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After the Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday to force Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics has been set to tip-off at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The Nuggets erased a 19-point second-half deficit on Sunday to become the first team since 1997 to post three 15-point comebacks while facing elimination in a postseason with the 111-98 win. They are the fifth team in NBA history to win five elimination games in a single postseason with Game 7 looming at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Had the Nuggets lost, Game 1 between the Heat and Celtics would have tipped off at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The Celtics walked away with a narrow victory over the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 on Friday to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018. They will face a Heat team that last played on Sept. 8 after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Eastern Conference Finals Schedule:
| Game | Day | Date | Away | Home | Time (ET) | TV |
| 1 | Tues. | Sept. 15 | Heat | Celtics | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| 2 | Thurs. | Sept. 17 | Heat | Celtics | TBD | ESPN |
| 3 | Sat. | Sept. 19 | Celtics | Heat | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| 4 | TBD | TBD | Celtics | Heat | TBD | ESPN |
| 5* | TBD | TBD | Heat | Celtics | TBD | ESPN |
| 6* | TBD | TBD | Celtics | Heat | TBD | ESPN |
| 7* | TBD | TBD | Heat | Celtics | TBD | ESPN |
With the fifth-seeded Heat playing the third-seeded Celtics, the matchup marks the first time in NBA history that the top two seeds will not meet in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics won the regular-season series versus the Heat, 2-1.
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