A rematch of the 2020 NBA Eastern Conference Finals will be an interesting matchup between the no.1 seed in the NBA Miami Heat and the best team in the league since the all-star break, the Celtics. Both the teams have played amazing basketball with the Heat defeating the Hawks and the Sixers to advance to the finals whereas the Celtics defeated the Nets who were favoured to win the championship and then they send the Bucks home who were the defending champions. The Celtics have faced much better teams in the playoffs and have an edge in the series.
Taytum has been playing as a true superstar supported brilliantly by Brown, Smart and Horford. They have been suffocating the opponent’s offence with their stifling. Heat’s defence has been their USP along with the offensive brilliance of Butler. Herro has been struggling with his shot which is a concern for heat since they need his scoring to win.
Match Preview Miami Heat
Eric Spoelstra will have to come out with a game plan to stop Taytum and Brown from using his prime defenders as he did so well during the 2020 finals and wrapped up the series in 6 games. Even though the core is the same for both teams, the Celtics have a momentum advantage for the last 3 months going into the series. The Heat will switch a lot in defence as they did in the past two series and with a good shot blocker in Adebayo at the centre, their defence looks good.
The question that remains is whether or not they can score because Jimmy Butler has been the lone carrier of their offensive burden and we know that the Celtics have multiple bodies to throw at him and defend him. Heat would be looking for an offensive spark from their 6th man of the year, Herro because right now they rant 13th among the 16 teams in playoffs when it comes to shooting 3-pointers.
Match Preview Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics look a better team on paper when it comes to scoring and they have multiple players who can be a matchup problem for the Heat. They have been the best team in the playoffs so far and have eliminated defending champs as well as the crowd’s favourite Nets in the first 2 rounds.
With the defensive player of the year Marcus Smart leading the way, the Celtics will be all over Jimmy Butler and the shooters surrounding him. Celtics also switch 55% of their pick and rolls which will be a problem for the Heat’s pick and roll offence between Butler and Adebayo. It will be an interesting series to watch since both the teams play locking defence.
Match Details
- Venue: FTX Arena, Miami, Florida
- Date: May 17th, Tuesday
- Time: 7:40 PM ET USA
Best Picks
1. Jayson Taytum
The best offensive player in the playoffs so far who has carried his team and has made big shots during the entire playoffs. He has proved that he is the next superstar in this league.
2. Jimmy Butler
Jimmy is the hardest worker when he is on the court and the only player in the 2021-22 playoffs to have two 40 point games. He is an amazing two-way player and can not only score but guard multiple positions.
3. Jaylen Brown
He has been the 2nd best Celtics player in the series and is capable of scoring, assisting and rebounding the ball.
Miami Heat Vs Boston Celtics Game 1 predicted Starting Line Up:-
Miami Heat:-
1. G.Vincent [PG]
2. J.Butler [SF]
3. B.Adebayo [C]
4. M.Strus [SG]
5. P.Tucker [PF]
Boston Celtics:-
1. M.Smart [PG]
2. J.Taytum [SF]
3. A.Horford [C]
4. J.Brown [SG]
5. G.Williams [PF]
Miami Heat Vs Boston Celtics Game 1 odds:
Miami is -125 on the money line and the Celtics are +105. The over/under for the game is set at 203.5 points.
Miami Heat Vs Boston Celtics head to head stats:-
They have played a total of 129 regular-season games with Miami taking home 51 wins and the Celtics winning 78 games.
Miami Heat Vs Boston Celtics Game 1 Prediction:-
The series right from game 1 will be competitive, Celtics would want to take revenge for what happened in the 2020 Eastern Conference finals and return the favour whereas the Heat would be looking forward to advancing to the finals for 2nd time in 3 years. The Celtics are the favourite to win the match and the series but you can never rule out a hardworking team led by Butler.
Live Streaming: Where to Watch Miami Heat Vs Boston Celtics Game 1?
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