The No. 2 seeded Boston Celtics, and the No. 8 seeded Miami Heat will meet in the Eastern Conference Finals for a rematch of last year’s ECF series. The two teams have met in the conference finals three times in the previous four years.
Boston is expected to return to the NBA Finals for a second straight year as FanDuel Sportsbook posts them as -550 favorites to win the East.
Need to know
Jayson Tatum and the Celtics survived a nail-biting series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Thanks to a 51-point outing from Tatum, Boston survived the series with a Game 7 win despite trailing 3-2 at one point in the second-round matchup. Nonetheless, the C’s weathered the storm and now look to punch their ticket into the NBA Finals.
Meanwhile, the Jimmy Butler-led Heat have been taking care of business. Miami pulled off the upset of the postseason, knocking out the No. 1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks in five games and then trampling the Knicks in six despite Butler’s ankle sprain. Erik Spoelstra has his team playing the right way at the right time, and the Heat won’t back down in any matchup.
Injury Report
The Celtics enter the ECF showdown with a clean injury report outside of Danilo Gallinari, who missed the regular season for Boston following an offseason ACL injury.
On the other hand, the Heat will be without Victor Oladipo, who suffered a season-ending injury in the first round of the playoffs. Tyler Herro, who is still recovering from his broken hand suffered in Game 1 against the Bucks, is also listed as out for Miami. Nonetheless, Herro may be able to return at some point in this series based on the original recovery timeline. Cody Zeller will also be a game-time decision for Game 1 in Boston.
Key Matchups
The Celtics and Heat will have one of the most intriguing matchups to watch. Boston will have plenty of defensive players to throw at Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, while the Heat’s stars will likely match up against Tatum and Brown.
The duel between Tatum and Butler will be the matchup to watch. Jimmy Buckets is averaging 31.1 points per game and has single-handedly taken the Heat this far. On the flip side, Tatum is also having an impressive postseason run, averaging 28.2 points per game. With both organizations looking to advance, this battle between two of the top two wings in the league will be vital to who comes out on top in the series.
Series Pick
The Celtics have arguably one of the deepest rosters in the league and a top-five duo in Tatum and Brown. Although the Heat have been defying the odds the whole postseason, it’s hard to see them overcoming the offensive talent and variety of lineups Boston can put on the floor. I believe the C’s matchup well with all the remaining playoff teams, especially Miami. The Celtics take this series as part of their revenge tour to redeem themselves from last season’s disappointing ending.
Best Bet
Series Assist Leader: Jayson Tatum (+550)
Jimmy Butler is the betting favorite to lead the series in assists at -175, but don’t underestimate Tatum’s ability to create for others. Butler is averaging 5.4 assists per game in this postseason run, compared to JT’s 5.2 assists per game. It’s a safe bet to assume the Heat will look to get the ball out of the Celtics star’s hands, and with Tatum’s improvement as a playmaker, the versatile forward could easily lead the series in assists.
