Marcus Smart available for Game 7 against Heat as Celtics look to advance to NBA Finals

MIAMI — The Celtics are nonetheless one win away from the NBA Finals as they’ll have their second and last shot to beat the Warmth within the Jap Convention Finals. Boston can have each Marcus Good and Robert Williams out there in Recreation 7 towards the Warmth, the group introduced pregame.

Good has been coping with a proper ankle sprain of late whereas left knee soreness continues to have an effect on Williams. Because the Celtics are set to play in an elimination sport at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, each starters might be out there. Good and Williams had been listed as questionable on the damage report forward of Recreation 7.

Good suffered the suitable ankle sprain in Recreation 3 towards the Warmth, which additionally compelled him to overlook Recreation 4 of the sequence. He’s been banged up all postseason due to three separate accidents. He sat a sport towards the Bucks due to a thigh contusion, together with Recreation 1 towards the Warmth as a result of a mid-foot sprain.

It’ll be attention-grabbing to see how a lot of an affect Good can have in Recreation 7. He’s struggled in Video games 5 and 6 when he has performed, although it’s unclear how a lot the damage has affected him. Good put up 14 factors, 4 rebounds and three assists in Recreation 6, however he was 4-for-15 from the sector because the Warmth dared him to shoot. He had a a lot quieter Recreation 5, the place he had 5 factors, 5 rebounds and 4 assists on 1-for-5 taking pictures.

If the Celtics wish to remove the Warmth on Sunday, they’ll want their emotional chief making as a lot of an affect as doable. He had a double-double in Recreation 2 in Miami, the place his 24-point, 12-assist efficiency was essential within the Celtics’ blowout victory. Boston wants extra of that Good as a substitute of the one who had a subpar Recreation 6.

The Celtics haven’t been to the NBA Finals since 2010, once they misplaced in seven video games to the Lakers. They’ve had loads of different alternatives earlier than in 2012, 2017, 2018 and 2020 when these Celtics all made it to the Jap Convention Finals. They held 3-2 sequence lead in each the 2012 and 2018, however weren’t in a position to notch that last victory to ship them to the Finals. They had been additionally up 3-2 towards the Warmth this season, however weren’t in a position to shut them out in Recreation 6 in Boston.

It’ll all come all the way down to Sunday at this level because the Celtics need to overcome some subpar vibes from previous groups. However they’ve a matured core led by Good, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and others as they search for the NBA Finals berth.