The Miami Heat are on the verge of becoming the second No. 8 seed to advance to the NBA Finals in league history (the 1999 New York Knicks were the first). Up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals, the Heat can complete a sweep of the No. 2-seeded Boston Celtics on Tuesday night in Miami. An NBA team has never come back from such a deficit.
The Denver Nuggets await the ECF winner when the NBA Finals begin on June 1. If Miami wins Tuesday, there will be more than a week off between the conference finals and NBA Finals, allowing plenty of time for rest and acclimatization to Denver’s altitude. The Nuggets would have home-court advantage against the Heat. But if the Celtics manage to win four straight games in this series, extending it to Monday, they would have the home-court edge in the Finals vs. the Nuggets.
“We still believe we’re the better team,” Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon said Monday, per The Associated Press. “We have not played like it in any of the three games. But, you know, there is always a first.”
How to watch Celtics at Heat
Who: No. 2-seeded Boston Celtics at No. 8-seeded Miami Heat
What: Eastern Conference finals, Game 4 (Heat lead, 3-0)
Where: Kaseya Center, Miami
When: 8:30 pm ET Tuesday
TV: TNT
Box score: Live stats from Yahoo Sports