2022 Eastern Conference Finals — Celtics defeat Heat, 4-3 (Game 7 in Miami)

The 2022 Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat extended to seven games, concluding with the Celtics winning Game 7 in Miami, 100–96, to advance to the NBA Finals [6][7][12]. The series swung dramatically in the closing games: facing elimination in Game 6 in Boston, Miami's Jimmy Butler delivered a 47-point performance to stave off elimination and force a pivotal Game 7 in Miami [6][7]. That Game 6 performance is frequently cited as one of Butler's signature playoff displays and it shifted the immediate matchup back to Miami for the deciding contest [7]. In Game 7 the Celtics regained control, executing a balanced team attack and limiting Miami's late-game opportunities to secure a 100–96 victory in the deciding game [6][12]. Key performers across the series included Jayson Tatum for Boston and Butler for Miami, with tactical adjustments and physical defense shaping many individual games [6][7][12]. The seven-game arc produced intense media coverage and after-game reflections about individual performances and coaching adjustments that decided close contests across the series [6][7][12].

The 2022 ECF is a defining modern chapter because it produced one of the rivalry's most memorable individual efforts—Jimmy Butler's 47-point Game 6—and because it ended with Boston winning a road Game 7, illustrating both teams' capacity for high-stakes basketball [6][7][12]. The series reinforced the on-court narrative of Butler vs. the Celtics' emerging stars and added a dramatic seven-game encounter to a sequence of postseason meetings that have shaped the rivalry's 2010s–2020s era.

Boston's Game 7 victory sent the Celtics to the NBA Finals and cemented the 2022 series as a highlight in the team's postseason history [7]. For Miami, Butler's Game 6 became a touchstone for his postseason legacy despite the series loss; the performance fueled narratives about his ability to carry Miami in elimination moments and set the stage for continued high-stakes Celtics–Heat meetings in subsequent seasons [6][7][12].