If the Heat hold on and win this Eastern Conference finals, they may want to send Grant Williams a thank-you note.
And now, with a 2-0 series lead heading home, Miami is heavily favored to reach the NBA Finals with a team that didn't figure to make it out of the first round.
That game took place April 11. The next day, the national discourse surrounding the Heat focused largely on whether this iteration built around Butler, with an aging Kyle Lowry and a bunch of no-name role players, was still viable. It’s so strange, too, because Boston has been in far too many big playoff games to lose on toughness and mental mistakes. And yet the gap with Miami in those areas was glaring.
But Williams’ urge to trash talk on his way by Butler after hitting a 3-pointer with 6:37 left was just not a very smart compulsion to act on. It carried all the way down the floor until a foul after Butler scored 1-on-1, ending with Butler appearing to scream “Let’s go!” at him once they were separated.
For one thing, Miami is just shooting the ball better — 37.5 percent from three in the playoffs vs. 34.4 percent in the regular season — but the big surprise is how well its role players have performed. The Heat are essentially giving starters’ minutes to three guys who went undrafted, and all of them are holding up beyond imagination.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Grant Williams poked the bear, and Jimmy Butler made him - and the Celtics - payIf the Heat hold on and win this Eastern Conference finals, they may want to send Grant Williams a thank-you note.
Read more »
YouTube TV issues statement after freezing during Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference finalsFans complained that they were left to watch 'The Little Mermaid' trailer after YouTube TV froze during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Read more »
NHL Eastern Conference Final 2023: Betting odds, best bets and scheduleEverything you need to know to bet on the 2023 NHL Eastern Conference Final
Read more »
YouTube TV’s TNT broadcast cuts out in final minutes of Celtics-Heat thrillerGame 1 of Celtics vs. Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals was a thriller that came down to the wire – but don’t ask YouTube TV subscribers how the game ended.
Read more »
Ukraine reports new advances near eastern city of BakhmutDrone footage showed residential building hit with intense artillery fire in Bakhmut, as both Kyiv and Moscow claimed to have made new advances in the city at the center of fighting in eastern Ukraine
Read more »
Full Lollapalooza schedule released for Grant Park music festivalThe full schedule for this year's Lollapalooza was released Thursday afternoon.
Read more »