Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat Prediction: Can the home team take the decisive step towards the final?

Boston could become the first team in history to bounce back from a 0:3 loss in a play-off series. In Game 7 against Miami, the home court advantage and mental strength are on the Celtics' side. Can the home team take the decisive step towards the final?

Jayson Tatum has already updated his record for points in 7 games, pulling out a series against Philadelphia. Boston is back in contention after going 0:3, with 2 of their last three matches won on the road. The opponent will have an even harder time recovering, as the Celtic defenseman snatched the win just seconds before the siren.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum made less than 25% of their three-pointers, and Derrick White and Grant Williams were the leading scorers in the series. Tatum has been making up for his misses from beyond the arc, picking up a lot of fouls, and he has an overall higher shooting percentage from the game than Brown. Al Horford isn't hitting either (25 percent shooting), even though he was a top-50 shooting guard in the NBA during the regular season.

In their last game against Miami (104:103), Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown combined for 78 points. The Celtics lost the ball far more often and shot 15 fewer times than their opponent. Boston played good defense, not allowing either Butler or Adebayo to turn around, and White not only hit the game-winning shot but also recorded three blocked shots, the team's best mark.

Jimmy Butler was smiling on the bench after two losses to Boston, and now the Heat's leader certainly isn't smiling. After a spectacular start to the Eastern Conference Finals, Butler's shooting from the field has slipped to 41.7%. Without Tyler Hirro, Caleb Martin (18.2) scored the 2nd most points in the series with the Celtics, and Gabe Vincent was not far behind with 17 points per game. Martin is hitting over 40 percent of his three-pointers this playoff, and Duncan Robinson, who has spent most of the season in reserve, has also surpassed the milestone.

The team shot 46.7 percent from three-point range in the last game against Boston, but 30.2 percent from two-point range severely damaged their performance. Butler and Adebayo combined for just 9 of 37 shots, and Vincent missed more than once (6 of 18 from the field).

So Miami has lost its last three playoff games, one of them in the final seconds, but that's not the Heat's biggest problem at the moment either. The Floridians have no one to replace Bam Adebayo, and the primary center has to play 45 minutes each, while Boston has a nice rotation. Butler's stats have slipped noticeably, and the Celtics are far from the first to cover Jimbo. The home team has the potential to step up their offensive play, and there are plenty of good shooters. Horford, meanwhile, could have improved his shooting from beyond the arc at the defining moment, while Brown and Tatum have not reached their potential in that regard either. All in all, we believe the Celts will make history.