What we witnessed Saturday night will go down as one of the more legendary moments in NBA playoff history. The Boston Celtics kept their season alive with a miraculous buzzer beating tip-in from point guard Derrick White, giving them a 104-103 win, in Miami, to force a Game 7.

It took me a bit to gather my thoughts and really reflect on the late game heroics, from both ends last night. The offensive put-back by Derrick White is the greatest thing NBA fans have seen since Kawhi’s Game 7 buzzer beater against Philly.

That’s coming from a die-hard Raptors fan who loathes every team from Boston.

Breakdown:

Jimmy Butler, who finally came alive in the closing minutes of the 4th, forced a shooting foul from Al Horford. The field goal attempt was originally called as a 2-point shot, but after video review, Jimmy was awarded three free throws as his feet were indeed beyond the arc. 

Butler proceeds to sink all three free throws, with ice in his veins, and hand the ball over to Boston with 2.7 seconds left on the clock.

Or so we thought.

My one stipulation with this whole sequence was seeing the ball leave Jimmy’s hands with 2.7 left on the clock. Somehow, the Celtics had the opportunity to inbound the ball with 3.0 seconds on the clock.

Here are the receipts to prove it.

That clock reset obviously a big deal, too. Foul pretty clearly hadn't happened yet at 3.0. pic.twitter.com/OvOgyiUV2t

— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) May 28, 2023

looks more like 2.8 to me. Ball is out of his hands by 2.7 pic.twitter.com/dUgp4gValU

— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) May 28, 2023

There isn’t anything you can do about it now, just continue to build your “NBA is scripted” conspiracies. Sure, some may say that Jimmy picked up his dribble and could have been called for it, but that was a result of Al Horford’s first missed foul. 

Boston then receives the ball for one final play. Very wisely, they have Derrick White inbound the ball, who then gives it to Marcus Smart to chuck one final shot. Although it was close, this was a poor inbound play and overall shot selection.

What Miami failed to do is box out the inbounder. Max Strus failed his assignment to cover the inbounder (White) and box out his defender, leading to the game-winner.

DERRICK WHITE FOR THE WIN 😱 pic.twitter.com/hinMigekhp

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 28, 2023

Video review took a matter of seconds, Game 7 has been forced and history could very well write itself. The Boston Celtics have the chance to be the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 deficit and win the series, and they have the chance to do it at home.

Miami has to be furious with themselves. Jimmy Butler went on record to guarantee a Game 6 win and his Heat are now facing elimination, against a Celtics squad that feels invincible at this point.

Picks:

It’s hard to imagine an even tighter matchup from what we experienced on Saturday. The fact that the spread is set at 8.5 points is a huge slap in the face to Miami. Sure, Boston has all the momentum going into Monday night, but don’t count out Jimmy Butler and the Heat to finish what they started.

Take these four picks. The over/under point total is set at 203, which means we’re predicting a defensive showdown, leading to a lot of rebound opportunities. Plus, Kyle Lowry recording a steal is just for fun (and probable).

Miami Heat +8.5 (-118)

Jayson Tatum Over 10.5 Rebounds (-112)

Jimmy Butler Over 7.5 Rebounds (-130)

Kyle Lowry Over 0.5 Steals (-150)