Caleb Martin Leads Miami Heat Over Celtics and on to NBA Finals in Denver

The sound of clanking metal and cheering Heat fans reverberated among the downtown Miami high-rises Monday night as residents busted out the tradition of banging on pots and pans to celebrate the team's seventh trip to the NBA Finals.

Biscayne Boulevard was packed with jubilant motorists waving Heat flags alongside pickup trucks with their flatbeds crowded shoulder-to-shoulder with revelers. 

Earlier in the evening, the Heat put on a clinic on the Celtics' home court at TD Garden in a 103-84 thumping to win Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. After a fair share of nail-biting moments in recent days — including the Celtics' soul-crushing Game 6 buzzer-beater that knotted the series at 3-3 — the Heat shrugged off any queasiness from the postseason rollercoaster ride and delivered in dominant fashion.

Out on Biscayne Blvd the sound of pots and pans filled the night 🔊 pic.twitter.com/Yc8XO6P9WT

— Kaseya Center (@KaseyaCenter) May 30, 2023

With dueling chances to make history on the line, the Heat avoided being the first team ever to blow a 3-0 series lead in the NBA playoffs, and instead became the second eighth-seeded team in NBA history to reach the championship series.

CALEB MARTIN GOES OFF IN GAME 7 TO SEND MIAMI TO THE FINALS 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Qja2KipYHX

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 30, 2023

Caleb Martin Goes Off

Jimmy Butler was awarded the Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player trophy after the game, but anyone who followed the series knows Caleb Martin played a key role in leading the Heat to victory — not only in Game 7 but the entire series.

Martin, who lost out to Butler 5-4 in MVP voting, finished Game 7 with 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting while corralling ten rebounds. That's not just a stat line from a role player stepping up, that's a box score worthy of any superstar in the league in an elimination game.

The Heat's move to lock up Martin prior to the season on a ridiculously discounted three-year, $20 million deal is looking better and better by the day.

365 DAYS LATER. PROPHECY FULFILLED. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. pic.twitter.com/MvjaB1udOI

— Mike (@MikeSanchize) May 30, 2023

Jimmy's Revenge

Fans experiencing a sense of déjà vu going into last night's tilt can be forgiven, as last season came to a crushing close at the hands of the Celtics in Game 7 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals. As the clock ran down in that game, Jimmy Butler missed a running three-pointer that would have sent the Heat to the finals.

Later, during the postgame press conference, Butler made a prediction: Miami would see Boston again in the 2023 playoffs, and this time, the Heat would be the ones moving on.

"We had enough. Next year, we will have enough and we’re gonna be right back in this same situation and we’re gonna get it done," Butler said. 
Butler said what he said. No lies told. The Miami Heat in fact did find themselves in the same situation as last season, and this time around Boston is the team booking family vacations while Miami moves on to play for the Larry O'Brien trophy.

You have to love it when a plan and a prediction come together. 

Pat Riley and Udonis Haslem are headed BACK to the Finals...#PhantomCam 👏

Miami wins Game 7 to advance to the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV!

Game 1: Thursday, 6/1 at 8:30pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/urAveCWR63

— NBA (@NBA) May 30, 2023

UD's "Last Dance"

Prior to the 2022-23 season, Udonis Haslem made it clear that this, his 20th NBA campaign, would be his last. No more debating during the offseason. No more returning for one more year of mentoring.

Haslem will join Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) and Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) as the only NBA players to spend an entire 20-plus-year career with a single team.

Sending UD into retirement with one last trip to the NBA Finals is an admirable gesture to begin with, but for it to have come to fruition in a season in which the Heat barely managed to stagger into the playoffs is storybook material.

Fun fact: UD has now reached the NBA Finals more times than Michael Jordan.

Zero overlaps between the Heat and Panthers over the next two weeks.

An insane and historical two week stretch coming up for South Florida. LET'S GO!!!#HEATCulture #TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/p8N2y4ymgR

— Jake Marsh (@PMTsportsbiz) May 30, 2023

What's Next? Championship June!

The Heat will face the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, June 1, at 8:30 p.m. at Ball Arena in the Mile High City.

Meanwhile, their counterparts on ice, the Florida Panthers, will face the Las Vegas Knights in Game 1 of the NHL Finals on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena in Nevada.

It's an unprecedented time to be a South Florida sports fan. Two local underdogs who were counted out as contenders have made it all the way — a sight to behold. The team's championship schedules are presented in the graphic above, but to truly get a feel for and appreciate what will take place over the coming days, you need to see it as formatted below.

From June 3-10, there's guaranteed to be a Heat or Panthers championship game every night but June 6. Should each series go the full seven games, we'll be treated to championship play all the way through Monday, June 19.

6/1-NBA Finals G1
6/3- Stanley Cup G1
6/4- NBA Finals G2
6/5- Stanley Cup G2
6/7- NBA Finals G3
6/8- Stanley Cup G3
6/9- NBA Finals G4
6/10- Stanley Cup G4
6/12- NBA Finals G5
6/13- Stanley Cup G5
6/15- NBA Finals G6
6/16- Stanley Cup G6
6/18- NBA Finals G7
6/19- Stanley Cup G7

— Billy Gil (@billygil) May 30, 2023

Kinda feels like we should be stocking up on batteries and bottled water — how else do South Florida sports fans deal with an impending storm of this magnitude? Will we be forgiven for holing up in front of the TV for two weeks in deference to the spectacle?

So many questions in the minds of Miami fans.

And the answers begin rolling in on Thursday night in Denver.