All or nothing Heat have been here before

History provides hope. It also provides a warning.

In a similar situation last season in the Eastern Conference finals the Miami Heat returned to AmericanAirlines Arena in a winner take all Game 7. After a 13 point victory over the Boston Celtics they were on to the NBA Finals and ultimately the franchise's second championship.

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The difference is that victory came in the wake of a rousing 19 point victory in Boston a Game 6 when LeBron James scored 45 points.

This time the Heat enter Monday's 8 30 p.m. Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers coming off a discouraging 91 77 loss at Bankers Life Fieldhouse when James went for 29 points but Dwyane Wade for only 10 and Chris Bosh just five the lowest combined total for the latter two as teammates since the Heat's Big Three came together in the 2010 offseason.

It's an opportunity for us James said. It's an opportunity and we look forward to it.

There is of course no other choice but to offer optimism with coach Erik Spoelstra giving his players Sunday off to be bolstered Monday by the return of backup center Chris Andersen who was suspended from Saturday's Game 6 for his Game 5 flagrant foul against Tyler Hansbrough.

Each and every year there are 30 teams that would love to be a part of this to have one game to advance to the NBA Finals. James said with Monday's winner to face the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. You can't substitute the atmosphere that we're going to be in on Monday night for both teams. We should all cherish this moment.

Beyond last season's Game 7 victory over the Celtics there is the encouragement of knowing home teams are 89 23 all time in Game 7s in the NBA playoffs. But James also enters 1 2 in his career in Game 7s last season's victory over Boston providing the breakthrough. The Heat are 3 3 all time in Game 7. In the only Game 7 to this point this postseason the Chicago Bulls won in Brooklyn in the opening round.

While the Heat have 14 players with Game 7 experience David West and Sam Young are the only Pacers to go this deep into a series.

It could be as simple as James reprising his 2012 Game 6 performance in Boston which certainly is not out of the question with James' 34.4 point scoring average highest all time of any NBA player with multiple Game 7 appearances.

But Wade said it likely will take more something different than Saturday's performance that had James as the only Heat player with more than 10 points.

It's one game for both teams. That's the reason for us why we worked so hard in getting homecourt advantage so we can have a Game 7 at our place Wade said. Our confidence obviously we got guys that individually that want to play better but we've got to try to help each other out in this locker room and not leave it up to an individual to self will it. So we'll see how we respond as a team.

Bosh said it would be foolish not to draw on last season's Game 7 success against the Celtics.

I mean just knowing where we've been it's what it comes down to he said. We have to have confidence in ourselves. We have to have confidence in our home crowd. We're going to bring the necessary energy in order to win that game.

Unlike last season's Celtics series the Heat have never trailed in these Eastern Conference finals. Of course that also means there has not been the same level of desperation that will be required Monday.

I think we know what this is about. We know we have to play better forward Shane Battier said. We usually play better at home. We're not going to assume just because we're home we're going to win the game but I think our effort will be better because of the crowd.

To a degree the Heat's franchise record 27 game winning streak is a distant memory. Yet is also is the reason the Heat finished 66 16 guaranteed homecourt throughout the playoffs including a possible impending series against the Spurs.

Not even thinking about last year this is a totally new year forward Udonis Haslem said. But we know this team is battle tested. And we worked so hard throughout the regular season to get homecourt so this is why.

Point guard Norris Cole said Monday will be the playoffs distilled to their essence.

We've got to win one game he said. You know if you had told us 'All you have to do is win one game to get to the NBA Finals ' anybody would take that deal. So we've got to win one game to get that invitation.

iwinderman tribune.com. Follow him at twitter.com/iraheatbeat

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