Celtics, Heat set for Game 7 to decide East title

MIAMI – LeBron James has no idea what he will do for an encore.

He offered a simple vow instead.

“I won’t regret Game 7,” James said.

There may not have been another sentiment the Miami Heat would have preferred hearing more as they prepare to host the Boston Celtics tonight.

James is coming off a season-saving 45-point, 15-rebound, five-assist effort to force Game 7. The winner will head to Oklahoma City to start the NBA finals on Tuesday night and the loser heads into an offseason of decided uncertainty.

“Win, lose or draw, I’m going to go in with the mindset like I’ve had this whole season,” James said. “And you know, we’ll see what happens.”

A series that has gone back and forth – Miami won the first two games, then lost three straight before James carried the Heat to a win that denied Boston the East crown on Thursday night – comes down to an ultimate game.

For the Heat, it’s a chance to play for the ring they couldn’t win last year in the opening act of the Big Three era. For the Celtics, it’s probably one last chance for their current core to reach the NBA’s mountaintop.

“This team has been about adversity all year long, you know, so this is not going to be nothing new,” Celtics forward Paul Pierce said. “It’s been tough for us all year long to get to the point where we would be at, and why wouldn’t it be tough now? Winning is hard. Trying to get to the finals is hard. And this is as hard as it gets. And I think we are prepared for it.”