In one of the strangest seasons in NBA history, Miami is the lowest-seeded team to advance to Finals since 1999 and the Heat did it with only one top-10 pick on the roster. Even so, Miami has lost only three matches in the 2020 NBA playoffs with six double-digit comebacks in the past two rounds. On Sunday, the Heat rallied from a six-point deficit in the final nine minutes led by first-time All-Star Bam Adebayo.
The star post player became the first Miami player since LeBron James in 2014 to score 30 points and grab 10 rebounds in a playoff game. He concluded with 32 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, including 10, eight and four in the fourth quarter. Now he’ll meet James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 NBA Finals.
“You see Bam tap into All-Star Bam. That’s what he does. He’s obviously one of the best players in the league,” rookie wing Tyler Herro stated. “When he comes out and he taps into that mentality, it’s just different for us.”
Miami will face the Lakers in the Finals starting Wednesday at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
James will be playing in his fifth Finals since he left the Heat following the 2014 campaign. Miami is back in the Finals for the first time since James left and the Big 3, which brought two championships to South Florida last decade, split up after four seasons.
The Heat’s final push started with 8:48 left, when Butler drew a foul and made 1 of 2 free throws to cut Boston’s lead to 96-91. It started a 26-6 run to bury the Celtics.
Butler — the Heat’s leader, who was homeless at 13, began his college basketball career at a junior college, was cast aside by three other NBA teams and finally came to Miami last year as the Heat’s biggest offseason acquisition since James in 2010 — scored 22 points and dished out eight assists.
Adebayo, a former No. 14 pick in his first season as a full-time starter, led the way with his 32. Guard Goran Dragic, a bench player for almost the entire season, added 13 points and seven assists.
