Boston Celtics: For Game 7 in the ECF, the C’s road woes don’t matter

An unstoppable force meets an immovable object: The Boston Celtics haven’t lost at home. No one wants to play against LeBron James in a Game 7

On Friday night the Boston Celtics once again traveled to a different team’s stadium to play in front of a homogeneous opposing crowd wearing hastily printed shirts.

For the seventh time this postseason it did not end well. Much like a choose your own adventure novel, Boston’s road playoff losses have all looked different but all resulted in the same conclusion. Even playing against a Kevin Love-less Cleveland Cavalier team proved to be no different.

LeBron’s only reliable teammate all year went down early in the first half of the Celtics and Cavaliers Game 6 matchup after colliding with Jayson Tatum. Immediately, Cleveland fans feared for the worst when Love stayed on the ground and motioned to the sideline to be taken out.

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After a five-point first quarter lead for Boston, it would never be this close again.

Even with 20+ point outings from Celtic guards Rozier and Brown, Boston only closed the gap to seven late in the fourth quarter. LeBron’s response? Back-to-back 3-pointers to put the game on ice.

It was one of those games for LeBron as he finished with a monster stat line of 46 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists. On the other side, the Celtics best individual offensive talent, Tatum, struggled with 15 points on 13 shots.

In this back and forth series only one thing has remained consistent. For the fifth time in this series, the team that scored more points in the paint ended up winning the game (The lone exception being game five at Boston).

While this may seem arbitrary it underlies a larger point. The home team is getting easier shots than the away team. Boston needs the trend to continue on Sunday.

Up Next: Game Seven

The Boston Celtics road woes aren’t just puzzling – they’re incomprehensible. How does a team so offensively polished at home look so disheveled on the road? How does a team that executes so perfectly at home force contested fadeaway jumpers on the road? I don’t know and I’m not sure Brad Stevens does either but he doesn’t have to.

At least not right now. Because right now Game 7 is at home. In front of a soon to be ruckus TD Garden Arena, the Celtics will try to emulate what they have done there all postseason. Win.

A team written off at least three different times this year is now one win away from the NBA Finals. Unfortunately standing in their way is the first or second best player in NBA history depending on how close to northern Ohio you were born.

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There are only three things I know for sure going into this pivotal Game 7. First, there will be no Kevin Love as he has been ruled out. Second, we will see at least 46 minutes of LeBron James on the court, and more likely 47 or the full 48 minutes. And third, the winner will go to the NBA Finals. Who will it be? We’ll find out Sunday.