The Boston Celtics and LA Lakers are on the brink of elimination

May 22, 2023
The promised ultra-competitive Conference Finals are not living up to the hype, with two teams poised to sweep their respective series.
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The Boston Celtics and LA Lakers are on the brink of elimination
SOURCE: MEGAN BRIGGS/GETTY IMAGES

The GIST: The promised ultra-competitive Conference Finals are not living up to the hype, with two teams poised to sweep their respective series. Ready the brooms.

Eastern Conference Final: In a twist no one saw coming, the Miami Heat — who squeaked into the postseason via the play-in tournament — are one win away from booking their Finals ticket after throttling the Boston Celtics 128–102 in Game 3 last night. The Heat’s Jimmy Butler spread the wealth in the team effort, while Boston looked sloppy with the pressure on.

Western Conference Final: The LA Lakers also find themselves in a must-win situation after the Denver Nuggets handed them their first postseason home-court loss on Saturday. Now Nikola Jokić and the Nugs need just one more dub to clinch their first-ever franchise Finals appearance, but Lakers head coach Darvin Ham thinks his squad isn’t done just yet. We’ll see tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET.