Jimmy Butler, Heat Defeat Celtics; Will Face LeBron James, Lakers in NBA Finals

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Welcome to the NBA Finals, Miami—LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers await you.

The Heat defeated the Boston Celtics on Sunday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 125-113, setting up a clash between the Heat and the superstar who brought them two titles in the Decision years.

The 2019-20 Heat can't compete with the superstar power of that squad, led by James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but they sure are fun to watch, playing a pass-first, team offense that has worn out the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Celtics in these playoffs.

Miami turned a relatively close game for the first three quarters into a rout in the fourth, outscoring Boston 37-27 in the frame. Miami's scrappy defense, a brilliant quarter from Bam Adebayo and the team's ability to generate easy looks offensively was too much for Boston.

Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA

Such dominance from Bam Adebayo after Miami fell behind 96-90. Just took over the game.

Rob Perez @WorldWideWob

Bam Adebayo:

Point Center
Point Forward
Point Guard
Point Mayor of Miami

In Jimmy Butler, the Heat have a legit star. In Adebayo and Tyler Herro, they have burgeoning stars. And the team's veteran supporting cast has been superb in these playoffs.

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7. Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear

   

8. 29 Years Ago, Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points

   

9. Bosh Is Getting His Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami

   

10. Steph Returns to Houston for 1st Time Since His Moon Landing Troll

    

11. Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year

    

12. Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine

    

13. LeBron Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books

    

14. Young's Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka

    

15. LeBron and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album

    

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19. Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Boogie to the Pelicans

    

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It's going to be a fun Finals. Let's first look back on how the Heat got past the Celtics in Game 6.

Key Stats

Jimmy Butler, MIA: 22 points, eight assists

Bam Adebayo, MIA: 32 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, one steal

Tyler Herro, MIA: 19 points, seven assists

Andre Iguodala, MIA: 15 points

Jayson Tatum, BOS: 24 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds

Jaylen Brown, BOS: 26 points, eight rebounds

Kemba Walker, BOS: 20 points, five assists

Marcus Smart, BOS: 20 points, 8-of-22 from the field (4-of-13 from three), eight rebounds

Bam Adebayo Is a Star

Adebayo did everything for the Heat on Sunday, leading them in scoring and rebounding while playing excellent defense and even initiating the team's offense at times. On a night when Butler hit a rough patch early in the fourth quarter and Jae Crowder and Herro couldn't quite find the range from deep, Adebayo put the Heat on his back.

ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo

This is the 7th time Bam Adebayo has recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds in a game this postseason.

The only Heat player with more in a single postseason is LeBron James in 2012. https://t.co/soiSEmQg8l

Bruce Arthur @bruce_arthur

Miami and Boston are playing high-level high-stakes fun basketball, and I'm here thinking jeez, what can Bam Adebayo become

Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps

This game has turned on Bam Adebayo just taking over. His relentless attacking downhill has completely torn apart Boston's defense and put the Heat back in front.

Kevin O'Connor @KevinOConnorNBA

Bam Adebayo is so special

He also ended Daniel Theis. Just look at this finish:

NBA @NBA

Bam Adebayo playoff career-high 30 PTS! 😤

@celtics 102
@MiamiHEAT 104

5:06 to play on ESPN https://t.co/UpwOptKDE5

He's a special talent, and how he performs going forward will determine whether this Heat team can win a title this year. There can be no more underestimating Adebayo—he's one of the game's best big men.

Boston's Defense Let Team Down

You could point to Tatum's slow start from the field as a reason for Boston's loss, but he picked up his scoring later in the game and played the role of facilitator even when he was struggling. Smart shooting the ball 22 times certainly isn't ideal—he had more shots than Walker (15) and Brown (17)—but he also sunk four threes. Gordon Hayward wasn't very good, but he's coming off the bench at this point anyway.

But Boston's defense just wasn't good enough, particularly on the interior, where Adebayo ate Theis for lunch and the Heat regularly were able to create uncontested layups. Whenever Enes Kanter was on the floor, the Heat ran him through countless pick-and-rolls and took advantage of his defensive deficiencies.

MarkJonesESPN @MarkJonesESPN

Bam gave Theis too much work. Bam knew Theis couldn’t stick him.

Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie

Bam is just obliterating Theis.

Paolo Uggetti @PaoloUggetti

Bam is taking over. Theis has no shot

Kevin O'Connor @KevinOConnorNBA

@DaveDuFourNBA “Can’t Play Kanter”

Boston has a bright future. Tatum and Brown are an exciting star duo. Walker has been a better fit than Kyrie Irving, that much is for sure. But for the Celtics to take the next step, they need to add a more talented big man to the mix.

Boston is excellent on the perimeter both offensively and defensively. But Adebayo and the Heat really exposed Boston's need for an upgrade on the interior in this game.

What's Next?

Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and Lakers is Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.