Second round ends Sunday with a pair of Game 7s
The NBA's regular season can be tedious, but make no mistake, it matters.
Just ask the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns — two teams that have home-court advantage in Game 7 of their respective second-round playoff series Sunday thanks to superior regular-season records.
The Celtics host the Milwaukee Bucks at 3:30 p.m., a few hours before the Suns host the Dallas Mavericks at 8 p.m. in what could be a dramafilled day.
“It means everything," Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said of getting Game 7 in Boston. "The best atmosphere in the NBA. Game 7s are the biggest and best games. Looking forward to it, truly.
"It’s basketball – biggest moments, biggest stage. What it boils down to is now go out there and just have fun.”
Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker echoed those sentiments.
“We worked all season to have home-court advantage and get the last game in our house,” Booker said. “It's exciting. It's Game 7. I've never been in a Game 7, so this will be fun.”
The Mavericks have a particularly difficult task in their game against the Suns. The home team has won each of the first six games of the series, and many of those games have been blowouts.
“Our fan base is great for us, their fan base is great for them,” Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson said. “Home-court advantage is a real thing. Respect to both fan bases making it difficult for the away team.”
It’s the second consecutive year the Mavericks have played a Game 7. Dallas lost to the Clippers in Los Angeles in last year's contest after the visiting team won the first six games of the series.
The Celtics and Bucks have alternated victories throughout their series. By that pattern, it should be the Bucks' turn to get the win. But there's little doubt Boston's home court will be loud and hostile.
“For me, I’ve just got to go play," Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "I want my teammates to enjoy the moment.”
The winner of the
Bucks-Celtics series will play the Miami Heat in the East finals.
Boston’s Tatum and Milwaukee’s Antetokounmpo have been spectacular. Antetokounmpo is averaging 35.3 points, 13.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists in this series, while Tatum is averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5 assists. Tatum had 46 points and Antetokounmpo 44 in the Celtics’ 108-95 Game 6 victory in Milwaukee, marking just the fifth time opponents have scored at least 44 points in the same playoff game.
For the Mavs, Luka Doncic has averaged more than 32 points per game in the series despite shooting just 29.6% from threepoint range. He has been very productive, but his supporting cast has struggled on the road against the Suns. Phoenix is shooting nearly 50% for the series but has struggled with turnovers. Booker leads the Suns with 25.5 points per game.
Suns point guard Chris Paul is having a difficult series, averaging just 6.5 assists, well below his regular-season average. The 37-year-old has had a handful of spectacular performances in the postseason over the past two years and the Suns might need another one Sunday.