Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals ended in thrilling fashion. The Heat came out on top, 117-114, after the game went to overtime, credits to Jayson Tatum's late free throw to tie the game at 106. The highlight of the game was Bam Adebayo's dagger block on Tatum's dunk attempt with 3.7 left in the game.
The block is now in the conversation for the "best defensive play in NBA playoff history". In a Tweet, Magic Johnson said:
"Bam Adebayo’s block on Jayson Tatum’s dunk attempt was the best defensive play I’ve seen ever in the playoffs!!!!"
Which rings true. The block cemented a Game 1 win which might result in the Heat even making the Finals. So far, Miami has been exceeding expectations. They swept the Indiana Pacers in the first round and eliminated the first-seed Bucks in the conference semifinals. South Beach will have their first finals appearance since the Heatles in 2014.
In Game 1, the Heat were able to take the lead late in the game under the leadership of Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragić. Despite a poor shooting performance from Duncan Robinson, Jae Crowder and Adebayo were able to contribute towards an impressive amount of points. Tyler Herro almost had a triple-double off the bench, with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Beantown's scoring breakdown was not that different, as they also had four players with 15+ points, a bench player having double-digits, and a starter in single digits. Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart combined for 56 points, which was almost half of the entire team's total. It was a poor shooting night for Kemba Walker though, as he went 6/19 from the field. He is looking to regain his form in Game 2.
The second game will be on Friday, with Miami striving to get a 2-0 series lead and Boston attempting to even the series.