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The season will be on the line for the Miami Heat Monday as they will hit the road to face the Boston Celtics for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. After leading the series 3-0, the Heat have dropped three straight and are trying to avoid becoming the first team in NBA history to fall victim to a reverse sweep. The winner will advance to the 2023 NBA Finals to face the Denver Nuggets. Miami enters the matchup as a 7-point underdog at DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Heat have experienced their fair share of Game 7s, playing 11 in franchise history and posting a 6-5 record in those games. Their most recent one came in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to this very Celtics squad in a 100-96 loss. Miami’s most recent win in a Game 7 came during the first round of of the 2016 playoffs, where it clobbered the Charlotte Hornets 106-73 to advance. The most notable Game 7 in franchise history came during the 2013 NBA Finals, where the “Big 3” of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh took down the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 to win a second straight NBA title.
As for the Celtics, the Heat have a 1-1 record all time against them in Game 7s. Prior to last year’s ECF, their only Game 7 encounter came during the 2012 ECF, where the Heat closed out the Celtics in a 101-88 victory. Following his now legendary Game 6 performance, James dropped 31 points and 12 rebounds to end the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce/Ray Allen “Big 3” era in Boston.