MIAMI -- Keeping in mind the 17 championship banners hanging above the TD Garden floor, consider the many playoff series the Boston Celtics have engaged in over the franchise's storied history.

Now consider this: Boston has swept only four best-of-seven series. Ever.

The Big Three, both old and new. Hondo and Rondo. Sam Jones and K.C. Jones. "Mr. Clutch," "Satch" and "Nellie."

Despite all the talent that has passed through the Garden(s), Boston has completed only four sweeps in 85 best-of-seven series. Three came during Larry Bird's tenure (1980, 1981 and 1986) and the other in the 1959 NBA Finals against Minnesota.

What's more, Boston has never completed a first-round, best-of-seven series sweep. It has a chance for a bit of franchise history Sunday when it tangles with the Miami Heat in Game 4 (ABC, 1 p.m.) at the American Airlines Arena.

After the team engaged in a film session Saturday afternoon, "sweep" was a taboo word. Even though no team in NBA history has ever lost a series in which it has held a three-game lead, the Celtics suggested they were approaching Game 4 as if it was a more familiar Game 7 (of those 85 best-of-seven series, 24 have gone to a winner-take-all game).

"The mentality I have toward it is that it's a 3-3 tie and this is a must-win game," said captain Paul Pierce. "We want to be desperate. We don't want them coming back to Boston with any kind of confidence."

In fact, the Celtics don't want the Heat coming back to Boston at all. And, even as players rushed to soak up a little sunshine near the hotel pool on a gorgeous Miami day, Pierce stressed that the team wasn't interested in making a return trip to South Florida for what would be Game 6.

"We don't want to leave anything behind," said Pierce. "We don't plan on coming back to South Beach probably until the summer.

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