Can Tyler Herro pull a Willis Reed for Miami?

As late as Sunday, Herro had been ruled out for Game 7 of the Heat's conference finals battle with the Boston Celtics. Last season's Sixth Man of the Year broke his hand diving for a loose ball against the Milwaukee Bucks.

After having surgery on the hand, it looked like Herro would be out for the playoffs. Of course, it also looked like Miami would be out of the playoffs faster, before the eight-seeded Heat pulled off two upsets, and won the first three games against Boston - before dropping three in a row.

The most famous example of an injured player making a surprise return to the playoffs came in 1970, when the late Willis Reed demoralized the Los Angeles Lakers by coming off the trainer's table to start Game 7. Reed hit his first two shots, the Lakers never recovered and the New York Knicks won their first title.

Herro isn't at the level of Reed, a Hall of Famer and two-time Finals MVP. But he did average 20.1 points for the Heat, whose offense has bogged down in the last three games. They've averaged under 100 points for Games 4-6, while guard Gabe Vincent has struggled with an ankle injury that kept him out of Game 5. Miami may be looking for anything to slow the momentum of the Celtics, and Herro's return might provide the emotional - and scoring - lift they need.

Boston has its own Sixth Man of the Year planning to play through injury in Game 7. Malcolm Brogdon missed Game 6 with a torn elbow tendon that's hurt his ability to make shots - he's 1-13 in his last three games, and hasn't made a three-pointer since one minute into the second quarter of Game 2. But after drilling jumpers in warmups, he'll be on the court for Game 7.

Willis Reed made history in 1970. Tyler Herro wants to avoid making history by being the first NBA team to blow a 3-0 lead. His hand and Brogdon's elbow could determine who goes to the Finals.