Heat at the brink of becoming first-ever team to give up a 3-0 lead
The Miami Heat exceeded their expectations as the eighth seed after they beat the league's best record holders this year, Milwaukee Bucks, in round one. They followed that up by making a conference finals appearance and going up 3-0 against the Boston Celtics.
Just as everyone thought the Heat's fairytale run was carrying onto the finals, the Celtics have pulled all the stops and are on the verge of becoming the first team to come back from a 3-0 deficit.
The Heat have flamed out big time in these last three games. They haven't been able to get their execution like they did early on, especially on offense. It starts with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, both failing miserably on that end. In Game 5, the star duo combined for 30 points only. Butler made 10 attempts, while Adebayo had 13.
The Heat are already missing a starter in Tyler Herro and a versatile backup guard in Victor Oladipo in this series, making Butler and Adebayo's contribution more crucial to the grand scheme of things, especially against a deep Celtics team.
The Miami Heat enter Monday's Game 7 contest on the road having no momentum whatsoever. They have gotten thoroughly outplayed in all three games. Game 6 was close, but only after Butler came alive with five minutes left. The Celtics led by nine with three minutes left.
