The Miami Heat had a lot to say after their shootaround before Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. The Heat are not only trying to advance to the NBA Finals, but they are also looking to avoid becoming the first team ever to lose a series after taking a 3-0 lead.
“When you’re trying to accomplish something very challenging, there’s going to be bumps, there’s going to be tough times,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said following the team’s Monday morning shootaround session in Boston. “I’m just really happy for our guys that they get to experience a Game 7. I know our team, I know the competitive will and the desire. If you have that, you want these types of moments.”
The Heat won Games 1 and 2 in Boston but lost Game 5 at the TD Garden. Miami guard Gabe Vincent said he and his teammates are looking forward to Game 7.
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“The way I see it is we’re making history either which way,” Vincent said. “What side of history do we want to be on? So we’re looking forward to the opportunity.”
The Heat were 3.0 seconds away from winning Game 6. They had a one-point lead after Jimmy Butler made three free throws. However, Celtics guard Derrick White won the game on a game-winning tip-in at the buzzer.
“The next day, everybody was fine,” Spoelstra said. “We have great mental stability with our group. Again, we understand we have a big audacious goal. It’s not just this game, it’s not just this series. There are going to be a lot of tough things that happen along the way. We’ve had a lot of experience, unfortunately, with those kinds of losses. We also have experience bouncing back from those in a very powerful way.”
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“It was gut-wrenching, for sure,” Heat guard Max Strus said. “Just because we knew what was ahead of us. But we’re blessed with the opportunity to play in a Game 7, right back in the position we were in last year. We’re all excited, we’re ready for it, we’re ready for the competition. We just can’t wait for the ball to go up in the air and get this thing going.”
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