The Boston Celtics held on for dear life against the relentless Miami Heat in Game 7 and survived.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart combined for 74 points in a 100-96 victory to advance to the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Game 1 is scheduled for Thursday.
Jimmy Butler scored 35 points, playing all 48 minutes for the Heat in defeat.
The Celtics pushed the pace in the first quarter and played lockdown defense, taking a 32-17 advantage with the same execution that doused the heat to start Game 4. Six Celtics scored in the first six minutes.