The football season may be over for many but that hasn’t stopped them seeking a competitive edge elsewhere with a few heading Stateside to catch the NBA play-offs.
There were plenty of well-known faces in Miami on Wednesday night as the Miami Heat faced the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference final.
Wantaway Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba was sitting courtside at the FTX Arena as the Heat lost 93-80 at home.
The France international, who is currently sidelined with a calf injury, was also joined in south Florida by international team-mates Aurelien Tchouameni and Jules Kounde.
Monaco’s midfield star Tchouameni and Sevilla centre back Kounde, whose futures are in doubt this summer, were a picture of happiness as they posed for a snap together courtside.
There was also English representation courtside as Tottenham trio Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga and Brandon Austin enjoyed the action too.
Dier also managed to catch up with Romeo Beckham too – who wore a replica of the Heat’s Jimmy Butler’s No 22 shirt.
And while Beckham was supporting the Heat, he wouldn’t have had a lot to cheer for as they fell to defeat by the Celtics.
Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Jayson Tatum added 22 and the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of a berth in the NBA Finals, running away after halftime to beat the Miami Heat 93-80 on Wednesday night and take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference title series.
Al Horford had 16 points and Derrick White added 14 for the Celtics. Tatum finished with 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Bam Adebayo scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Heat, who shot 32% in the game – after shooting 33 per cent in Boston’s 20-point win in Game 4. Gabe Vincent added 15, Jimmy Butler had 13 and Duncan Robinson scored 11 for Miami.
Game 6 is in Boston on Friday night, where a pair of newly named trophies bearing the names of Celtics legends will be waiting. The Bob Cousy trophy goes to the East champs, the Larry Bird trophy to the East finals MVP, and the Celtics are one win away from being the first team to hoist them.
