Celtics-Heat Game 7 by the numbers: Can Boston complete NBA's first 3-0 comeback?
BOSTON -- After flirting with disaster just a week ago, the Boston Celtics are now flirting with sports history. The Celtics are on the cusp of doing something no other NBA team has ever done in the playoffs.
If the Celtics can pull off a Game 7 win over the Miami Heat at TD Garden on Monday night, they'll become the first team to ever win an NBA playoff series after going down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series. The C's have won three straight elimination games over the Heat, including Saturday night's thrilling, buzzer-beating win on Derrick White's last-second put back in Miami.
If the Celtics complete the comeback Monday night, they'll earn a return to the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets.
Boston is just the fourth team to erase a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series and force a Game 7 in NBA history. The 1951 New York Knicks, the 1994 Denver Nuggets, and the 2003 Portland Trail Blazers all won three straight after falling into a 3-0 hole, but all three teams then lost in Game 7.
The Celtics hope to buck that trend, and the big difference between this year's Celtics and the three previous teams to force a Game 7 is that Monday night's deciding game will be a home game for Boston. The Celtics are just 5-5 at home this postseason, but did get a Game 7 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on their home floor in the Eastern Conference semis.
"Elimination" hasn't been in Boston's vocabulary this postseason, with the Celtics 5-0 in elimination games in the playoffs. They beat the 76ers twice -- Game 6 in Philadelphia and Game 7 in Boston -- and have ripped off three straight wins in elimination games against Miami.
Overall, the Celtics are 27-9 in Game 7s in franchise history. After they play in Monday's Game 7, the Celtics will have played in 25 percent of the NBA's Game 7s (37 of 148).
These current Celtics -- with the core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart -- have won four straight Game 7s going back to the 2020 NBA bubble, including a Game 7 win over the Heat in Miami in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. Miami is 6-5 all-time in Game 7s, and 0-2 on the road.
Tatum has played in six Game 7s during his career, and has been extremely solid in each of them. Tatum has averaged 28.8 points per game off 48.3 percent shooting from the floor and 50 percent shooting from downtown, along with nine rebounds and 5.3 assists. Tatum is 5-1 in his previous Game 7 appearances.
His best Game 7 performance came in the last round against Philadelphia, when Tatum dropped 51 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in a 112-88 victory over the 76ers. Last year in Miami, Tatum scored 26 points off 9-for-21 shooting and pulled down 10 rebounds as the C's beat the Heat, 100-96, to advance to the Finals.
Brown has seven Game 7 appearances over his career, carrying a 6-1 record in those games. He's averaged 16.1 points per game, though that is a bit low with Brown scoring two points and nine points, respectively, in his first two Game 7 appearances. In his three Game 7s over the last two postseasons, Brown has averaged 22.6 points off 50 percent shooting.
Brown had 25 points against Philadelphia in Game 7 of the East semis, and scored 24 points with six rebounds and six assists in Game 7 of last year's Eastern Conference Finals.
Monday night will be Al Horford's 10th Game 7, with the veteran bringing a 7-2 record into the tilt. Only Ray Allen (11), Paul Pierce (10), and Bill Russell (10), have played in 10 or more Game 7s in NBA history.
Only four teams in all sports have ever come back from down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series: The 2004 Boston Red Sox in the ALCS against the New York Yankees, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs against the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final, the 1975 New York Islanders in the second round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers in the second round against the Boston Bruins.
The Celtics are looking to join that illustrious group on Monday night. Buckle up, Boston fans.