The Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday night to advance to the NBA Finals. The Heat will face the Denver Nuggets in the championship round, which begins on Thursday.
The Heat were led by Jimmy Butler, who scored 28 points and was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP. Bam Adebayo added 26 points and 12 rebounds, and Tyler Herro had 19 points off the bench.
The Celtics were led by Jayson Tatum, who scored 34 points. Jaylen Brown added 26 points, but he shot just 9-of-24 from the field.
The Heat jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back. They led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter and cruised to the victory.
The Heat are making their first NBA Finals appearance since 2020, when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nuggets are making their first NBA Finals appearance since 2009, when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
