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The Miami Heat eliminated the No. 5-seeded New York Knicks on Friday to become the second No. 8 seed ever to reach the conference finals.
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo led Miami in the 96-92 Game 6 win, despite a massive effort from the Knicks' Jalen Brunson, at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
In 1999, the No. 8-seeded Knicks advanced to the conference finals and eventually the NBA Finals in a lockout-shortened season.
Butler had 24 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, while Adebayo had 23 points and 9 boards as the Heat won the Eastern Conference semifinals series 4-2. The Heat await the winner of the Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers series, which is headed to a Game 7 on Sunday in Boston. The Eastern Conference finals begin Wednesday.
The Heat spoiled a heroic game from Brunson. A highlight-worthy fadeaway served as an early indication he was fully recovered after playing all 48 minutes of Game 5. Scoring 41 points on 5-for-10 3-point shooting and 14-of-22 field-goal attempts, Brunson put up the most points in a playoff game by a Knicks guard in the team's history.
R.J. Barrett was aggressive in the paint for the Knicks, drawing three fouls in seven minutes. He found himself on the line again after he was fouled by Kevin Love with 5:29 remaining in the first quarter. Barrett made both of his free-throw attempts to go 8-for-8 and put the Knicks up 17-14.
After Brunson made a 26-foot jumper with 3:43 remaining, Julius Randle took center stage.
Randle drove to the basket for a made layup, despite a foul from Caleb Martin and then secured an extra point at the line. After a defensive rebound from Josh Hart, Randle made a midrange shot assisted by Brunson for back-to-back buckets.
Randle's burst put the Knicks up 31-17, forcing Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra to call a timeout with 2:40 remaining in the first.
Post-huddle, the Heat went on a 7-0 run, highlighted by Kyle Lowry making both of this free throws after he was fouled by Hart. Butler snatched a rebound on the other end of the floor, allowing Lowry to make a 3. Randle made a bad pass that was intercepted by Martin, then Butler made a quick shot for the Heat. But the Knicks were able to close the first quarter up 31-24.
Another bucket from Adebayo in the final minute of the second gave him 17 points headed into halftime, but Brunson responded with a floating jump shot on the other end of the floor. He was called for a foul with less than 30 seconds in the half. Free throws from Max Strus gave the Heat a 51-50 lead to close the second quarter, despite only hitting two 3s.
Starting the third quarter, Brunson and Barrett both had three fouls. In addition to having two crucial Knicks in foul trouble, the Knicks opened the period 0-of-6 from the field.
The Heat took a 74-71 lead into the fourth quarter behind Butler's strong showing.
Brunson, who became the first Knick since Patrick Ewing in 1990 to record at least 30 points in three straight playoff games, was responsible for every field goal the Knicks had in the fourth quarter, going 3-for-6 from the field and assisting a layup.
Miami had its biggest lead of the game halfway into the quarter, up 84-76 after an and-1 from Butler.
The Heat seemingly cruising toward the win, a crucial call with 59.5 seconds remaining in the game nearly swung the momentum back toward the Knicks.
Brunson was knocked across the face by Gabe Vincent, and after review, it was deemed a flagrant 1, putting Brunson on the line. Brunson made both free throws, then found Hart for a layup to cut the Heat's lead to 92-90.
Butler missed a jumper on the other end, and Hart came up with the rebound to give the Knicks life. But Lowry came up with a steal and the Knicks had to foul. Butler hit two free throws with 14.4 seconds remaining. With the Knicks trailing by 4, Quentin Grimes missed a 3-pointer with 13.5 seconds, and the Knicks' season finished with a garbage-time dunk from Brunson.
The Heat will play in their third Eastern Conference finals in four seasons after first surviving the play-in tournament, then stunning top-seeded Milwaukee in the first round.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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