The Boston Celtics return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010 after beating the Miami Heat on the road 100-96 in Game Seven on Sunday night. Jayson Tatum leads the way with 26 points as the Celtics go on to play the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 tournament, starting with Game 1 Thursday in San Francisco.
The Celtics drove wire to wire, and they responded every time the Heat ran. Miami is behind and reduces the difference to two points, but manages to hold on to the victory. The Celtics defeated Miami on the road for the third consecutive game. With this win, Ime Udoka became the first junior coach in NBA history to win a 7-game multiplayer game; Boston beat the Bucks 109-81 in Game 7 earlier in the Eastern Semifinals.
The Celtics snapped a 0-4 drought in the Eastern Conference Finals series as they won the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2010. They also won Game Seven on the road after a 0-4 run since the breakthrough in the 1974 Finals. Team Boston improved to 6-0 after losing this season , including 3-0 after losing to the Heat in the series. He’s also 13-1 now after his past 13 losses dating back to the regular season. Al Horford, who played in 140 playoffs during his career — the most ever by a player who has not appeared in an NBA Finals — finally puts that streak to rest and finishes with five points and 14 rebounds in the win.
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