Game 7: One Game to Rule Them All

Would we want it any other way?  Boston vs. Miami in Game 7 for the Eastern Conference crown, one game to decide it all.  The Celtics are trying to prove that they are just young enough to pull off a championship run while the Heat are realizing that it really is easier said then done.

Last year, the Heat got somewhat of a pass after losing in the Finals to Dallas.  They needed to have a year to gel together.  Well now they have had the better part of 2 years and those same questions from last June are still unanswered.  Taking LeBron's Game 6 heroics out of the argument, the Heat haven't looked any different then the Heat of last season.  Still too many mental mistakes and no depth on the bench.  Yeah sure, Chalmers or Haslim may play well for a game, maybe two at most.  No one else on the bench is scaring any one in the league.  The Heat go as DWade and LeBron go and lately, neither of them seem to have that killer instinct that all champions have.  That's why Dallas won the title.  The Heat looked like they had learned their lessons after taking a 2-0 lead in the series but it was something about Rondo's 44 points in Game 2 that gave the Celtics a ray of hope going into Game 3.  Boston would win the next 3 games and continued questions regarding LeBron not being a closer and DWade not showing up at all resurfaced.  Try as they might, no one can blame Chris Bosh at all.  It's Game 7, so Bosh needs to play 30+ minutes and the Big 3 in Miami need to stop looking for excuses and execute down the stretch.  In some ways, the Heat look like a younger version of the Celtics, without the rings of course.  Yeah I know DWade has one but Shaq isn't walking through the door.  DWade needs to be himself by moving without the ball.  This will make it hard for the Celtics to throw double and triple teams at LeBron.  Create havoc for Boston and allow LeBron to do his thing.  Most importantly, DWade should focus on Rondo on the defensive end.  From a simple perspective, LeBron played a great Game 6 and that's it.  No one else in a Heat uniform showed up.  I was impressed but at the same time, we all have seen LeBron go off like that before.  He still hasn't been that go to guy late in the 4th like he needs to be.  Its do or die for LeBron.  Regardless of what DWade does, LeBron has to play just as menacing in Game 7 that he did in Game 6.  I'm not saying he has to score 45 points, but he needs to have a solid triple double, something like 30, 15 and 10.  LeBron has done half the job and now he needs to complete the task.  He gave the Heat a chance to return to the NBA Finals, but its Game 7.  Anything can happen in Game 7.

Boston is the NBA version of the "little engine" that thinks they can.  No one outside of Boston thought the Celtics would even get to the ECF.  As far as I'm concerned, they wouldn't be if Derrick Rose doesn't get injured.  Yeah, I said it!  The Celtics are old but you never underestimate the heart of a champion, as Rudy T once said.  Boston has proven that they can win in Miami.  The Celtics core players have played in 7 game 7s. This isn't their first rodeo.  KG, Pierce, Ray Allen and Rondo need to reach back to 2008 one more time if they want to move on to the Finals.  Ray has slowly started to find his shooting touch and the Celtics will need it.  The Celtics will need their full arsenal in order to beat the Heat.  I expect the Celtics to come out with the fire and intensity that they should have came out with in Game 6.  Don't be surprised if Rondo has another 40+ point game.  Paul Pierce will not have as bad a game as he did in Game 6.  This is for everything.  The entire season and probably direction of both teams hang on this game.  Anything can happen in a Game 7.

Whether you are a fan of the Heat or Celtics doesn't matter.  As basketball fans, we all have seen a great series.  The only thing left is to watch and enjoy a great Game 7.  Once Game 7 is over, the only question that will remain is if either of these teams can beat the OKC Thunder.  I don't think either of them can but that's why they play the game.

D!