BOSTON — Paul Pierce was back at TD Garden for Game 7 on Sunday night, hoping for a better result than when the Cavs blew out the Celtics, 121-99, on Feb. 1 before his No. 34 was retired to the rafters.


 


"It’s uncomfortable," said Pierce, who worked the game for ESPN, "because I want to lace ’em up. I don’t want to be on the sidelines, especially with LeBron [James] out there. No, it’s great. It’s a great atmosphere for basketball. [...]

By Bill Doyle The Worcester Telegram & Gazette

BOSTON — Paul Pierce was back at TD Garden for Game 7 on Sunday night, hoping for a better result than when the Cavs blew out the Celtics, 121-99, on Feb. 1 before his No. 34 was retired to the rafters.

 

“It’s uncomfortable,” said Pierce, who worked the game for ESPN, “because I want to lace ’em up. I don’t want to be on the sidelines, especially with LeBron [James] out there. No, it’s great. It’s a great atmosphere for basketball. I always love coming back to the Garden.”

 

After watching the Cavs embarrass the Celtics on his big day, Pierce never expected the Celtics to advance so far in the playoffs.

 

“Not at all,” Pierce acknowledged. “Who would have thought that?”

 

Not many.

 

“This is a special day,” Pierce said. “These kids have a chance to do something very special. Not a lot of people thought they would be here in this position, one game away from the finals. What more can you ask for? Brad [Stevens] has done a tremendous job and these guys have played their hearts out.”

 

The Celtics won’t be heading to the NBA Finals because they fell to the Cavs, 87-79, on Sunday.

 

A victory would have vaulted the Celtics into the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010 and only their most wildly optimistic fans would have predicted such an accomplishment after the Celtics lost Gordon Hayward to an ankle injury in the season opener and Kyrie Irving to a knee injury on March 11.

 

“These kids are resilient,” Pierce said. “They’re stubborn. That’s the word I like to use for them — they’re stubborn. They don’t like to be told no. Here they are, one game away and I think they’re going to do it. They’ve been great home team all year long. I know LeBron is standing in the way. That’s not a guy you want standing in your way, but I think they can get past them tonight.”

 

Unfortunately, Pierce was wrong. James played the entire game and had 35 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists.

 

Even those optimistic fans would have to admit that either defending champion Golden State or Houston would be a heavy favorite in the NBA Finals against the Celtics or Cavs. But no Celtics fans would have complained about settling for an Eastern Conference championship.

 

Of course, that’s not usually the case for a franchise that has captured a record 17 NBA championships. Usually, nothing less than a league championship will do for the Celtics and that is likely to be the case next year as well when Hayward and Irving should be healthy again, but this season was different. It turned out to be a fun, unexpected bonus.

 

On their way to winning the 2010 conference title, the Celtics eliminated James and the Cavs in six games in the semifinals. James then signed with Miami and led the Heat and then the Cavs to the last eight conference championships.

 

“It’s funny how history can probably repeat itself,” Pierce said. “The last [Eastern Conference] team to put him out was the Boston Celtics, and who knows what can happen? If they lose today, Cleveland, who knows if LeBron will stick around in Cleveland? So we may be looking at history repeating itself.”

 

It didn’t happen, though.

 

It was the seventh time the Celtics had played a Game 7 in the conference finals since the NBA expanded the playoffs to more than two rounds in 1966. Entering the night, they were 3-3 in those games.

 

Most recently, in 2012, James had 31 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Heat past the Celtics, 101-88, in Miami. The Heat went on to beat the Thunder, 4-1, to capture the first of their back-to-back NBA championships. The game was tied before the Heat outscored the Celtics, 28-15, in the fourth. Pierce scored 19 but shot only 7 of 18.

 

In 1987, Larry Bird had 37 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists to lead the Celtics over the visiting Pistons, 117-114, in Game 7 of the conference finals. Danny Ainge had 18 points. Joe Dumars led Detroit with 35. The Celtics fell to the Lakers, 4-2, in the NBA Finals.

 

In 1981, the Celtics fell behind, three games to one, in the conference finals, but rallied to tie the series and beat the Sixers, 91-90, in Game 7. Bird and Julius Erving each led his team with 23 points. The Celtics went on to handle Houston, 4-2, in the NBA Finals.

 

In 1968, they also trailed the Sixers, three games to one, in the conference finals, but forced a Game 7 at Philadelphia and won, 100-96. The Celtics then knocked off the Lakers, 4-2, in the NBA Finals.

 

One of the most memorable conference finals Game 7s in Celtics history occurred in 1982, even though the Celtics lost. In the closing seconds of a 120-106 loss to the Sixers at the Garden, the fans chanted, “Beat L.A.” The Celtics had a fierce rivalry with the Sixers back then, but Celtics fans despised the Lakers even more. Unfortunately, the Sixers couldn’t deliver. They fell to the Lakers, 4-2, in the NBA Finals.