By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp
ANKARA (AA) - The Boston Celtics survived the NBA Eastern Conference Final and won the series 4-3 against the Miami Heat with a 100-96 win in Game 7 on Sunday.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart carried the Celtics to NBA Finals by dropping 26, 24 and 24 points, respectively, at FTX Arena in Miami.
Smart said, "This is amazing! We finally got over the hump." and Tatum added, "To get over the hump with this group, it means everything."
"Today was the biggest test," Brown said. "Not just of the year, but of our careers."
Jimmy Butler's 35 points and Bam Adebayo's 24 point-11 rebound performance for the Heat were not enough for them to make it to the Finals, where they last advanced in 2020, during the bubble season.
The Boston Celtics will take on The Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals Game 1 at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thursday.