Behind Jimmy Butler’s heroics, Heat stun Celtics in Boston, force Game 7 in Miami

Stop the presses on those Heat obituaries.

Jimmy Butler overcame a knee injury that looked debilitating just a couple days ago to score 47 points and lead Miami to a shocking 111-103 win over the Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Friday in Boston. Down and counted out, the Heat will host Game 7 at 8:30 p.m. Sunday.

Home teams have won 75% of Game 7s. But Miami faces plenty of challenges. Butler had to play 46 minutes just to continue the series, and he’s not necessarily completely past his knee problems. Already battling hamstring issues, Kyle Lowry was limping late. Unlike most teams without homecourt advantage, the Celtics have been the better team for months.

Yet, the Heat ought to be proud about merely giving themselves a chance by winning tonight. In the first thrilling playoff game in weeks, Miami battled and persevered through numerous gut-check moments.

Especially Butler.

His performance was reminiscent of another Miami forward’s the last time the Heat faced a Game 6 in Boston down 3-2 in the Eastern Conference finals. LeBron James boosted his legacy by staving off elimination in 2012. Too often overlooked, Butler deserves all the praise coming his way. Really, he might have even outdone LeBron:

Butler, who has repeatedly put Miami on his back this postseason, got just enough help.

Despite calls to bench them, Kyle Lowry (18 points and 10 assists) and Max Strus (13 points) started and turned in positive performances. After fouling out, Lowry had one of the night’s biggest – and most controversial – plays with his bench closeout on an Al Horford 3-pointer:

Kyle Lowry playing defense with six fouls. pic.twitter.com/Wkase9usDh

— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) May 28, 2022

Jayson Tatum (30 points, nine