Miami brings the Heat and conquers over Celtics to advance to The Finals

By: Kirk Jackson

The Miami Heat are advancing to the 2023 NBA Finals.

After a dramatic defeat in the final seconds at home in Game 6 on Saturday, Miami secured victory early in Monday’s finale, marching to Boston’s TD Garden, and handily defeating the Celtics to reach the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, with that series set to begin on Thursday.

Led by Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin, The Heat had an answer for anything the Celtics threw at them, as they avoided becoming the first team to squander a 3-0 NBA playoff series lead after winning Game 7.

The Heat became the second No. 8 seed to reach the NBA Finals and first since the New York Knicks in 1999, having bounced back from losing the three previous aforementioned games.

Miami’s Jimmy Butler was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists in the series.

The Heat, after starting the postseason in the play-in tournament, will now take on the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.

The Nuggets dominated throughout the regular season and extended their impressive reign to the postseason.

Led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokić, the Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals last week, to reach their first-ever NBA Finals. The Nuggets will host Miami in Game 1 of that series on Thursday night at Ball Arena.

NBA Finals Schedule:

Denver Nuggets (1 Seed) vs. Miami Heat (8 Seed)

Game 1: At Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET Thursday (ABC)
Game 2: At Denver, 8 p.m. ET Sunday (ABC)
Game 3: At Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET June 7 (ABC)
Game 4: At Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET June 9 (ABC)
*Game 5: At Denver, 8:30 p.m. ET June 12 (ABC)
*Game 6: At Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET June 15 (ABC)
*Game 7: At Denver, 8 p.m. ET June 18 (ABC)

* – if necessary