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With four minutes and 35 seconds left in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Kemba Walker hit a triple to put Boston up 94-89. Miami started the fourth quarter with a seven-point lead, but shot just 2-of-10 to open the period and let the Celtics regain control.
But then Jimmy Butler found Bam Adebayo down for a nice hook shot. On Boston’s next possession, Butler pushed the ball and saved it from going out of bounds. Duncan Robinson grabbed it and found a shaved butler for a mate.
With three minutes left, Butler drove to the basket and converted on a layup to tie the game. And then, with 1:42 left, Goran Dragic momentarily fumbled the ball, but recovered and hit a 3-pointer over center Daniel Theis, giving Miami a 100-95 lead.
On Boston’s subsequent possession, Butler stole the ball on an in-bounds pass from Boston and found Jae Crowder for an easy layup. And with Miami leading 106-101 with 7.4 seconds left, Butler deflected a high pass attempt. Adebayo took control of the ball and let time run out.
Miami improved to an incredible 10-1 in its playoff streak and moved just two wins away from reaching the Finals. The Heat fell as much as 17 points in the second quarter, but found Adebayo rolling to the rim over and over again in the third period. Miami dominated the third 37-17. And in the fourth, Butler made big plays on both ends of the court to lead the Heat to victory.
Dragic again led Miami in scoring, with 25 points on 10 of 19 shooting from the field and five assists. Aside from that huge 3-pointer, the 2018 All-Star made a huge jump with 57.1 remaining to put the Heat up 104-98. At age 34 and in the playoffs, Dragic is playing better than the NBA third-team player Miami traded for in 2015.
Butler and Adebayo grew more aggressive after missing some point-blank attempts and missing others in the first half. Adebayo finished with 21 points on 10 of 16 shots from the field, 10 rebounds and four assists. Butler added 14 points and went 6 of 6 from the foul line.
Miami also got a good game from Duncan Robinson, who hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished 6-of-12 overall from long range. Robinson has been uneven in this playoff run, but he showed his courage tonight. Many times when Adebayo found an open lane to the basket, Robinson’s presence at the 3-point line prevented a helping defender from arriving.
In a surprise move, Erik Spoelstra benched Kendrick Nunn and Andre Iguodala for the entire second half. Instead, Spoelstra played Derrick Jones Jr. for eight minutes of the second half to anchor a zone defense. And while the Celtics did get some second-chance opportunities out of the zone, they did knock Boston out of its offensive rhythm.
Crowder added 12 points, including a great four-point play in the third quarter. Tyler Herro scored 11 points and added nine rebounds and five assists.
Game 3 is Saturday at 8:30 pm
