Boston Celtics in Rare Air after Winning 2 Game 7's Before NBA Finals (Can Teams Win 3 Game 7's in Playoffs?)
By Reed Wallach
Looking at the exausted faces at the FTX Center on Sunday night, I wondered how much the Celtics are going to have left in the tank ahead of the NBA Finals against a the Golden State Warriors.
The Celtics have battled through back-to-back Game 7's to advance to the NBA Finals, defeating the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and the No. 1 seed Miami Heat. How rare is playing in 2 Game 7's ahead of the NBA Finals? Well, insanely.
10 teams since 1987 have won 2 Game 7's before the Finals
— Reed Wallach (@ReedWallach) June 1, 2022
- 2 won the title (88 Lakers, 08 Celts)
- 4 lost in the Finals (87 Celts, 94 Knicks, 01 Sixers, 18 Cavs)
- 4 didn't make Finals (03 Mavs, 06 Suns, 16 Raptors, 20 Nuggets)
This is an incredibly small sample size, which may be the real takeaway from diving into this information, it's so rare that teams can withstand this type of grind and come out on top.
After lookahead lines had the Warriors closer to -120, the Western Conference champions are way out to -155 at WynnBET Sportsbook as the Celtics went to another Game 7 while the Warriors wrapped up their series with the Mavericks in 5 games.
Could fatigue play a role in the Finals? Robert Williams (meniscus surgery) and Marcus Smart (ankle, quad) have missed each of the past 2 series with injuries, can they hold up in the next round? Head coach Ime Udoka says that both should be good to go, but the two have been gutting it out thus far. Williams only played 15 minutes in Game 7.
Ime Udoka said Robert Williams is "all right" and "felt good" after playing just 15 minutes in Game 7. Udoka believes Williams should "feel better in general" with a few days off before starting the Finals, but he will still be playing through issues during the series.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 31, 2022
The sample size is small, only 6 Finals teams have played through this type of situation, but there is rightful concern that the Celtics diminishing returns lead to an unfortunate Finals result. Boston not only has injuries, but the ware and tear of two physical opponents may have them playing a step slow against a formidable Warriors roster.
Keep an eye out on how the Celtics respond to some extra rest ahead of Game 1 after getting off from Monday to Thursday.
For more NBA Finals coverage, check out our series preview
You can find all of Reed's bets HERE!