Boston Celtics' Legacy on the Line in Game 7

Well, after Wednesday night's Game 6 loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia, the Boston Celtics are now 2-11 in road closeout games since the Big Three formed in 2007, so the fact that the Celtics did not finish the series off should come as a surprise to no one.

It certainly didn't shock me.

Here is something that may smack you sideways a little bit: the legacy of this Celtics team as we know it is on the line in Saturday's Game 7.

This is it for the Big Three. If Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen don't win this game, the Big Three will likely cease to exist. Garnett and Allen's contracts are up this summer, and the chances of both of them returning to Boston for the 2012-13 campaign are very slim.

This legacy-determining game is against the 76ers of all teams, but it doesn't matter. It's a Game 7. The Celtics' season is on the line. The Big Three era is on the line. It is what it is, and the fact that Boston probably should have ended this series in five is irrelevant.

The good news for the C's? They are 8-1 in home closeout games since Garnett and Allen joined Pierce, the only loss coming to the Orlando Magic in the 2009 conference semifinals, a series in which Garnett did not even play in, as he missed that entire postseason with a knee injury.

So, if you want to get technical, the Big Three is actually undefeated in these games as a unit.

Let me say that I think the Celtics are an absolute lock to win Game 7. No doubt in my mind. They know what is at stake. They know that this is their biggest game since Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals.

Man, that felt weird to type.

A playoff game against Philadelphia is Boston's biggest game in two years. But, again, it may sound strange, but it is what it is.

Anyway, regardless of the fact that I (and I'm sure most of you, as well) think the C's are going to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, there is still a feeling of uneasiness here. The feeling of knowing that if Boston somehow blows this, this era is over. Done. Finished. And you can't help but wonder what more this group could have accomplished had it not been for injuries over the past several postseasons.

Yes, I understand that injuries are a part of the game, but you could seriously make the argument that the Celtics would have won at least two more championships with this group had injuries not befallen the team the past few years. Still, five, 10, 20 years down the line, no one is going to care about that. In fact, more than likely, no one is even going to remember that. Everyone will just say, "Oh, Pierce, Garnett, and Allen? Yeah. They were pretty good together. They won that one championship."

That's what makes this Game 7 all the more important. The Big Three only have that lone title in 2008 to show for all of its hard work. Okay, so the C's made the Finals in 2010, but did they win? No, and that's really all that matters.

Now, if we as fans understand the magnitude of this game, I'm sure Doc Rivers and his players do, as well. Once again, this is Boston's biggest game in two years, and given the circumstances and implications surrounding it, one can even make a legitimate argument that this game is even bigger than that Game 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers two Junes ago, and it's hard to imagine Rivers not relentlessly ingraining that into his guys' minds leading up to Saturday.

I can only imagine what that Celtics locker room is going to be like before the C's take the floor for this Game 7. I would not be the least surprised if Rivers sheds some tears during a guaranteed emotionally charged pregame speech about everything I just typed in this article. I am also sure that Pierce, Garnett, and Allen will rally the troops and tell them just exactly what this game means.

I don't know about you, but I just cannot see Boston losing on Saturday. As a matter of fact, I can't see them winning by less than 15. I think all of the emotion that is going to be poured out over the course of these next few days is going to fire the Celtics up like none of us could even believe. They will win this Game 7.

After all, it's just like what Pierce said after Boston beat the Atlanta Hawks in the first round:

"This is it...this is it...this is it."