Tatum named Eastern Conference MVP as Udoka leads Boston Celtics to NBA Finals

Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 100-96 to round off a hard-fought Eastern Conference Finals series 4-3 and book their place in the 2022 NBA Finals.

After the first six games of the series were evenly split 3-3, Game 7 was needed to decide who would advance to the NBA Finals.

The Boston Celtics got off to a very fast start as they took a 32-17 lead in the first quarter of the clash. The Heat came back strongly in the second quarter and ended the half trailing by six points 55-49. In the third quarter, the Celtics extended by lead by one point before closing out the win in the fourth by holding on and scoring a number of big shots at the end to end up with a 100-96 win in the game.

Jayson Tatum left his mark on the game with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and was named the Eastern Conference Finals’ inaugural MVP. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart scored 24 points each, with Smart draining two free throws to give his side breathing space in the final moments of the match.

Despite his best efforts, Jimmy Butler could not secure the win for his team. He scored 35 points in the game while Bam Adebayo finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Kyle Lowry also added 15 points for the Heat.

The Boston Celtics, led by rookie Head Coach Ime Udoka, will now advance to the NBA Finals where they will do battle with the Golden State Warriors, in search of their 18th NBA title.