The Heat remained steadfast in their belief they will close out the Celtics after Saturday night’s stunning loss at the buzzer, with coach Erik Spoelstra saying, „There’s been nothing easy about this season for our group.“
MIAMI — Less than a second away from their second trip to the NBA Finals in four seasons, Heat players and fans stood in collective shock after Boston Celtics guard Derrick White tipped in the go-ahead bucket at the buzzer in a stunning 104-103 loss Saturday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The shot forced Game 7 on Monday and pushed the Celtics to within one game of making history as the first NBA team to ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
Despite the emotions of the loss, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and star forward Jimmy Butler were defiant in the belief that they could still find a way to win the biggest game of the season on Monday night.
Spoelstra called the final sequence a „shame“ but said he has „no regrets.“
„This is the way this season has been,“ he said. „This is one hell of a series. At this time right now, I don’t know how we are going to get this done, but we are going up there and get it done. And that’s what the next 48 hours is about.“
Butler, who hit three clutch free throws with three seconds left to give the Heat a 103-102 lead, said he remains confident the Heat will find a way to win Game 7, despite the fact that they’ve now dropped three straight, including being on the wrong end of one of the craziest finishes in NBA history on Saturday night.
