NBA Game Notes (May 17, 2023)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on May 17, 2023.

Heat Rally, Upset Celtics

The Miami Heat rallied to upset the Boston Celtics 123-116 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, outscoring the Celtics 46-25 in the third quarter to turn a nine-point halftime deficit into a 12-point lead. The teams will meet again in Boston for Game 2 on Friday night.

The Heat set a franchise record for most points scored in a quarter in a playoff game. The only team in NBA Conference Finals history to score more points in a quarter is the Denver Nuggets with 47 in the fourth period on May 14, 1985.

The Heat became just the fifth team in NBA history to open a postseason with road wins in each of their first three series:

• 1981 Houston Rockets

• 1989 Chicago Bulls

• 1999 New York Knicks

• 2021 Atlanta Hawks

• 2023 Miami Heat

The 1981 Rockets and 1999 Knicks both advanced to the NBA Finals, although neither won a championship.

As usual, the Heat were led by Jimmy Butler, who scored a game-high 35 points with seven assists, six steals, and five rebounds. It’s the second time Butler has produced at least 35 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals in a playoff game. Since the NBA began tracking steals in 1973-74, the only other players to record multiple such games are Michael Jordan (7) and Allen Iverson (2).