The Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 111-103 in Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden in Boston on Friday to tie the series 3-3.

The Heat will return home to play Game 7 at FTX Arena on Sunday. They couldn't have done that without the epic performance of Jimmy Butler, who scored a postseason career-high 47 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals in this game. This was his fourth 40+points game in the 2022 NBA playoffs and he became the second player in NBA history to get 40+points, four steals and win in plural games in one series.

The first player to do it was Michael Jordan in the East first-round playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1988.

Forty-seven points also set a new franchise record for any Heat player in elimination games and made Butler the only player in team history to score 45+points in multiple post-season games. Imagine how rare that is, since the Heat have seen the best years of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James as their players.

The Heat were desperate before Friday's game, not only because they were on the road with a 3-2 deficit, but also because they seemed to have run out of offensive options. Butler has been struggling with a knee injury which held him back in several games in the postseason. Tyler Herro began to sit on the series since Game 4 due to a groin injury, not to mention his disappointing form and defensive problem. Both Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo lacked aggressiveness on the offensive front in the lost Game 5. The Heat had to count on Gabe Vincent for playmaking in that game.

Fortunately for the regular season East leader, Butler came back to be the hero on Friday night. He still lacked explosiveness so instead of tussling in the paint to cause damage to the opponent's defense, he chose to shoot more middle- and long-range jumpers, which he hit 10-for-19. Penetration was more of distractions as Butler used to trick to help defense before passing to open teammates. The 11 free throws he earned in this game mostly came from skillful footwork and posting moves instead of throwing himself in the air to draw fouls.

Having played almost 46 minutes on the court carrying an injury, Butler managed to achieve such a great offensive production while staying fatal on defense. Three of his four steals were cuttings of the ball on the weak side, which required careful reading of the game and master choice-making of timing to make the move.

The Heat's defense, especially in guarding Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, was the other key factor that led the team to victory in Friday's game. The Celtics' star duo combined to score 36 points in the first half, including both getting 11 in the second quarter. They spent most possessions trying to attack the Heat's defensive weak links – Max Strus in the starting lineup as well as Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson in the reserves.

When the Heat's defenders tried to protect their defensive weakness with show-and-go, Tatum immediately punished them by pulling up to shoot and make 3-pointers. Moreover, Brown kept breaching the Heat's defensive line by slashing from the weak side.

That's why the Heat switched to determined double-teaming of Tatum and Brown from the second half. The two combined to shoot only seven times from the field to get 14 points in the second half. The Celtics made Derrick White their major playmaker during the third and fourth quarters. He did well with 18 points, but it was not good enough to help the team outscore the opponent.

Considering that both the Heat and the Celtics have won two road games during the East Finals, playing at home may only provide very limited advantage to the Heat. If Butler cannot repeat his miracle form, his team will still struggle on offense again unless Bam Adebayo pulls himself out of the straight underperformance on this front in the past three games.

As for the Celtics, many of the referees' calls on Friday night were not in their favor, but foul trouble is inevitable in a series as physical as this one. Marcus Smart and Al Horford combined to shoot 2-for-15 from downtown in Game 6. They couldn't afford to do so in Game 7 which is win-or-go-home for both teams. Tatum always managed to bounce back after struggling in one game. He got 30 points on Friday but also committed seven turnovers, not to mention the difference of his performances between the two halves. He was named in the All-NBA First Team this season, but if he wants to be seen as the same level of player with the other four members of the roster, Tatum must play better in Sunday's game.

If history offers any reference, the Celtics blew 3-2 lead twice in the postseason in 2012 against the Heat and 2018 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.