Butler turns on the heat

BOSTON • Jimmy Butler strung together three poor outings but he made up for his struggles in a big way for his team on Friday night.

The ultra-competitive forward shook off all the misfired shots and the aches in his right knee, while singlehandedly carrying the Miami Heat to a 111-103 victory over the Boston Celtics to tie the National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference Finals at 3-3.

He set a personal play-off high with 47 points and also contributed nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals in a stellar all-around performance in Boston.

"My teammates and my coaches let me know to be aggressive and go out there and be the best player on the floor," he said.

"I just have to remember that every time I take the floor."

He had totalled only 27 points over the previous three games before erupting during a must-win situation in Game 6.

He made 16 of 29 field-goal attempts - including four of eight from three-point range - and sank all 11 free-throw attempts while reaching the 40-point mark for the second time in this series and the fourth time this post-season.

The inflammation in his right knee caused him to miss the second half of Game 3. Shooting 10 of 40 from the field in a three-game span hurt just as much.

"I let my team down a couple of games," Butler said.

"I wasn't going to do it again. We know what we're capable of."

His knee is feeling better now and his mental game got a boost when former Miami star Dwyane Wade - his teammate at the Chicago Bulls during the 2016-17 season - texted before Friday's game, telling him to "go out there and continue to build your legacy".

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was also proud of his star man, saying: "Jimmy just brought his competitive will tonight. And it was a will that would not let us lose."

Miami's Kyle Lowry recorded 18 points and 10 assists before fouling out and Max Strus scored 13 points.

For Boston, Jayson Tatum registered 30 points and nine rebounds, Derrick White scored 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 20. Marcus Smart had 14 points while Robert Williams III tallied 12.

There were a lot of prognosticators saying there would be no Game 7 after the Heat averaged just 81 points in back-to-back setbacks the past two contests.

But Miami centre Bam Adebayo shook his head at the rhetoric.

"Everybody thought the series was already over," he said. "That was the only motivation we needed."

The winner-takes-all Game 7 will take place in Miami tonight.

The winners will face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals from Thursday in San Francisco.

The Heat are seeking a second trip to the title-deciding series in three seasons, having lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

The Celtics have failed to reach the NBA Finals in their past four trips to the Eastern Conference Finals. They will now need to go on the road and win for another chance to clinch the championship since they lost to the Lakers in 2010.

"Our backs are on the wall," Brown said. "Game 7, loser goes home. So we have to find a way to win."

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE