Celtics

Eastern Conference finals MVP Jayson Tatum led the way with 26 points, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each added 24 and the Celtics beat the Miami Heat 100-96 on Sunday night to earn a berth in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

Heat: Butler was the second NBA player this season to play every second of a game. The other was Houston in the 2018 Western Conference finals; the injury-plagued Rockets were 6.5-point underdogs and lost to Golden State 101-92. “You certainly have to credit the Boston Celtics organization and their team and their coaching staff. Celtics: Derrick White had to leave early in the fourth quarter because he was bleeding after his head got struck by Adebayo under a basket. Butler was up to 24 points at the break and Miami had gotten within 55-49 going into the third. “Today was the biggest test," Brown said. This Celtics team roared to life down the stretch and is still roaring. Miami thought it had gotten within 56-54 when Strus rattled in a corner 3 early in the third. ... It's one of the worst feelings into the world to address your locker room after a game like this." “The road that we took to get here, not a lot of people believed in us,” Tatum said. Ime Udoka’s first season as coach of the Celtics was not without immense challenges. Tatum — wearing a purple-and-gold armband bearing the number “24” of Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, his favorite player — had lost two East finals in his young career.

After 7 games, the Eastern Conference Finals have been settled. Beating the Miami Heat Sunday night, 100-96, the Boston Celtics will take on the Golden ...

For Golden State, however, it'll be their sixth Finals appearance in the last eight years. Golden State and Boston finished the regular season tied as the best defensive teams this season, each with a 106.9 defensive rating according to Statemuse.com. Golden State and Boston tied in their regular season series this year, each winning one game — the most recent coming as a 110-88 Celtics win on March 16 at Chase Center.

The Boston Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals, defeating the Miami Heat 100-96. Boston will face the Golden State Warriors in the Finals, ...

One of the best dudes in this league. Five: imagine how demoralizing a make would be for Boston given the circumstances? They survived another 35 points from Heat star Jimmy Butler, not to mention a near dagger shot from him, and are headed to a league-record 22nd Finals thanks to a 100-96 win in Miami Sunday night. Jaylen Brown on the Butler 3: "When he shot that I was like man what the hell. It looked like he was gonan go for the shot, but I just had to stay solid and go for the contest…It was nerve wrakcing. Heat fans may not want to hear this now, but it’s amazing that team was this close to reaching the NBA Finals – and not just because of the injuries. •3h ago We're trying to finish the deal." Ime Udoka: "It will all be for naught if we lay an egg in the Finals. ... We're here now. •3h ago •3h ago Boston will face the Golden State Warriors in the Finals, starting on Thursday.

Jayson Tatum scored 26 points and the Boston Celtics held off a frantic rally in the final seconds to reach the NBA finals for the first time since 2010.

An 9-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from Max Strus with 51 seconds left, got the Heat within 98-96. Boston forced the Heat into nine consecutive misses during a crucial stretch of the fourth quarter, using that run to turn an 82-79 lead into a 90-79 edge – and the Celtics, who had lost each of their last four trips to the East finals, found a way to hold on. Bam Adebayo added 25 for the Heat, who were down 11 with under three minutes to go before trying one last rally.

Jayson Tatum scored 26 points, Jaylen Brown generated 24, and the Celtics' defense held the Heat under 100 as Boston prevailed in Game 7 in Miami.

After the break, Lowry stepped into a three to make it 78-70. Oladipo countered, driving in for a bucket that brought it to 90-81. Tatum then drove and found Brown at the rim for a layup that made it 69-56. Tatum thought he extended it to 90-79 but got whistled for a charge as he tried to finish in transition. Smart answered with a layup to push it to 58-54. But Tatum answered, muscling his way to the basket for two points plus a foul on Vincent. He couldn't make the free throw, though. Butler then spun by White for a two near the basket to make it 24-17. Due to Miami being in the bonus, Lowry went to the line, earning his first two points. It was a terrific start for the Celtics. They shot 12/24 from the field, 5/9 (55.6 percent) from beyond the arc, and produced 14 points in the paint. After that, Smart delivered a dime to Williams for another deuce at the rim. But Horford responded, fielding a Jayson Tatum drive-and-kick and hitting a three that gave the Celtics a 12-5 advantage early. Jayson Tatum grabbed a Marcus Smart missed three and put it back for the game's first two points.

Stephen Curry has a chance to own the championship stage, while Boston's big men loom large in this rematch of the 1964 Finals.

With their escape in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, they’re 10-1 when leading after the third quarter and 2-5 when trailing after the third. Over their 16 games, they’ve outscored their opponents by 25.4 points per 100 possessions in the fourth quarter, the best mark for any team in any quarter in these playoffs and what would be the second best single-quarter mark in the last 10 years for a team that has advanced past the first round. This edition of the Warriors has won the fourth quarter by double-digits twice as many times (six) as it has lost the period (three — once in each series). The dominance has been mostly about offense, with the Warriors scoring 133.9 points per 100 possessions over those 192 minutes. There’s some garbage time mixed in there, but the Warriors are 4-3 in games they trailed after the third period after going 7-19 in such games in the regular season. They need to flex that muscle in ways the Mavericks couldn’t in the West finals against Golden State. Al Horford is having a renaissance and Robert Williams III, assuming he’s healthy, is an athletic rim protector. Their veteran trio is championship-tested and the infusion of youth and quickness makes for a winning combination.

The Celtics last won the NBA championship in 2008. . Read more at straitstimes.com.

We got the job done." "I'm happy to be sharing this moment with these guys." "To get over the hump with this group, it means everything," Tatum said.

This marks the Celtics' first Finals appearance since 2010 when they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. The Warriors, on the other hand, are about ...

Tatum led the C's to the 119-114 win with 44 points -- the second-highest total of his career at the time -- and shot 16-for-25 from the field. Boston bounced back in the most recent meeting between these two squads back in March, but an injury to Curry overshadowed the final result of the game. The Warriors once again were without Curry and Thompson in the second meeting of the 2019-20 season, and the result was the same. Curry went off for 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and three steals in his first game against the Celtics in three years. While Golden State has the experience advantage over Boston, the C's have enjoyed plenty of success in their recent meetings. The Warriors, on the other hand, are about to play in their sixth Finals in the last eight years.

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the young Celtics look all grown up, and now they'll play for the NBA title.

He entered in the second quarter, missed his first three-point attempt and finished his run scoreless in seven minutes. Butler did find help in teammates Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry, but Miami played from behind most of the night, and when it mattered most, he was left carrying all the weight. When Butler missed a pull-up three that would have given Miami the lead with 16.6 seconds remaining, Brown grabbed the rebound. To win a Game 7 and go to the championship, on the road, is special.” Tyler Herro, who won the sixth man of the year award, had not played in the previous three games because of a strain in his left groin. “He passed his testing with the trainers. “We faced two elimination games in the last series.” The Heat spent the first two games without him struggling to find offensive rhythm but had no such problem in Game 6 because Butler transformed into the human embodiment of the “Fine, I’ll do it myself” meme. The 1995 Orlando Magic had 23-year-old Penny Hardaway in his second year and 22-year-old Shaquille O’Neal in his third. When former Celtics player Cedric Maxwell, who provides color commentary on the radio, wrapped up the broadcast, he turned and spotted Jason Jackson, who does radio for the Heat. Although the Celtics eschewed routine, coming into Game 7, Udoka felt their confidence remained as high as if they had been here before — because they have. By throwing their bodies around, they mucked up the game to the point that not even the defensive-minded Miami Heat could survive.

The Boston Celtics secured a nerve-wracking 100-96 Game 7 victory over the Miami Heat to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years.

Butler had twice exceeded 40 points during this series to drag Miami to a Game 7 but said he wasn't happy with his performance on Sunday. The Boston Celtics came out and did what they had to do in the series. This is the biggest game of my career thus far and I wanted to wear that armband to honor him and kind of share that moment in a way." "The shoes that I've been wearing the last couple games were dedicated to him. "Not good enough," Butler said. This is a typical Celtics win."

MIAMI (AP) - Jayson Tatum scored 26 points, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each added 24 and the Boston Celtics...

MIAMI (AP) — Not this time. After being thwarted on the doorstep of the NBA Finals three other times in the previous five seasons, the Boston Celtics have ...

Boston appeared to be headed for the lottery at the start of the season, but now have a date with the Warriors in the championship.

But I think you just trust in yourself, trust in the work that you put in to get to this point and continue to work, and it can’t rain forever. I knew that coming in today and the group knew that.” Awaiting Boston is Golden State, and this is a matchup the Celtics can win. Tatum was a rookie when the Celtics made the conference finals in 2018, overcoming season-ending injuries to Gordon Hayward and Irving to push LeBron James and the Cavaliers to seven games before bowing out. “I came in with the mindset today that I was willing to do anything it took to win this game, however that looked,” Tatum said. Back then, Tatum believed a trip to the Finals was inevitable. “They allowed us to fix it and work it out.” The man that who spent years coaching under Gregg Popovich seemed to think he was him. “He kind of puts it on you to let you know that, hey, I’m not taking no slack. That’s right: The Celtics are headed to the NBA Finals. From the podium, Smart allowed it all to soak in. But whether it was the 48 minutes he played, the balky knee that has troubled him or the leprechaun that has seemingly attached itself to these Celtics since midseason, Butler’s shot came up short. For three quarters the Celtics had fended off a relentless, never-ending Heat charge, battling as a 15-point first quarter lead was whittled to six at the end of the second, and as a 12-point edge with 3 ½ minutes to play was sliced to two.

Boston will face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, starting on Thursday. The Celtics are looking to win their 18th NBA championship.

They have gone through the fire and they earned that right to go to the finals.” The Heat were down nine with 1:28 left after they trailed by 15 in the first quarter and 17 in the second. He played seven minutes in the second quarter and didn’t score. The Game 7 loss to LeBron and the Cavaliers in 2018. “My thought process was I was going for the win, which I did,” Butler said of his missed 3. Tatum, who averaged an even 25 points in this series, scored seven in the fourth quarter and finished with 10 rebounds. Playing all 48 minutes, he shot 13-of-24, was 8-of-11 from the foul line, and grabbed nine rebounds. There was the six-game loss to these Heat in 2020. I’m really grateful to be in this position.” They survived another 35 points from Heat star Jimmy Butler, not to mention a near dagger shot from him, and are headed to a league-record 22nd NBA Finals thanks to a 100-96 win in Miami Sunday night. “But he missed, we get the rebound, we move on.” Marcus Smart converted two free throws at the other end to seal it.

Boston stands tall behind Jayson Tatum on the road to take the Eastern Conference title and advance to its 1st Finals in 12 years.

The Celtics brought him back last summer, and Horford has been a huge part of their success. It was a critical two possessions, giving the Celtics a little bit of a cushion after they saw a big lead become a one-possession game. And again, Tatum didn’t hesitate, attacking Vincent, drawing help and dropping the ball off to Grant Williams for a layup. Tatum gave the ball up and Derrick White missed a floater in the lane. But he held the ball for a couple of seconds and eventually, Victor Oladipo came with another double-team. With the Celtics going scoreless on five straight possessions spanning the third and fourth quarters, their lead was cut to three. But with the win, the Celtics are 7-2 on the road in these playoffs. It was an ugly start, with the Heat scoring just 17 points on 25 possessions in the first quarter. But it will remain a fascinating “What if” for the rest of time. Butler had made a pull-up 3 from the right side of the floor when the Celtics didn’t pick him up earlier in the game. And the Celtics, oh boy … They led this series 3-2, with a chance to close it out at home. Jimmy Butler had the ball in transition with his team down two in the final seconds of Game 7.

The Celtics are headed to their first NBA Finals since 2010 after earning a thrilling 100-96 win over the Heat in Game 7. Here are our takeaways from ...

That's because the 35-year-old is headed to the first NBA Finals of his career, 15 seasons and 141 career playoff games later. The C's will hope these next few days off will give Time Lord enough time to heal, because they'll need him available to protect the rim against the Warriors. Keep an eye on that injury report leading into Game 1 on Thursday. Smart came through with 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals. Jaylen Brown left his mark on Game 7 with 24 points (8-15 FG), six rebounds and six assists. As much as C's fans would have loved a takeover game from their superstar, Tatum found other ways to propel his team to the Finals. Tatum, who earned the inaugural Larry Bird Trophy as the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, had a team-high six assists to go with 10 boards, two blocks and a steal. He finished with 35 points on 13-of-24 shooting and 11 of those points came from the free throw line. The Celtics' 16 first-half fouls were the most they've committed in the first half of a game all season. A strong first quarter was the difference as the C's outscored the Heat by 15 in the opening frame. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics in scoring with 26 points while Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart added 24 apiece. Miami had a whopping 19 free throw attempts in the second quarter and went 14-for-22 from the line in the half. While this wasn't Tatum's most efficient offensive performance (9-21 FG), the 24-year-old still stepped up in crunch time.

Former Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler was looking to make his second NBA Finals appearance with the Miami Heat this season. When the Heat kicked off ...

While Boston had an opportunity to put the Heat away in six, Jimmy Butler put up nearly 50 points in the elimination matchup to force a Game 7. However, the return of Embiid allowed the Sixers to battle back and picked up two wins of their own. In round two, the Heat and the Sixers met for a seven-game series, which only required six matchups.

The Celtics did not take the easy route to the NBA Finals during a season that was heaped with adversity. And in the end, they even made things excessively ...

And before there was the nerve-tightening close to Game 7 in Miami, there was a chance to win the series at home in Game 6. A blowout Celtics win would not have fit the team’s identity, not after the wild swings that have defined Boston’s season, its first under Udoka. When Butler rose up for a transition 3-point attempt with 16 seconds to play and Miami down by two points, there was plenty of reason for Celtics backers to get a collective lump in the throat. That fourth-quarter lead was one the Celtics might have lost a few months ago, one they did blow against Milwaukee in Game 5. That forced the Celtics to win both Games 6 and 7 to advance. By the end of January, the team had climbed back to .500 and followed that with a stretch in which they were 26-6, so often blowing out opponents that the fourth quarter did not much matter. There was the 19-point lead with just over three minutes to play in the third quarter against Cleveland two weeks later, which the Celtics turned into a two-point loss.

What should you expect from the Warriors-Celtics NBA Finals matchup? We break down everything you need to know and predict outcomes.

In the road win in Boston, Looney had five offensive rebounds, and Wiggins had three. White did make six of his 10 3s in the final two games of the Miami series, so maybe a continued hot streak to open this series will bite the Warriors and force them to stick closer. The beginning of the clip is in slow motion. But the Warriors’ tendency has been to trust the percentages and dare non-shooters to keep hitting their looks. With the night in need of a win-sealing defensive stop, Kerr had Payton, Iguodala, Wiggins, Green and Kevon Looney on the floor. He’s also one of the best ballhawks in the league. He left early in Game 6 of the Miami series and was limping in Game 7, able only to play 15 minutes. The early portion of the series will test Boston’s ability to quickly game plan and familiarize itself with the Warriors’ unique movement attack. In that domination of the Warriors in March, Williams had four blocks in 23 minutes. When the Warriors beat the Celtics in Boston back in November, Wiggins had 27 points. The Warriors won enough down the stretch to cling onto a home-court advantage in the playoff series that would end up mattering. Curry’s foot healed in time for the first game of the playoffs.

The ebbs and flows of these 2021-22 Celtics have been wild, but as our Chris Forsberg writes, the mental toughness and perseverance shown by this group ...

And that’s coming from a guy who missed most of the more harrowing twists and turns at the start of the year. Every time it seemed like the season was slipping away, the Celtics dug in and made sure it didn’t. For the Tatum-Brown-Smart trio, it was validation after the Celtics fell short in the East finals on three previous trips. The Celtics, even with their bumps and bruises, will pack some swagger as they head west. It had already been an emotional week for Horford but Sunday’s Game 7 win delivered him to a stage that had defied him throughout his career. Instead of splintering in that moment, the Celtics rallied together. "We did all that on purpose to make it interesting," deadpanned Brown. "No, I'm just kidding. Today was the biggest test, not just of the year but of our careers, to mentally come into a Game 7 away after losing on our home court, which was tough, and we got it done." And Udoka found himself under a deluge more severe than any of the rainstorms that Will Smith told us were nothing to mess with. Every time these Celtics have been counted out, including those wondering if this team could bounce back from letting Game 6 slip away in Boston, they’ve answered the bell. Maybe in a couple of weeks that water will be champagne. Smart posted the snapshot online with the caption, "Some said a split.

Though they started strong and led by 15 after the first quarter, the Celtics couldn't shake the Heat until the final seconds of the game.

And they face the rested Golden State Warriors, who last appeared in the finals in 2019. Game 7 came down to the wire between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat on Sunday — but Boston ultimately prevailed. Boston now heads to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.

The Celtics have been by far Golden State's biggest riddle to solve, with Boston owning a winning record against the Warriors since 2015. As our John Tomase ...

Curry's healthy now and the Warriors breezed to the Finals while only losing four games vs. Since the Warriors became the Warriors in 2015, they're 7-9 (.438) against the Celtics and 499-219 (.807) against everyone else. They nearly won again on the road a few months later in what looked like the gravest threat to the defending champions' reign. The Celtics must remain disciplined to guard for the entire clock as Curry and Thompson dart around screens. Even at the absolute height of their powers, the Warriors rarely waltzed to victories. We haven't had a Finals pairing this intriguing since the Warriors met LeBron James and the Cavs for the first time seven years ago.

Miami mucked the game up, so the Celtics won in the mud; will this prepare Boston for Golden State?

To Brown, Game 7 was "the biggest test, not just of the year, but of our careers." Throughout the playoffs, it has been the same story for the Celtics: They are terrifying defensively, and, while they've had some setbacks, slip-ups and sloppy stretches, they tend to find themselves before it's too late. For much of Game 7, it felt like the only thing that was working for the Heat was Butler's hero ball. But look at Tatum switch onto him, stay attached and contest the shot, and then look at how far Strus is from the basket when he gets into his shot -- this is a deep, difficult, uncomfortable look: The Bucks scored 99.4 points per 100 halfcourt plays in the regular season, which ranked sixth in the league, per Cleaning The Glass, and scored just a horrific 81.9 per 100 in the halfcourt against Boston. (As a point of reference, Oklahoma City and the Detroit Pistons ended the season in a last-place tie: 88.6 per 100.) Games when the offense doesn't click to the level it should, we can always rely on that. They finished with 13 turnovers, and only three of those led to a Heat transition opportunity. In the Heat's four losses in the conference finals, they scored 85.2, 65.7, 58.8 and 75.9 points per 100 halfcourt plays, respectively. In the second round against the Milwaukee Bucks, it was just as stifling: Another seven-game series, another 19 quarters in which the Celtics allowed 26 or fewer points, another four wins in which the opponent cleared that number only three times. We just couldn't make enough plays during the course of the game. Out of the 28 quarters that comprised the series, Miami managed more than 26 points only nine times, including those two garbage-time-heavy periods. This is a league in which the Oklahoma City Thunder, its worst offensive team, averaged 103.7 points per game, i.e. about 26 points per quarter.

That's especially true for Robert Williams, who's dealing with left knee soreness and swelling that limits him movement-wise. After Sunday's victory, Ime Udoka ...

I've got the quad injury, I have the foot injury, and then I have the ankle injury. He understands we're not asking him to be the all-world second team defensive stopper." With no travel necessary before Game 4, it takes place Friday night. "It's not going to be the same long rotations as his average minutes from the year, but what he gives us out there is invaluable. Provided there isn't a sweep, any of the remaining three games that happen will come on the heels of three-day breaks as the Finals goes from San Francisco for Game 5 to Boston for six and back to the Bay for Game 7, if it's necessary. Now, he gets some rest, some much needed rest."

The Boston Celtics are heading to the NBA Finals thanks in large part to a trade with the OKC Thunder a year ago bringing back Al Horford.

While it can never be proven, you have to wonder if time off and not making a postseason run for the first time in his career helped Al Horford reach these heights in the NBA Postseason. On June 18th, the Thunder shipped Al Horford back to Boston, the Organization he desperately wanted to go to and an NBA Finals contender that with his leadership got there this season. He had done enough to prove that the mishap in Philly was not an Al Horford problem but rather a 76ers problem, he recouped his value and the Thunder wanted to lose games, so the veteran big man got so much needed rest. The five-time All-Star, former-All NBA, and All-Defensive team member is a lock for the Basketball Hall of Fame after eight season’s in Atlanta he spent three in Boston before inking a deal with the 76ers which did not go according to plan. Enter the Oklahoma City Thunder, who traded for Al Horford at the 2020 NBA Draft. Thunder General Manager Sam Presti shipped Terrance Ferguson, Danny Green, and Vincent Poirier to the 76ers for Al Horford, Theo Maledon, and the draft rights of Vasilije Micic along with a 2025 first-round pick. While some will retroactively look back at that decision and say how outrageous it is to shut him down after the deadline and claim OKC should have dealt Horford mid-season last year, that lacks a lot of contexts.

The former Boston guard posted a picture on his Instagram story and made it clear who he's rooting for in the Finals.

He played for the Celtics for less than a season and only appeared in 49 games. He played 15 games for the Rockets where he averaged 10.9 points and 5.9 assists per game. It was already his third NBA team at that point.

The Golden State Warriors face the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. A look at key...

After sitting out the end of the regular season, he hurried back for the playoffs, only to look hobbled in the first three series. His length and physicality should help him against a Celtics team that is only middling on the glass. His efficient offensive approach was a big reason the Celtics held off Jimmy Butler and the Heat in the East finals. This should be the Warriors’ most daunting test this postseason. At 6-foot-9, 237 pounds with a 7-6 wingspan and high basketball IQ, Williams is at his best roaming the key and contending anything that goes up. In Game 7 against Miami on Sunday, Williams had a noticeable limp and only played 15 minutes. The Warriors want to get out in transition a lot because they know they might have a tough time getting open looks against the Celtics’ halfcourt defense. The big question is how much Smart’s right foot will bother him in this series. Curry has never played in the Olympics, in large part because he values his offseason rest. It will be vital for the Celtics to pick up on the Warriors’ motion-heavy attack quickly. Plenty of people feel he is bound for a huge scoring night — something that would only buoy his Finals MVP chances. Head coach Ime Udoka has only employed a seven- or eight-man rotation in the playoffs, and all those players are at least above average defensively.

The Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors play in the best-of-7 NBA Finals beginning June 2.

Game 2: Sunday, June 5: Boston at Golden State, 8 ET Game 1: Thursday, June 2: Boston at Golden State, 9 ET The Warriors dispatched the Dallas Mavericks in five games to win the Western Conference title, securing their sixth trip to the NBA title series in eight years.

Steph Curry gave his thoughts on the matchup against Jayson Tatum and Boston Celtics.

“[They] got some guys playing at a really high level, very well-rounded team, they got the size,” Curry said. “They’ve had a group together, gone through a lot in the last four, five years. “Obviously a great team, they’re in the Finals,” Curry said.

So I'm picking the Warriors to win the NBA Finals over the Boston Celtics… in seven games. Hold on! Let me explain! I swear this isn't a ...

The Celtics play the Warriors tougher than any team, but oddsmakers have still made Golden State slight betting favorites to win the 2022 NBA Finals.

Here are the latest NBA Finals betting lines, via PointsBet: They won three of the previous five, including back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. Oddsmakers have made the Warriors slight favorites for the series.