Former Tennessee forward Grant Williams and the Boston Celtics are looking to make history on Monday night.
After losing the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals, Williams and the Celtics have roared back to claim three straight victories of their own. Now, on the night of Memorial Day, the battle for the Eastern Conference crown will be decided in Boston.
If the Celtics are able to win in front of the home fans on Monday, Boston will have completed the first 3-0 series comeback in NBA playoffs history.
Aside from the history-making element, though, Williams and the Celtics are also looking for back-to-back appearances in the NBA Finals. The Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors, 4-2, during the 2022 NBA Finals. Williams averaged 4.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and one assist during an average of 17 minutes on the court for the six-game series.
After only averaging less than 14 minutes a game during the Celtics’ first two playoff series against the Hawks and the 76ers this postseason, Boston and head coach Joe Mazzulla have incorporated Williams into the lineup much more against Miami.
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With the Celtics falling to the Warriors in the NBA Finals last season, the C’s are strongly motivated to get back to that final series and win the crown. If Boston is able to win Game 7 against the Heat and eventually win the NBA Finals, Williams will be Tennessee’s first NBA Champion since Jordan McRae did so in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat will go head-to-head in Game 7 at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday night. TNT will have the broadcast as VFL Grant Williams and the Celtics look to punch their historic ticket for Boston’s second straight trip to the NBA Finals.
