After going down 0-3 to the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals and facing elimination, Al Horford knew they didn’t have to relive their losses in the film room so instead he took the team to Top Golf to “shift the energy” of the squad.
Through the first 3 games of the series the Celtics were morally defeated by the Jimmy Butler-led Miami Heat, losing 3 straight matches but Boston’s little trip to Top Golf might actually save their season as the team looked energised and played like a unit in the next 3 games avoiding elimination and dominating the Miami Heat in those games.
Marcus Smart also credited the Top Golf meeting to their success in Game 6 -quoted: “Whole team coming together to release the negative energy and get the chemistry back … trust each other, believe in each other, if we’re gonna do something special and try this comeback- we’re gonna have to believe in each other.” The Celtics seemed to have retrieved back their identity i.e. being a nightmare on defence haunting Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo holding them to only 24% fg in Game 6. Boston’s energy is at an all-time right now after Derrick White hit a Game winning putback with 0.1 seconds left on the clock taking the soul out of the Heat fans in the arena.
Whatever happened at Top Golf seems to work so far as the Celtics tied the series 3-3 and will look to become the first team to ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in NBA Playoffs history as the Celtics will host Miami at home for a highly anticipated Game 7.
Derrick White’s buzzer-beating PUTBACK rescues the Celtics
After leading the whole game up until the fourth in Game 6 the Celtics took their foot off the gas allowing Miami Heat to rally back a comeback late in the fourth quarter leading the C’s by 1 with 3 seconds left on the clock. This led to the setup of one of the best buzzer-beaters in NBA history.
The Celtics were up by 10 in the final minutes of the game but collapsed their lead later. With 2.1 seconds left on the game clock Butler was fouled by Horford on a three-point attempt that led to three free throws converted by Butler, since the initial call was challenged 0.9 seconds was added back to the clock giving the Celtics 3 seconds. Derrick inbounded the ball out of a timeout to Marcus Smart whose 3-point attempt rims out directly to Derrick White for the buzzer-beating putback with just 0.4 seconds left on the clock.
Riding high off of three straight wins the Celtics looks to beat Miami at Td Garden in Game 7, this highly anticipated game will be the first time since 1994-95 the same two NBA teams will face- off in Game 7 in consecutive years.
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