Miami: What a game from Nigerian Gabe Nnamdi Vincent

Miami are one win away from returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2020 and the defeat to LeBron James's Lakers. The Heat, who won the first two games in Boston, cruised to victory at home in Florida (128-102). As they have done throughout the playoffs, stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo played their part in this 3rd win of the Eastern Conference finals. But the X-factor and the best player on the floor last night was Gabe Nnamdi Vincent.

From start to finish, the Nigerian did it all against the Celtics, who were surely very surprised to see him playing at this level. Driving to the basket, catch-and-shoot from the corner off Jimmy Butler's kick-outs, coast-to-coast, and shooting without hesitation from behind the arc, the D-Tiger did it all to them. "It's his confidence, his aggressiveness and his ability to read the game. He had as much impact, and he made as much of a mark on the game, in Game 2 as he did tonight. In the first, he had 9 points, and in the second 29," said his coach Erik Spoelstra.

Gabe Nnamdi Vincent was clinical. He didn't miss a single mid-range shot (5/5) and made 6 of 9 attempts from three-point range. The 26-year-old finished with 29 points, the game high and his best total in the playoffs. "For me, it always depends on the rhythm of the game. If somebody has the hot hand at that moment, we'll make sure the pick-and-roll ends up finding him. What my teammates keep telling me is to be aggressive when I come out of the pick-and-roll and make my read from there. With the confidence they give me, when I see a few shots go in, it pushes me to keep going," said the hero of the night.

In the regular season, Gabe Nnamdi Vincent averaged 9 points over 68 games.

Nnamdi had the game of his life on the big stage. New career high to lead us to 3-0. pic.twitter.com/ig8AMBak0a

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 22, 2023