Game 6: Celtics @ Heat 8:30pm, 5/27/23

[Kobewade11]

One positive for Miami - Butler did seem to get some of those butterflies (or whatever the hell) out at the end there. The Heat had the pressure of closing them out after being up. Now there shouldnt be any nerves.

Heat have a chance.

This team had 3 chances to get it done, two chances at home. If I cant trust the stars to show up in the comfort of their home arena there is no way in hell I can trust them in what will be the most hostile environment we’ll see all year.

[twozeroMM]

If we don't win on Monday, this will forever haunt us fans and this franchise.

[KingDavid]

I don’t see us recovering from that

We are done as a franchise. Move us to Vegas for all I care.

No that's too far. Dolphins would have been long gone. You're in the deep end, come back.

[Heat3]

1 defensive stop from the finals and you have an elite, yes elite, defender in Highsmith who’s bigger and more athletic than Strus on the bench marinating Lmao. Actually unreal.

Highsmith did not play all game. Zeller played 2mins. I doubt very many coaches put someone in cold at that point in the game.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Will y’all shut the fuxk up about Bosh and stop acting like this dude wasn’t putting up stinker after stinker damn near every fuxking playoff game?

[Shewasfly]

You can’t blame the poor shooting when you’re up in the game with three seconds left. Tatum was terrible from three tonight and the Celtics won tonight. You’re judged by your last play in tight games. That’s coaching, that’s execution.

This is literally what separates pros from amateurs. Professionals are expected to perform and execute to the tightest of margins. This was a horrific gaff in the end by Spo and Strus.

Exactly. It’s the playoffs, do or die for the Celtics. I expected a close game down to the wire. There aren’t going to be any blowouts. This isn’t a good look for Spo, particularly.

Its not a good look for Spo, especially the decisions on that last play. But what can he really do when his stars look like that for 45 minutes of the game?? They were missing everything and shying away from the ball. What technically could Spo have done differently? I'm genuinely wondering what others think

[AirP.]

If we don't win on Monday, this will forever haunt us fans and this franchise.

Won't have to worry about hearing about Playoff Jimmy anymore.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

1 defensive stop from the finals and you have an elite, yes elite, defender in Highsmith who’s bigger and more athletic than Strus on the bench marinating Lmao. Actually unreal.

Highsmith did not play all game. Zeller played 2mins. I doubt very many coaches put someone in cold at that point in the game.

I don’t give a flying fuxk, “stay ready so you don’t have to get ready” damn near as fake of a slogan as “Heat culture” BS we hear nonstop

[contract]

Uh, no. Highsmith rolls out of bed with crap in his eyes ready to play defense. Lowry. Love. Anyone else that played. Not Strus. Look at what he did on the inbound; back turned, runs away from the basket to double Tatum, couldn't recover to box out. The height of basketball stupidity. With 3 seconds left, you let the man nearest Tatum sprint and rotate to help, not run away from the inbounder. This is basic middle school basketball. You don't abandon the inbounder, they're the most dangerous player on the court.

Is this how the legend of Haywood Highsmith begins? Is there any evidence that he's even an above average defender?

I'm not entertaining that statement. His defense is why he's a Heat player in the first place. We still have Lowry and love that could have been in instead of Strus.

In a world where any of them are in in place of Max and it works out, Spo would have been brilliant. In a world where any of them are in for Max and it doesn't work out, Spo would be moron. All of them have major warts. There's a reason why half our rotation's next job will be bagging groceries.

[carnageta]

Just sucks because this win would have been the perfect story book ending for Jimmy with respect to the Celtic rivalry. Missed 3 last year to get to the finals. Made 3 freethrows this year to get in. Would have undone the wrong from the previous season.

[KingDavid]

1 defensive stop from the finals and you have an elite, yes elite, defender in Highsmith who’s bigger and more athletic than Strus on the bench marinating Lmao. Actually unreal.

Highsmith did not play all game. Zeller played 2mins. I doubt very many coaches put someone in cold at that point in the game.

Kyle Lowry.

[LookToShoot]

This is literally what separates pros from amateurs. Professionals are expected to perform and execute to the tightest of margins. This was a horrific gaff in the end by Spo and Strus.

Exactly. It’s the playoffs, do or die for the Celtics. I expected a close game down to the wire. There aren’t going to be any blowouts. This isn’t a good look for Spo, particularly.

The last 3 games have basically been blowouts, did you miss game 3 where Miami won by 26? Half of them have been blowouts.

And the Heat were also up by nine in the third quarter of game 4. Spo? Game 5 was a wash and over in the first quarter. Game 6 was a must win for both teams. Why would you expect a blow out?

[marson]

A silver lining could be everyone would be picking now the Celtics to win. Back to underdog mentality and surprise people. But I can't man, this loss sting, imagine the players feeling right now.

[HeatFanDan]

Not sure which is more dissapointing to me, losing the game, or the reactions from some of you so-called "Heat fans". Foh and go root for another team. Y'all ain't about this Culture.

[oreon]

Will y’all shut the fuxk up about Bosh and stop acting like this dude wasn’t putting up stinker after stinker damn near every fuxking playoff game?

We won 2 rings and he made key plays. If we win and Bam makes key plays he'd be remembered the same. And you're the one who started this Bosh Vs Bam thing. No one was making that comparison till you did

[MorbidHEAT]

I really can’t see how we emotionally recover from that to win this series. That was an all time gut punch.

We won’t. It’s very likely that we are absolutely going to get demolished on Monday. You don’t recover from a loss like this to win a series after squandering a 3-0 lead. What a sheitshow.

The only possibility is that Butler and Bam are furious at how this game ended and really show up on Monday and the team follows. Short of that, it’s not gonna happen.

[Shewasfly]

Just think about it, if Butler of Bam have any semblance of an ok game, not even a good one we win. Does anyone expect expect Butler and Bam to play this bad again? Yeah I think we blow the Celtics out in game 7, we no longer have any pressure to win.

And you're confident the role players show up in this fashion again for another game?
I'm certainly not.

You have to use these incredible games from your role players wisely. You now want them to be Herculean in a game 7 in a hostile environment???

No one expects us to win. We will be playing free and loose. Sure we can still lose the game but from everything we have seen about this bipolar team, it would be fitting and not surprising that we win game 7 as the under dog.

Under normal circumstances, I would agree that we would be playing free. But keep in mind, we have the pressure of not being the one team in almost 150 instances of this situation throughout league history, to not lose a 3-0 lead.

I don't think that they are going to be particularly loose at all. And I think the emotional damage of this loss is going to carry on top of that.

[carnageta]

Just so ya'll know; Jimmy Butler has never won a game 7 in this life.

[Wiltside]

Why did more time get put on the clock?

[powerball1373]

Game 7 referees:

Scott Foster
IggieCC
Bill Simmons

With fgt ass Dave Poortnoy in the replay booth