Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from Game 6 vs. Cavaliers

1. History calls

On Sunday night, the Boston Celtics will play their 25th home playoff Game 7, easily the most in NBA history. They are 21-3 in such games, with their last loss coming nine years ago in the conference semifinals to an Orlando Magic team that would wind up making it to the NBA Finals.

A year prior, LeBron James played his first and, until now, only Game 7 in Boston. The Cavaliers lost but James put on a show, going for 45 points, six assists and five rebounds while playing all but a minute of the game. Not much has changed in the last decade.

Overall, James is 5-2 in Game 7s, with his most recent effort featuring another 45-point outing against the Indiana Pacers almost a month ago. Kevin Love was around for that game, chipping in 14 points and helping stretch the defense by going 4-for-8 from deep.

The biggest question heading into Sunday might not be whether Kevin Love will play, but whether the Cavs even want him to. Cleveland took on a new life defensively without Love in Game 6, playing with a ferocity on that end that we haven’t seen much of. Boston shot 51.4 percent on the night, and while that’s a high number, there were several instances of the Cavs making the type of extra effort plays that often elude them.

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We’ll learn what happens soon enough. History calls. On Monday night, we’ll find out who answers.