Heat stomp Celtics in Game 7, carry dream run into NBA Finals - ESPN

BOSTON — Jimmy Butler called his shot.

A year to the day before leading the No. 8 seeded Heat to a 103-84 win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night over the Boston Celtics, earning the Heat the distinction of being just the second team in NBA history to earn at Finals berth as a No. 8 seed, Butler sat inside of a conference room near the Heat's home locker room in Miami and vowed to lead his team back to clear the hurdle that had just eluded them.

After a hard-fought Game 7 loss to the Celtics during the 2022 Eastern Conference finals, one in which Butler missed a 3-pointer in the waning seconds that may have given the Heat a win, he had a quick response when asked what he felt the Heat needed in order to clear the threshold the following season.

«Figure out a way to be consistent,» Butler said at the time. «I think we had enough, I think we do have enough… next year, we will have enough and we're going to be right back in this same situation and we're gonna get it done.»

He was right.

The truth behind Butler's words has been prophetic throughout the Heat's magical postseason run, but as usual he set the tone for the rest of his teammates to follow on Monday night in Game 7, scoring 28 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out six assists in 43 minutes. Butler earned the Larry Bird trophy after the game as the Eastern Conference finals MVP.

Butler, who repeatedly said he was confident his group would win one more game even as the Celtics charged back from an 0-3 hole, paced the Heat with 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 43 minutes. But it was guard Caleb Martin, who didn't play in last year's Game 7, who had another huge game for the Heat on Monday night, scoring 26 points and