Miami and Boston went into game 6 knowing that one thing was true. Someone was gonna lose. That knowledge culminated in a game that was close down to the last few minutes where Bam’s best was enough to send the Celtics home.
An Unfortunate Recap
Both teams got off to a cold start, hitting just a combined 2-10 at the start of the game. It was Miami getting out of the funk early. They were able to get some momentum going, putting up a quick 6 point lead before the Celtics got their first shot to fall. The Celtics started the game with the intensity and hustle to win but they lacked the focus early and it showed as they had to fight back from behind the entire first half. They were able to cut the lead down to 2 at the half.
There was hope after the half. The Celtics came out of ready to go. They were able to keep the deficit at 2 throughout the entire 3rd quarter, which is usually when they would have lapsed in previous games. The 4th quarter was crucial to this game. The Celtics were able to build a 6 point lead with 8 minutes left in the game but they hit a cold spot after. The Heat capitalized on that cold run by taking the lead and never giving it back. Jayson Tatum hit a shot to cut the lead to 1 point with 5 minutes left but the Celtics hit a cold spot after that missing shot after shot, each in more agonizing fashion than the last.
That last cold spot, which included a missed technical free throw, was the final nail in the coffin for the Celtics. Ending their season for the 3rd time in 5 years in the ECF.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThat missed FT was the twist of the knife in my heart
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) September 28, 2020
What Happened
The Celtics could have been more dialed in at the start of the game. They were doing everything they were supposed to but they just weren’t focused. Early foul trouble did not help either in fact, that was the deciding factor. The Celtics put up 12-15 total free throws where the Heat put up 22-26 from the line.
The rest of the team stats were relatively even. Points in the paint were dead even at 48. The Celtics got outworked on the glass letting the Heat get 51 rebounds and only getting 47 of their own. The Heat’s ball movement was able to find their open shooters more and those shots fell a lot. The Heat had 30 assists where the Celtics had 26.
The kicker is that the Celtics shot 43% as opposed to Miami’s 56%. The Celtics at a few points during the game were settling for shots that could have been better. However, the Celtics were able to hold onto the ball a little better than the Heat. The Heat committed 12 turnovers while the Celtics committed 10.
Bam Slam
Bam Adebayo proved to be the Celtics’ kryptonite. He was just better tonight than he was on other nights. He had a stellar game putting up 32 points with 14 rebounds and 5 assists. His scoring is what really made him vital to the game. Brad Stevens had a glimpse of hope when he subbed in Grant Williams. Grant played Bam well picking him up at half court, being physical, and keeping his hands active Grant took it to him but Bam was just better. Bam’s best performance was enough to send the Celtics home.
The Last Words
I want Celtics fans to know that this season was not a failure. We hit our mark dead-on, we never expected to make the finals at the beginning of the playoffs but when Miami took out Milwaukee some people’s expectations changed. Miami was the better team this round and that’s ok.
The Celtics are in good shape they have shown that they can contend next year. And to all the Brad Stevens haters you need to relax this man has made it to 3 conference finals out of the last 5 years with 3 different teams give the man the credit he deserves or be quiet because he is not the issue. This series came down to player execution and the Celtics just couldn’t do it.
Is it January yet?
If you want to read an article with a more positive outcome here is the recap I wrote on game 5. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter so we can chat about sports because I have no life. Be sure to check out the rest of the Belly Up sports site to keep yourself updated on all things sports.
