For just the fourth time ever in the NBA, a team will be playing for a reverse sweep, though this year's Boston Celtics will be the first team to do so while playing on their home court in front of a loud and proud TD Garden.
We have all witnessed one of the best playoff games in the league's history in Game 6, and we are in for a historic day no matter who wins this game.
Should the Celtics win, they would be the first team to successfully come back from a 3-0 series deficit in the NBA. However, 150 teams tried to do the same before them, and all have failed.
That doesn't mean it's impossible, as they have the best chance to do it.
The other three teams that came close to a reverse sweep were the 1951 New York Knicks, who lost to the Rochester Royals in that year's NBA Finals; the 1994 Denver Nuggets, who lost to the Utah Jazz in the second round; and the 2003 Portland Trail Blazers, who lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.
If Miami wins, they would be just the second 8th seed in NBA history to make the Finals, after the 1999 Knicks. They had that chance last game, as they were one game-saving stop away from making it happen in their home venue.
But Derrick White had other plans, as he became the second player to hit a game-winning shot while his team was facing elimination and his team was trailing in the elimination game, after Michael Jordan's "The Shot" in 1989.
Either way, Jimmy Butler and Erik Spoelstra are still confident that they can get the job done.
Even though the Celtics have won five of their last six playoff games at Miami, they are 5-5 at home this postseason.
However, they are a perfect 5-0 in elimination games this postseason and 8-0 inside the Eastern Conference dating back to last year, so they of course are playing at their best with their backs against the wall.
It's usually common for young teams to crumble under pressure, but Boston is 6-1 with Jayson Tatum and/or Jaylen Brown on the team, including their Game 7 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, where Tatum set the NBA record for most points in a seventh game, with 51, just 15 days after Steph Curry had the first ever 50-point Game 7.
They know the stakes when it comes to high-pressure situations like these.
When you go back to last year's Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics took Game 7 on the road against Miami, 100-96.
That memory could be on the back of the Heat's minds, and what might be haunting them is Butler's potential game winner that fell short.
"Next year, we will have enough, and we're going to be right back in the same situation. And we're going to get it done," said Butler after last year's defeat.
The Heat are now in that same situation.
After they went up 3-0 in the series, Boston clawed their way back to force this game, coming home with all the momentum on their side.
What the Heat are looking for is him to be a man of his word in what is Al Horford's 10th career Game 7, joining a cast of Celtics legends in Bill Russell, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen as the only players to play at least 10 Game 7s.
This is also Boston's 37th Game 7 in franchise history, easily the most among any NBA franchise. They are 27-9 in such games heading into tonight and have won four straight. They are 22-5 all-time in home Game 7s.
The Heat will be playing in their 12th Game 7 in franchise history. They have lost their last two, the first coming in their second round match against the Toronto Raptors in 2016 and the other being last year's Eastern Conference Final. They have lost both their road Game 7s, at Atlanta in 2009 and at Toronto.
Keys to the Game
Boston Celtics
THE THREE-POINT GAME
Though Butler and Bam Adebayo were very disappointing in Game 6, the Heat were in the game for its entirety, almost coming back from down 10 points at the start of the 4th quarter to win. Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson were big reasons why they came back, but the big difference was the three-point tries.
While Miami thrived on three-pointers throughout the game, Boston was subpar from beyond the arc despite the win. Going 7 of 35 from three won't happen again in Game 7, but the Celtics got the crucial victory.
Throughout this postseason, the Celtics have made over 14 threes per game, so it's expected that they would make the shots from range. Tatum and Brown had 31 and 26 points, and not a single one was on a three-pointer—they missed all 12 of their threes combined. Don't expect that to happen again.
SUCCESS IN WINNER-TAKE-ALL MATCHES
Among those 27 victories in Game 7, with 22 at home, two of those wins came in last year's second round and conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks and Heat, along with that huge win over the 76ers in this year's second round.
Boston excels in do-or-die contests, which can be intimidating for the Heat. However, just like the Heat, the Celtics shouldn't be overconfident after three straight wins and still continuing to show grit and willpower.
TALENT ON THE ROSTER
In games like these, they show the little things that show how hungry teams are. That's exactly what the Celtics have. Their skill and talent are there, and they have persevered on their way to coming from 3-0 down to tying this series.
The Celtics have shown no signs of slowing down, and even though the Heat will show their energy and willpower, the Celtics will have to continue showing what they have shown in the last three games in making history.
Miami Heat
TURNAROUND FROM JIMMY & BAM
After absolutely dominant performances in the first two rounds, Butler has hit a wall. Namely, in Game 6, he had one of the worst shooting performances of his career, making just five of 21 shots. Bam Adebayo was similarly bad, getting clamped down by the Celtics' defense, making four of 16 shots.
Don't expect that to happen again. They are too good to play this badly. Plus, Butler knows when to step up in the biggest moments. He had 35 points in last year's Game 7 despite the losing effort. Even though he's fighting through an ankle injury he suffered in Game 2 of the second round, it hasn't slowed him down.
He had 12 of the Heat's final 14 points in Game 6. It's hard to assume he will play badly in Game 7 just because he played badly in Games 6 and 5. His last four playoff runs showed he's capable of delivering his best games under the brightest lights.
THE ROLE PLAYERS
When looking at the star power, Butler and Tatum equally match up with each other well. Adebayo and Brown are also All-NBA caliber players, even if they're not at the level of their teammates. Though at this point in the playoffs, everyone has good players.
In the case of the Heat, they have succeeded because of their supporting cast, relying on their undrafted players like Max Strus, Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent and Duncan Robinson.
There's nothing that's really that special about any individual member of the Heat's undrafted players. However, the impact they have has been remarkable. Vincent, Strus, and Martin are the rare types of players that can defend well while striking offensively.
Offensively, they run a fierce attack, mixing in drives and kickouts with bruising Butler isolations. Defensively, they are all-around versatility, which allows them to switch between man-to-man and zone defenses between possessions.
COACHING
It's no secret that Erik Spoelstra is the best coach in the NBA. Joe Mazzulla is getting his first crack as a head coach, though one can argue that the Celtics' success was in spite of Mazzulla.
On that buzzer-beater, Derrick White's tip-in was in spite of Mazzulla drawing up what seemed to be the first option being Tatum catching the ball 40 feet from the basket. The second option was a desperate heave from Marcus Smart.
In a winner-take-all game with a Finals appearance on the line, the Celtics won't have the time or space to impose talent advantage. Spoelstra and his wizardry are paramount in delivering the perfect game plan for the Heat to avoid disaster and head to the Finals.
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