How Celtics can make sports history by rallying from 3-0 deficit to beat Heat

[ad_1]

How Celtics can make pro sports history by taking down Heat in Game 7 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown declared the Boston Celtics a team of “destiny” after their Game 5 win over the Miami Heat in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals.

If they secure one more win, they’ll at least be a team of history.

The Celtics host the Heat in Game 7 at TD Garden on Monday night despite losing the first three games of the series. They’re just the fourth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after trailing a playoff series 3-0, and if they win Monday night, they’d succeed where 150 previous teams have failed to become the first NBA team ever to win a series after trailing 3-0.

The Celtics also would follow in the footsteps of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who are one of just five teams North American professional sports history to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series.

Outside the ’04 Red Sox, only four other teams have mounted comebacks from down 3-0, and all were NHL squads. Here’s the full list, sorted by date:

It’s been nine years since any team rallied from down 3-0, and nearly two decades since a team did it this late in their respective playoffs. So, it’s fitting that the Celtics are using the 2004 Red Sox as motivation: Head coach Joe Mazzulla said before Game 7 that the coaching staff had the team watch a documentary about the 2004 Red Sox’ comeback — ESPN’s “Four Days in October” after their blowout Game 3 loss.

Mazzulla’s Celtics are in a unique situation in that they entered the series as heavy favorites; of the previous three NBA teams to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-0, all three had to play Game 7 on the road, while Boston will host the No. 8 seed Heat in front of a raucous TD Garden crowd.

A trip to the NBA Finals to face the Denver Nuggets is at stake — as is the opportunity for the Celtics to combine destiny and history.

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-sports-history-rallying-3-235000399.html?src=rss

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2023-05-29 23:50:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.