Stan Van Gundy had perfect warning for Heat at end of Game 6

“The Heat are having Max Strus face the floor here, but he’s got to be aware of Derrick White on the quick pass back,” Van Gundy said.

Van Gundy was specifically saying that the Heat had to be careful to not leave White open for a three-point attempt. White did initially look for a pass from Smart, but he made a heads-up play by crashing the boards as soon as Smart put the shot up. Strus had come out to guard Tatum and lost track of White, which is exactly what Van Gundy predicted might happen.

That was a great call from Van Gundy, who is known for being a great defensive coach. The Heat probably were more worried about contesting the shot, but they should have recognized that there was enough time for a shot attempt and a rebound.

Had someone boxed White out, Miami would have punched their ticket to the NBA Finals. Instead, White’s father got to be the proudest dad in America and the Celtics will host the Heat in Game 7 on Monday night.