Final: Celtics 104, Heat 103 - White's buzzer-beating putback saves C's season

Celtics vs. Heat

Game 6, 8:30 p.m., TNT

Kaseya Center

Line: Boston -2.5

Refs: Zach Zarba (#15), Josh Tiven (#58), James Williams (#60)

Injuries: 

Boston- Gallinari (out), Malcolm Brogdon (forearm, questionable). Miami- Tyler Herro (hand, out), Victor Oladipo (knee, out), Gabe Vincent (ankle, questionable).

Projected Starters

Boston: Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford

Miami: Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love, Bam Adebayo

What I’m looking for:

Miami’s best punch: Whatever is left in the tank will be used up today. If Boston can absorb that and still build a big early lead, that could be demoralizing for Miami. I fully expect to see Miami take a double digit lead.

Sticking together: On that note, the question is can the Celtics keep it together in that moment? I asked Joe Mazzulla pregame how he keeps his group from going off on their own and try to do too much to answer Heat runs, and he said “just understanding that gives us the best chance to win. The reason why we're still here is just stick together through those runs, and keep working to make the more physical plays.”

If Boston can truly do that, they’ll be okay. 

3-point shooting: Which role players will drop more bombs? This whole series has hung on the “other guys” getting going from deep. Can Boston’s supporting cast be the group that hits the big shots? 

How I think it will go:

Can the Celtics sign Mick Foley for this game? Because this is going to be an extreme-rules match. This is going to come down to who has enough strength to stay standing at the end. I expect Miami’s absolute best punch, every trick in the book, every foul grift, every flop, every illegal screen … everything you can think of.

There's a reason why Erik Spoelstra pulled the plug on Butler and Adebayo early in Game 5. He wanted to save every ounce those guys had to finish this in 6 versus fighting an uphill battle to maybe win Game 5. Those guys, especially Butler, are running out of gas. 

This is their last gasp. This is their season. Desperation will fuel them, and it has to fuel Boston. 

So Boston just has to withstand everything thrown at them. They have to be like one of those reporters in the middle of a hurricane, just holding on and doing their jobs until it's over. And hopefully they can walk out of there having accomplished their goals. 

That's not to say they should only counterpunch. They actually need to be the aggressor. But they just need to hang in there when Miami goes on their runs. They can't break ranks and try to do too much of Miami throws a huge early punch. 

I'm going to lean on the talent here. I'm going to lean on Boston having been there before. I'm going to lean on them having figured something out the past couple of games. 

I'm not sure they'll cover 2.5 points. This might come down to the final possession. I'm going to say there will be a Game 7.

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.