May 29 (UPI) -- Miami Heat defenders chased shooters off the 3-point line, prevented lane penetration and dislodged dribblers to beat the Boston Celtics, earning a trip to the 2023 NBA Finals on Monday in Boston.
Heat forward Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 28 points in the 103-84 triumph in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals at TD Garden.
The Heat will meet the top-seeded Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday in Denver.
"Nobody is satisfied," Butler, who claimed Eastern Conference finals MVP honors, told reporters. "We haven't won anything. We don't play just to win the Eastern Conference, we play to win the whole thing."
The Heat, who started with three-consecutive wins before allowing the No. 2 Celtics to tie the series, are just the second No. 8 seed in history to advance to the NBA Finals.
The 1998-99 New York Knicks were the other No. 8 seed to advance to the title series, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Nuggets will make their first NBA Finals appearance.
"We have some incredible competitors in that locker room," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters.
"They love the challenge. They love putting themselves out there in front of everybody. They are open to criticism, open to everything, but compete for it. And that's a beautiful thing."
Heat players made 48.8% of their shots, including 14 of 28 3-point attempts in Game 7. They held the Celtics to just 39% shooting, including 21.4% from 3-point range.
"In the first quarter and a half or so, we continued to fight defensively, even through our shots weren't falling," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. "We just couldn't score."
The Celtics scored the first five points of the night, but got off to a glacially slow start from downtown, missing their first 12 3-point attempts.
Star forward Jayson Tatum also sustained an ankle injury less than a minute into the game and was slowed by the ailment for the rest of the night. He finished with just 14 points.
The Heat ended the first quarter on a 14-4 run to carry a 22-15 edge into the second. The Celtics made just two of their final 17 shots in the first quarter.
The Heat went on an 11-3 run to start the second quarter. They outscored the Celtics 30-26 in the quarter and led 52-41 at the break. The Celtics bounced back and cut the deficit to seven points in the third, but did not get closer.
The Heat lead ballooned to 23 in the fourth. They outscored the Celtics 27-18 over the final 12 minutes to seal the win.
Heat forward Caleb Martin scored 26 points and logged 10 rebounds in the win. Center Bam Adebayo collected 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Heat forward Duncan Robinson and guard Gabe Vincent scored 10 points apiece.
Forward Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 19 points. Guard Derrick White chipped in 18 points in the loss.
The Nuggets will host the Heat in the NBA Finals opener at 8:30 p.m. EDT Thursday in Denver. The best-of-seven game series will air on ABC.