Closing out or closing in on history? Heat-Celtics Game 6 Open Thread

Miami Heat (3-2) vs. Boston Celtics (2-3) - 8:30pm ET - TNT

Maybe you completely checked out of the NBA playoffs after the Sixers vomited all over themselves in the fourth quarter of Game 6 and the second half of Game 7. I wouldn’t blame you, that’s probably a good mental health decision. Or maybe you closed the book on these Eastern Conference Finals when the Heat were up nine in the third quarter of Game 4, looking to finish off a shocking sweep.

Since then, however, things have gotten, dare I say, compelling. Shot variance has swung in the completely opposite direction for Boston, who have outscored Miami by 39 points in the five-plus quarters since that Game 4 third quarter lead. Whereas it once looked like the Celtics were ready to give Joe Mazzulla all the time he wanted to watch The Town over the summer, they’re now on the path towards becoming the first team in NBA history to come back from an 0-3 series deficit.

Of the 150 teams to fall behind 0-3, the Celtics are now only the 15th team to make it to Game 6. Only three teams have ever made it to Game 7, which Boston is hoping to do with a win tonight in Miami as three-point favorites, per DraftKings. For Miami, Gabe Vincent is expected back after missing Game 5 with an ankle injury. One of Miami’s undrafted legion of assassins, Vincent averaged 17.5 points across the first four games of this series.

I guess the question is: how do you want to see things play out? It was funny to watch the Celtics collapse into an Alex Mack-like puddle of goo across the first three-and-a-half games, but it also might have made you feel worse about the Sixers’ loss. Really? They lost to this team? Miami becoming the first team to give up a 3-0 lead would be a staggering blow to #HeatCulture, which could be a fun schadenfreude nugget to chew on. But do we want Boston to be the city to have the first NBA team to make the 0-3 comeback, after already having the first MLB team to do it? All of the “Boston: the never-say-die city” takes would be unbearable for years to come.

I say, come on, Jimmy Butler. Rally your band of merry men and close this one out in South Beach.

Follow along with your Liberty Ballers friends here for all of tonight’s Game 6 action.