Zoom Image
Jimmy Butler led his team to the next success in the playoffs
Photo: Wilfredo Lee / AP
Surprise team Miami Heat is only one win away from making it into the final series in the playoff semifinals of the professional basketball league NBA. On Monday night, Miami also won the third game against the disappointing record champion Boston Celtics at 128:102 and now has three match points.
On Tuesday, the team from Florida will have its first chance to return to the finals ten years after winning the last title at home. There could be a duel against the Denver Nuggets, who also lead 3-0 in their series against the Los Angeles Lakers and national team captain Dennis Schröder.
History speaks against the record champions
So far in NBA history, every team that has won the first three games of a best-of-seven series has also reached the next round.
Jimmy Butler, who has excelled in the playoffs so far, had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists in Miami, while Gabe Vincent scored a career-high 29 points. Kevin Love only got a short five-minute appearance (five points/two rebounds), but he could still continue an impressive statistic: So far, the power forward has always reached the NBA Finals when his team has been in the playoffs.
For the Celtics, Jason Taytum disappointed with only 14 points, Jaylen Brown also fell short of expectations with twelve points and six rebounds.
Miami had only qualified for the playoffs in the play-in tournament as eighth-placed in the Eastern Conference. They then eliminated top favorite Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks on their way to the semifinals.
ast/dpa/sid