For the second time in these playoffs, the Celtics will have a Game 7. The Celtics visit the Miami Heat for the ultimate win or go home game in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics were up 3-2 in the series after a win in Miami in Game 5 and then came out flat in Game 6 at home and lost to the Heat who got 47 points from Jimmy Butler.
The Celtics have been in this spot before. In 2012, the Celtics were up 3-2 over LeBron James and the Miami Heat and lost Game 6 in Boston behind 45 points from LeBron James and then they went on to lose Game 7 in Miami. That Celtics team was older and the Big 3 were pretty much on their last leg and Rajon Rondo was injured so the comparisons aren’t exactly accurate.
This core group of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Al Horford were up 3-2 in 2018. That time it was to an experienced Cavaliers team, also led by LeBron James, that beat the Celtics in Cleveland in Game 6 and then closed the series out in Boston in Game 7. The Celtics were young and the experience factor of the Cavs won out.
The Celtics have lost in their last 4 Eastern Conference Finals appearances. In two of those, the Celtics were up 3-2 going into Game 6. The Celtics as a franchise are 40-4 when leading 3-2 in a series, with the 4 losses being the last 4 teams to make it there. Teams leading 3-2 going into Game 6 win the series 83.3% of the time. After losing Game 6, the Celtics odds to win the series dropped to just 51%.
The Celtics haven’t lost back to back games in these playoffs. In 63 games in 2022, the Celtics lost back to back just 3 times. One of those times was their March 30 game against the Miami Heat in Boston after losing to the Raptors two days earlier in Toronto. Robert Williams missed that game while the Heat were pretty much at full strength.
The Celtics can definitely win on the road. They are 6-2 on the road already so far in the playoffs. They won Games 2 and 5 in Miami in this series. They have also won a Game…
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