Game 7, Celtics vs. Heat: Three things to watch for that will decide who wins

Game 7 with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. It doesn’t get any bigger than this.

Historically, Miami has proven it can be up for these moments. The Heat were in the bubble, when the Celtics thought they had the better team but the Heat eliminated them. And they were in Game 6 a couple of days ago, when the world expected a Celtics coronation on their home court, and Jimmy Butler and the Heat ripped that away from them.

Boston, as a franchise, has risen to these moments — 17 banners are hanging in the Garden for a reason. This is where Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can join that lore.

Here are three keys to look for in Game 7 Sunday night (8:30 p.m. on ESPN).

The single biggest question for Game 7 is which Jimmy Butler shows up? The banged-up one who had 27 points on 40 shots across three games (4/5/6) as his knee injury clearly hampered him. Or, the 47-point, unmatched playmaking and tough shot hitting, compare-me-to-vintage-2012 LeBron James Butler that owned Game 7.

Jimmy stuffed the stat sheet tonight. Legendary performance. pic.twitter.com/aQoEC6fLj7

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 28, 2022

For all the talk in Boston about the Celtics’ mistakes in Game 6, Butler won Miami that game. He took it. But after playing that many minutes with that much load on a balky knee two days before, can he do it one more time?

On the other bench, the Celtics need Jayson Tatum to step up — he has disappeared at points this series. For example, when he made one made bucket and had four turnovers in the fourth quarter of Game 6. Then, there was the 10-point night in Game 3. If Tatum wants to be in the LeBron/Curry/Durant tier of NBA stars, this is the game where reputations are made.

Game 7s are often won by unexpected role players