The Miami Heat's Eastern Conference Finals series win over the Boston Celtics was sweet revenge for Max Strus.
Strus signed a two-way contract with the Celtics after going undrafted in 2019. However, the 27-year-old forward was cut shortly before the 2019-20 NBA season.
After a short stint with the Chicago Bulls, Strus landed a two-way deal with the Heat in 2020. He signed a two-year contract to stay in Miami before the 2021-22 season and has been a solid rotation player for the team since.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Now, Strus will get the chance to compete for an NBA championship after taking down the team that cut him. He took to Instagram on Wednesday with a celebratory post that includes a screenshot of the "Celtics waive forward Max Strus" headline from 2019.
It's clear he had some extra motivation heading into this series. Especially after coming up short against the C's in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals.
Strus averaged 9.4 points in the 2023 ECF while shooting 41.8 percent from the field. Most of his damage was done in Miami's Game 1 win, during which he scored 15 points and shot 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
Boston Celtics
While the Celtics sort out their offseason plans, Strus and the Heat will move on to face the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. Game 1 is set for Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET.