Jaylen Brown reacts to the Celtics’ Game 6 loss to the Heat. Jaylen says that it ‘hurt’ to lose this one at home, but the Celtics have been resilient all year and need to have a short-term memory entering Game 7.
The Boston Celtics haven't won a road Game 7 since 1974, but oddsmakers still like their chances of emerging victorious against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night.
The Celtics have outscored the Heat by 33 points through six games. They're also a healthier team and have won twice already in Miami this series -- Game 2 and Game 5.
Tatum, Brown must be more aggressive offensively for Celtics to win Game 7
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But the Heat are an experienced and prideful group. Their Game 6 performance facing elimination in Boston on Friday night was fantastic. Heat star Jimmy Butler scored 47 points, the second-most by a player facing elimination in NBA playoff history.
Here are the latest betting lines for Celtics-Heat Game 7, via PointsBet:
- Spread: Celtics -2.5 (-110), Heat +2.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Celtics -140, Heat +120
- Total points: Over 195.5 (-110), Under 195.5 (-110)
The Celtics have won two elimination games during this playoff run, including one on the road -- Game 6 against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. Celtics star Jayson Tatum scored 46 points to help Boston force a Game 7.
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The Celtics are 4-1 in Game 7s since Jaylen Brown was drafted in 2016. All of those Game 7s were at home, though, except the 2020 second-round matchup in the Florida bubble against the Toronto Raptors.
The Celtics are in their fourth conference finals since 2017. They've come close to reaching the Finals several times. This is the best team they've had during that span. They've never had a better chance of reaching the Finals. That's why this Game 7 is so important.