/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72278922/1490155044.5.jpg)
The season will be on the line for the Boston Celtics on Monday as they will host the Miami Heat for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. After falling behind 0-3, the Celtics have won three straight to claw back into this series and have the chance to become the first team in NBA history to pull off a reverse sweep. The winner will advance to the 2023 NBA Finals to face the Denver Nuggets. Boston enters the matchup as a 7.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.
As the most decorated franchise in the NBA next to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Celtics have played the most Game 7s in league history at 36. And good fortune has been on their side in those games as they have won 27 of them. Their most recent Game 7 came just a few weeks ago in the second round, where they clobbered the Philadelphia 76ers in a 112-88 victory to advance. That victory came right after they were taken to the brink by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round, obliterating the reigning champs 109-81 in Game 7 to advance. Their most recent Game 7 loss came during the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, where they fell to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a low-scoring 87-79 loss.
As for the Heat, the Celtics have a 1-1 record all time against them in Game 7s. Last year’s Eastern Conference Finals between Boston and Miami also went to a Game 7 and the Celtics edged the Heat 100-96 to advance to the NBA Finals. Prior to that, their only Game 7 encounter came during the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, where the Heat closed out the Celtics in a 101-88 victory. Following his now legendary Game 6 performance, LeBron James dropped 31 points and 12 rebounds to end the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce/Ray Allen “Big 3” era in Boston.