Sixers vs Celtics: Playoff Experience Key to Boston Win in Game 7

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will square off Saturday evening in a pivotal Game 7 that will determine the last of the NBA's "final four", and in a winner-take-all one game playoff the Celtics' corps of grizzled veterans will propel Boston into an Eastern Conference finals showdown with the Miami Heat.

Granted the Celtics corps of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo (the pup of the bunch at only 26 years old) aren't getting any younger, and the clock is winding down on a Celtics group that has produced an NBA title and two Finals appearances.

However, that also means that many of the Celtics players has been around the block more than a few times, and these players are no strangers to the unique pressure posed by playing in a Game 7. According to a report from Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston, the Celtics "big four" of Allen, Pierce, Rondo, and Garnett have combined to play in a whopping 22 Game 7's over the course of their illustrious careers.

By weight of comparison, only three of the Sixers players have experience playing in a Game 7, and of that trio only one player will likely see any real playing time. That player is power forward Elton Brand, who has played in all of one.

Granted, the Celtics have lost their last two Game 7s, including a home defeat to the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern Conference semifinals. That said history would certainly seem to favor the boys in green, as the Celtics are 17-4 all-time at home in Game 7s while the 76ers are a woeful 1-7 all-time on the road in the same situation.

The 2011-2012 Boston Celtics season has featured more fits and stalls than a kid learning to drive a stick shift for the first time, as evidenced by the fact that Boston is attempting to become the first team since the ABA-NBA merger to make the conference finals after having a losing record at the All-Star break. Knowing that, Rondo was quick to downplay the experience "edge" after the Celtics fell to Philly in Game 6 according in the ESPN report.

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"We're not going to go over the history. This is a new series, it's a new group of guys that are going head-to-head, and it's been back-and-forth the entire series, so it's going to be a tough one at home."

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Also, the loss of reserve point guard Avery Bradley to a shoulder injury was a big blow to the Celtics, as the second-year pro had emerged as one of Boston's top perimeter defenders, an area in which Allen has struggled partially due to bone spurs in his ankle.

However, with the game at TD Bank Garden in front of a raucous home crowd, the Celtics should be able to ride their extensive experience in these pressure packed situations to a close win. Most pundits probably won't give Boston much of a shot to beat the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, but the Celtics veterans will gut out a win today that at least gives them the opportunity to settle the question on the court.