The Boston Celtics took the floor of TD Garden to play the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Playoffs on the precipice of history after having tied up the series after losing the first three contests of the third round. When the final buzzer sounded, however, the impact of Jayson Tatum (14 points, 11 rebounds) spraining his ankle on the very first play of the game and Boston never fully recovering saw the Celtics’ run of luck come to an end, Miami winning 103-84 to advance to face the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Apart from a hobbled Tatum, only Jaylen Brown (19 points, 8 boards, 5 assists) and Derrick White (18 points) scored in double figures. No other players stepped up to help fill the gaps created by an unsatisfactory effort on both ends by the supporting cast with questionable decisions in terms of defensive coverages.
