COCONUT GROVE, FLA. (WSVN) - Miami Heat fans disappointed over the outcome of Saturday night’s game still remain hopeful that their hometown professional basketball team will pull off a win against the Boston Celtics on Monday and head to the NBA Finals.
The Celtics walked away with Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals in a split-second 104-103 upset at the Kaseya Center in downtown Miami.
“It was heartbreaking,” said Heat fan Elizabeth Demeria.
“Devastation is the word that comes to mind,” said Heat fan Jim Polkinghorn.
The shocking finale caused fans convinced the Heat had clinched the game from elation to dismay and heartbreak.
“Just seeing everyone so happy and so joyful, and then seeing that shot go in, and seeing the energy getting taken out of the room, I think that hurt,” said Heat fan Jerry Calvert, “because we were so close, and the Heat is always so close, at then, like that, we’re done.”
The Heat were down the majority of Game 6, but by the final quarter, the team caught up to the Celtics and had surpassed the Celtics by one point with seconds left.
But with a 10th of a second left on the clock, the Celtics’ Derrick White threw the ball. It went into the basket as the buzzer rang.
Heat fans who spoke with 7News on Sunday from Sandbar Grill in Coconut Grove said they were in disbelief.
“I thought we won. I was cheering them on, I was like, ‘We won,'” said Demeria.
“This whole season was a struggle, but here we are, we’re in the Conference finals, and we actually have a chance to put them away, and we just can’t quite do it,” said Polkinghorn.
Although they’re still bothered by this defeat, these fans said they still have faith their team will bring home a win in Boston on Monday.
“How can you not be hopeful about this team? This team inspires hope,” said Polkinghorn. “When the chips are down, they always seem to rise up and come through, and so here we are.”
The one thing these fans want to do Monday night is to have a pots-and-pans celebration.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.