Derrick White saved the Celtics‘ season Saturday night, executing a putback on a missed three-pointer with 0.1 seconds left, securing a 104-103 win over the Heat in Miami. With the win, Boston forced a Game 7 in Boston on Monday.
The buzzer beater was extremely rare in circumstance. In fact, it’s only the second time in NBA history that a team hit such a shot while facing elimination in a playoff series and also trailing in the game, according to Jay King of The Athletic.
The only other time that happened was on May 7, 1989, when Michael Jordan hit “The Shot” over the Cavaliers’ Craig Ehlo in a winner-take-all Game 5. At the time of that shot, the Bulls were down one with three seconds left on the clock, and Jordan hit a jumper from the free throw line to win the game.
White’s basket came after Boston had blown a late 10-point lead, as Miami had taken a one-point lead in the final seconds. Celtics guard Marcus Smart missed a three-pointer after Boston called timeout with three seconds left, but White, who had inbounded the ball, ran all the way from the sideline to put the ball in the basket just in time.
The win means Boston has erased the Heat’s series lead and will play on Monday night with a chance to become the first NBA team to win a playoff series after being down 3-0.
