52°
By Tony Massarotti, Boston.com Columnist
Finally and officially, the Miami Heat are eagerly standing by now. One game stands in the way. And for these Celtics, a final, potential run at glory dangles on a string.So these are the stakes for the Celtics on Saturday night when they take to the TD Garden floor for Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the pesky Philadelphia 76ers: one last stand; one final, spirited run; one more chance to dethrone LeBron James, the self-proclaimed king who has faced the Celtics in the playoffs on three occasions in the last four years, the most recent a seeming dismantling of the Big Three during last year's second round.
Many of us thought that was the end for these Celtics. Many of us believed the window officially closed. Many of us wondered if some of the Celtics would return from an extended work stoppage at all, let alone reclaim even a hint of the form that made them championship threats from the fall of 2007 to the spring of 2010.Will they? Have they? Can they?
Six weeks ago, of course, we thought we had our answers. Nine days after taking apart the Heat in a 91-72 victory on April 1 at the Garden, the Celtics went to Miami and shot better than 60 percent from the floor in a 115-107 victory, the indisputable signature win of this Celtics season. After the game in Boston, Miami spoke of the dimension that Celtics guard Avery Bradley added to the Boston lineup. After the game in Miami, James called the Celtics the best jump-shooting team in the league. The Celtics were back in the Heat's heads, particularly that of James, once again a legitimate obstacle in LeBron's never-ending quest for a title.