Heat vs Celtics Game 7 Keys

I have yet to cover the NBA a lot this year and wanted to get a quick post out before game seven between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat.

The Heat had the Celtics beat. They were up 3-0 with all the momentum in the world. That was until the Heat lost the next three games, looking bad in each. The Celtics found life and have now made it to a do-or-die game seven. Luckily for the Celtics, it's at home, even though they have struggled there in the postseason. The Heat must find a way to win on the road to make the finals.

Here are the keys to the game for each team

Heat

Jimmy Butler has been nonexistent for the past three games, and Gabe Vincent and Duncan Robinson have carried the team. For the Heat to have any chance in Game 7, they need "playoff Butler" to return and carry the team to a victory. They also need to be effective on defense. Their defense has been good for most of the series, but recently the Celtics figured out how to overcome it. It also has yet to help the Heat that they have been turning the ball over so much that they look like Nathan Peterman throwing interceptions. They need to limit the turnovers to send the Celtics home.

Summary

• Jimmy Butler

• Effective defense

• Taking care of the ball

Celtics

The Celtics' fortunes changed when they started hitting their outside shots, allowing them to overcome a 0-3 deficit in the series. The Celtics won Game 6 despite shooting 20% from three, their lowest three-point percentage all season. If they want to win Game 7, they must shoot more efficiently from three. The Celtics must also play smothering defense on the Heat's stars. For this one, I asked my friend, who is a die-hard Celtics fan, and he said

"They need to guard Jimmy [Butler] and let everyone else have their shots. I will live and die with that scenario. Who cares about Gabe Vincent, [Kyle] Lowry, and Bam [Adebayo]. Butler is all I'm worried about."

The final thing is that the Celtics can't whine whenever they disagree with a foul call. As Michael Jordan said in The Last Dance, "Don't let them see you whine. That's how they know they've got you." Whenever the Celtics whine, it takes them out of their groove and takes their focus away from the game. They must stop, or the Heat will take full advantage of that.

Summary

• Three-point shooting

• Defense

• No whining

My prediction

When the Heat went up 3-0 I continued to ask myself, can the Celtics outwork the Heat for four straight games? Now that we're in Game 7, we'll find out. Anyone predicting a blowout is stupid because it's Game 7, and there's no way these teams will get blown out. I've gone back and forth on this game, looking at all these statistics and all the matchups, and as much as I want to pick the Heat, I just think that the Celtics have all the momentum and will win Game 7, 98-94.