Welcome To Game 7, Where The Entire Celtics Season And The Dream Of Winning Banner 18 Is On The Line
Well folks, this is it. The day has finally come. The entire season, the dream of securing Banner 18, it all comes down to today.
The best and worst two words in all of sports
Game 7.
I don't know about anyone else, but I want to puke my goddamn brains out. You'd think as Celtics fans we'd be used to this position, for example, today is the 19th Game 7 I've ever seen the Celtics play. Am I even remotely able to handle it? Heavens no. But that's partly what makes them so special aka the worst thing ever. Game 7s are weird. They're unpredictable. Absolutely anything can happen. It's honestly why you should try and avoid them at all costs because they are their own beast. Nothing about the series up until this point now matters. All it takes is one bad shooting game or one guy going nuts like Grant Williams did last year in this spot and your season has wildly different endings.
So what can we expect? For starters, the unexpected. There will be an unsung hero in today's game. Who it is and what side it comes from is the question. As I spent all of yesterday thinking about this game, one thing I know for sure is the Sixers are going to have a bounce back game shooting the basketball. They essentially had the Celtics Game 5 performance in their Game 6, where they couldn't seem to find a way to hit wide open looks. As we saw in Game 6, the Celts responded well to missing every open shot they took in Game 5. I expect the same to be true of the Sixers today.
That means offensive execution is going to be very, very important today. You cannot have 18 turnovers again. Not only is that just gross basketball, but it allows the Sixers to get out in transition and feel good about themselves. The Celts can't overreact to maybe a big Harden 3PM and then force things on the other end.
As stressful as the playoffs are in general, nothing comes close to the stress of Game 7. Every dribble, every pass, every decision could be the one that ends your season and kills your title hopes. There is no Game 8, there is no tomorrow, this is it. This is for all the marbles. You could tell me the Celts win by 30 or you could tell me we get another no show like Game 5 and I believe it all. That's Game 7. Everything is on the table and all you can do is hold your breath for 2.5 hours and hope the Basketball Gods bless you and you move on.
What I do know is that in the Tatum/Brown era, when they have an opportunity to close out a series, history says they're pretty damn good at it. I'll ride with the 8-1 record those two have together since Tatum's rookie year. When they get to 3 wins in a series, they find a way to close the deal. I need that today. We need that today. The entire organization needs it today. Everything is right there for the taking, so I need this team to not fuck around and go get it. Stop losing at home. Stop playing stupid basketball. Play the way we all know you are capable of playing. I think at this point we are all begging.
They say there's nothing like a Game 7 and they're right. It's torture. Winning one is perhaps the greatest feeling a fan can have outside winning the Finals, and losing one will legitimately ruin your life. There really is no in between. You get the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Just be prepared, because this is both the fastest and slowest game of your life. Nothing makes sense, it's just all stress until the final buzzer.
So this is it. You want to win the title? Take care of your shit and win Game 7. It's the only way.