Leading Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals from wire to wire suggests the Boston Celtics cruised to an NBA Finals berth Sunday night.
Well, that wasn't the case.
The Celtics were approaching very comfortable territory at FTX Arena when they led the Heat by 13 points with less than four minutes to play. But Boston failed to firmly put the dagger into Miami and it ultimately needed to rely on the East's top-seeded team not making enough plays in crunch time. Fortunately for the C's, a potential go-ahead 3-pointer from Jimmy Butler with 16 seconds left clanged off the front iron and effectively killed the Heat's chances of scoring a comeback win.
Boston's erratic play down the stretch didn't deeply concern Stephen A. Smith, but the ESPN personality believes shaky execution in tight, late-game situations won't fly against the Warriors.
"You had a 13-point lead with three and a half minutes left -- time is on your side," Smith said Monday on "First Take." "There were times when they were walking the ball up the court, there were other times when they were running up the court and just jacking up shots. You're looking at them and saying, 'What are you doing? Time is on your side. Milk the clock. Soak it. Do what you have to do.' We know that Miami's defense is elite. We get all of that. But a 13-point lead with three and a half minutes left is a 13-point lead with three and a half minutes left.
"You went against them six previous games. You went 3-3, you went against them for the most part until the last three and a half minutes of the game and then you almost lost it. I'm just saying that I walked away looking at the Boston Celtics -- clearly respecting them, understanding that they lived up to my expectations that they won the conference, we get all that. But in the end, some of those late-game decisions, I'm saying against Golden State that ain't going to cut the mustard."
The Celtics will have a few more days to look things over and set themselves up to be more efficient when it matters most. Game 1 of the NBA Finals from Chase Center is set for Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET.
