Tag: east finals

WATCH: Marcus Smart’s best plays in 2020 East Finals vs. Miami Heat

Boston Celtics veteran guard Marcus Smart was a force for his team in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat; watch all his best plays from the series here.

He’s widely known as the heart and soul of his team, it’s unofficial captain, grimiest defender and toughest, most unrelenting competitor.

Boston Celtics fans love and trust him, the veteran defensive nightmare we know better as Marcus Smart.

The Flower Mound, Texas native left it all on the floor in the Celtics’ doomed Eastern Conference Finals series against the Miami Heat that saw his team fall in six games as injuries, exhaustion and inexperience caught up with Boston.

It wasn’t quite enough for the Oklahoma State product as he and his teammates tried to drag his team to victory against a determined Heat franchise.

But we did get plenty of high-level basketball at the hands of Marcus Smart, captured in the video embedded above.

Watch it at your leisure given we’re going to be without Celtics basketball for some time, the new season slated for some time after Christmas.

In the meantime, we wait for our revenge in 2020-21.

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WATCH: Jayson Tatum’s full East Finals highlights vs the Miami Heat

Watch all of Boston Celtics All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum’s best plays from his Eastern Conference Finals series against the Miami Heat in this video.

While he may have set himself impossibly lofty goals to start the season, he still managed to come within two wins of achieving them.

Ahead of the 2019-20 NBA season, Boston Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum went on record he would make his first All-Star team, score 20 points per game and take his team to the NBA Finals.

He not only made the 2020 All-Star team along with new teammate Kemba Walker, he made All-NBA as well, managed to score 23.4 points (and 7 rebounds and 3 assists) per game in his third season in the league.

Falling just short of his Finals goals as the Celtics succumbed to the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, the Duke product quite nearly exceeded those goals on all counts.

With no Boston basketball scheduled for the foreseeable future and a 2020-21 season unlikely to tip off before January, we may have to make due with clips like the one embedded above for some time.

So watch the video if you want to see the best of Tatum’s plays in the East Finals while we wait for his next chapter to unfold.

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All the Boston Celtics players who never lost an NBA Finals series

WATCH: Jaylen Brown’s best plays vs. Miami in the East Finals

Boston Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown took a big leap forward this season; these are all his best moments from the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.

Boston Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown was a rock for his team throughout their failed 2020 Eastern Conference Finals bid, his team ultimately falling short of their goal due to a determined Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.

The outspoken Georgia native was his team’s second-highest scorer throughout the playoffs, and averaged a total of 23.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game over 41 minutes of play per game.

Brown shot 55.6% from the field overall and a sizzling 50% from beyond the arc on 5.7 attempts per contest, as well, the combined package showing flashes of a player who is ready for more responsibility on both ends of the floor.

 

With the start of the next NBA season still an unknown and unlikely to return before the new year according to league Commissioner Adam Silver, it may be a while until he gets the chance.

But until live Celtics basketball is back for us to enjoy, check out the video embedded above to see all of Brown’s best plays from the 2020 East Finals against the Miami Heat.

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WATCH: Gordon Hayward’s best plays vs. Miami in the East Finals

Watch this video for all of Gordon Hayward’s best plays against the Heat in the 2020 NBA East Finals.

Boston Celtics veteran forward just couldn’t catch a break in his 2020 NBA Playoffs luck, but it wasn’t for lack of effort.

Originally planned to leave the Disney restart bubble to be present for the birth of his fourth child and first son, the Indiana native instead elected to remain with his team after exiting the bubble to rehabilitate a severely sprained ankle sustained early in the team’s first round series with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Somehow, his team survived both Philly and the Toronto Raptors in the East Semifinals without him, only to stumble against the Miami Heat in the East Finals, Hayward looking like a shell of himself as he tried to play through injury by coming back two weeks ahead of schedule.

While his stat lines might not have been eye-popping, you have to respect his dedication to his team and the unreal sacrifices he made both on and off the court that he made for his teammates and fans.

Watch the video embedded above for all of Hayward’s best plays from Boston’s series with Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals.

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Fox’s Chris Broussard thinks Miami’s tenacity, coaching won out vs Cs

Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard believes the Boston Celtics were out-hustled, outcoached and too inexperienced to win the East Finals over the Miami Heat.

More than a few Boston Celtics fans were caught as off guard as the Celtics were by a relentless Miami Heat squad that robbed their favorite team of an NBA Finals appearance against their longtime rival Los Angeles Lakers when Boston fell in Game 6 to the Heat.

But how did it end up happening?

“I think that Miami’s tenacity wore them down,” suggested Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard in a recent interview with Heavy.com’s Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on the “Heavy Live With Scoop B” show.

There have been voices in the media that also suggest that Boston’s relative youth also played a role, and Broussard is in that camp as well.

“Jimmy Butler said it, ‘Boston’s a more talented team, but they’re young,'” noted the Fox analyst.

And while both teams have seasoned veterans on their roster, Gordon Hayward had never been further as an active player than the Western Conference Semifinals (with the Utah Jazz) — and Kemba Walker no further than the first round with the Charlotte Hornets.

Only Enes Kanter has been to a Conference Finals before, and it’s hard to demonstrate veteran leadership on the court when your style of play makes you near-unplayable against the Heat.

“Kemba has never been on this stage before,” explained Broussard. “And granted, you can say the same for Miami but Jayson Tatum is still a young guy as great as he is. And Jaylen Brown.”

The Fox analyst also pointed out that Boston’s lack of heft in the frontcourt may have also played a role.

“They’re a small team for the most part,” he suggested.

And while Celtics head coach Brad Stevens is rightfully regarded as one of the better in the league, Erik Spoelstra — the Heat’s head coach — probably won the coaching battle as well.

“I think that Miami was tougher, more tenacious, grittier and Brad Stevens is a good coach,” explained Broussard, [but] Spoelstra outcoached him in this series.”

Despite all this, with the best young wing duo in the league likely under contract for many years to come, the Celtics have plenty to look forward to.

Even if the taste of the missed opportunity remains bitter for the present.

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PHOTOS: Looking back on the Boston Celtics in the Disney restart bubble

WATCH: Jayson Tatum’s Miami Heat-Boston Celtics full Game 6 highlights

Watch this video for all of Boston Celtics All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum’s best moment against the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Boston Celtics All-NBA small forward Jayson Tatum fell just short of his goals for the 2019-20 season that he set for himself ahead of its start in 2019.

He nearly pulled it off though, having made the All-Star team, scored more than 20 points per game, but fell short of making the NBA Finals by two wins as the Miami Heat dispatched the Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals 125 – 113.

In his final outing of the season, the Duke product put up 24 points, 7 rebounds, a career-high 11 assists, 2 steals and a block.

While the ending might be frustrating, this was a gem of a season from the Missouri native, in which we saw him make the sort of leap you only see from a handful of players each decade.

It’s be some time before we have live Celtics basketball to watch with Summer League canceled and the coming season likely not due to start until some time in January of next year, so be sure to watch the video embedded above to see all of Tatum’s best plays from Game 6.

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WATCH: Jaylen Brown’s full Game 6 Miami Heat-Boston Celtics highlights

In his final game of the season for the Boston Celtics, veteran forward Jaylen Brown demonstrated he was every bit the leader the team is going to need in the future.

In his last game of the 2019-20 NBA season, Boston Celtics veteran forward Jaylen Brown led all Celtics with 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting (including hitting three of his seven 3-point attempts) to go with his 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals for the night.

The Georgia native was perfect from the free throw line, going 3-of-3, and only had 2 turnovers in 40 minutes of game time, but it wasn’t enough to get the Celtics past the Miami Heat in their 125 – 113 Game 6 loss to the Miami Heat, their last of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals.

With the season over and dreams of an NBA Finals berth delayed until next season, it’s time for Brown and Boston both to reboot, retool and recharge for the next campaign, not likely to start until January.

So watch the video embedded above and get your Celtics basketball clips while they are still warm; it’s going to be a while before we have more to see with no Summer League planned to break up the monotony of a weirdly-timed basketball doldrums.

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‘We had our chances’, ‘didn’t take advantage,’ says Stevens on G6 loss

The only thing Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens regrets is that the team didn’t push harder to take advantage of their chance to reach the finals.

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has regrets about how the season ended, but not many.

After his team lost Game 6 and their Eastern Conference Finals series to the Miami Heat, the Celtics coach was asked if he had any regrets about how the team’s season had come to an end.

Stevens admitted he did, though they weren’t all that revelatory for a team with the competitive drive to get within two wins of the NBA Finals.

“I would just say my regrets would be the outcomes, right? But my regrets [are] not what we put in, my regrets[are] not how we prepared or worked or how hard our guys worked or how committed they were to playing, [and] staying together.”

The Indiana native was clearly proud of his team despite the loss, after having had the discipline to get further than any but two teams in the entire league in the most difficult season in the history of the NBA, if not professional sports.

He did not let his players off the hook entirely, though.

“I think you look back at those first couple of games, and it put us in a tough spot,” shared Stevens, referring to Boston’s inability to hang onto to leads in the series.

Particularly in the first few games of the series when the Celtics easily could have taken a powerful lead had they merely held a lead a few minutes of game time longer.

“I just think that ultimately we had our chances and we didn’t take advantage of it enough, but the other team’s out there too. They deserve credit for taking advantage in every circumstance and again I thought their physical toughness, their physicality in general, their strength.”

“And those savvy veterans, they made great plays,” he added as he took care to credit the Heat, who ran one of the toughest gauntlets in the history of the league to reach the NBA Finals.

While we may not be excited at the Celtics Wire about the loss, we can wish Miami well in the Finals, lest we have to listen to Los Angeles Lakers fans everywhere rub it in they’ve drawn even in total title count.

Now that would be regretful.

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WATCH: full Miami Heat-Boston Celtics Game 6 East Finals highlights

The Miami Heat bested the Boston Celtics in six games with a 125-113 loss in the Eastern Conference Finals, pushing back the team’s next trip to the finals to the future.

The Boston Celtics couldn’t seal the deal in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Miami Heat, falling 125 – 113 as the Heat came alive late.

Several Celtics had strong performances in the loss, especially forward Jaylen Brown, who put up 26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals on 10-of-17 shooting.

Teammate Jayson Tatum added 24 points, a career-high 11 assists, 2 steals and a block, while guards Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker added 20 points each, Smart with 8 boards and Walker 5 assists.

Veteran forward Gordon Hayward chipped in 12 points and 2 assists off the bench while center Daniel Theis provided 6 points and 7 boards before he fouled out.

The Celtics most likely won’t be laying again until 2021 with word coming from NBA commissioner Adam Silver suggesting next season probably won’t begin until after Christmas.

So be sure to watch the highlights embedded above; they’ll be back again next season soon enough — even stronger.

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Celtics can’t take the Heat, wilt late in the fourth to fall 125-113

The Boston Celtics saw their season end in a 125-113 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals.

In their second straight elimination game against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics came ready to fight. The Heat won the tip, center Bam Adebayo getting to the line to get Miami on the board.

Jaylen Brown would lay it up to get the Celtics going after the Heat jumped out to a 6-0 lead, and Kemba Walker would get to the line to cut it to two. A four-point swing put Miami up 10-4 with a Jimmy Butler make, but back-to-back treys from Marcus Smart gave Boston it’s first lead at 15-14.

Jae Crowder would answer back with a 3 of his own, and an Andre Iguodala trey would put the Heat up 25-18. Gordon Hayward returned the favor on the next possession, but another Iguodala 3 would push the lead to nine points, Miami carrying a 33-27 lead into the second quarter.

Smart hit another 3 to get Boston within three, then hit another shortly after. A Butler and-1 kept the Heat in front, but Tatum got on the board with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to two.

An easy cut for Butler would force a Celtics timeout with seven to play in the half as both teams traded blows. Tatum started to heat up with a breakaway dunk, but Duncan Robinson answered back with a 3.

A Crowder make would put the Heat up 55-48, but Tatum came back with a 3, and a Walker trey would cut the lead to just one with 2:30 to go in the half. The Celtics would retake the lead on a Tatum layup, both teams exchanging makes, Miami carrying a 62-60 lead into the break.

The penultimate frame began with Brown sticking a trey, and a Smart tip-in extended the lead. A Dragic 3 would tie it, and another from Robinson would put Miami up 68-65.

An Adebayo trip to the line would put the Heat up five, but a defensive 3-seconds violation and a Tatum layup cut the lead to 2. The Heat came charging back to take a seven-point lead on an Iguodala 3. Another soon after would force a Boston timeout, Miami up 82-74.

A Walker layup stopped the bleeding, and a 3-pointer from the UConn product would cut the lead to five. Back-to-back buckets from Brown got Boston within two, and a Smart steal and flush tied the game up. A crafty layup from Dragic gave Miami an 88-86 lead heading into the fourth.

The Celtics started the final frame with a Walker make, and a Brown dunk would give Boston the lead. Adebayo came back with a flush of his own, but Boston would retake the lead on a Smart jumper with 10:30 to go.

Tatum and Brown would push the lead to six, the latter forcing a Heat timeout. A Tyler Herro trey would get Miami within two, and a jumper would tie it at 96. The two teams would trade blows until Theis fouled out with 5:30 to play.

A Robinson trey would extend the Heat’s lead, and a Herro bucket would put Miami up 109-102 with 4:30 to play. Smart would draw a technical on Butler, but the Heat would only add to their lead with Boston missing the tech. The Celtics fought furiously, but could close the gap, their season ending in a 125-113 loss.

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