Celtics vs. Heat spread: Celtics -8
Celtics vs. Heat over/under: 211 points
Celtics vs. Heat money line: Celtics -345, Heat +270
MIA: The Heat are 19-26-1 against the spread in road games
BOS: The Celtics are 28-20 against the spread in home games
Game Preview:
The 2022-23 Miami Heat are the second No. 8 seed in NBA history to reach the conference finals. The first? That would be the 1999 New York Knicks, the team they just beat. The Heat have been the story of the playoffs, largely thanks to Jimmy Butler. He’s averaging 31.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the postseason, a run that includes his 56-point performance in Game 4 of the first round against Milwaukee that left the social media manager for Bleacher Report in a pool of his own…nevermind. These two teams have plenty of recent history at this stage. Last year, the Celtics beat the Heat in seven games in this round.
While the Heat have the momentum, Boston has the talent, one of the many reasons they are now the Vegas favorite to win the NBA finals. Jayson Tatum is the most talented player in this series, Jaylen Brown will know exactly where to attack the Heat on offense, and Malcolm Brogdon can provide twenty points off the bench on any given night. The Celtics space the ball much better than any team Miami has faced up until this point, and how much can the Heat really depend on Jimmy Butler to will them to victory on offense? With Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo injured, getting the ball in the basket will be a serious problem for Miami. After all, The Heat shot 34.4 percent on 3-point attempts during the regular season. After blitzing the Bucks from deep in the first round, Miami shot just 30.6 percent from behind the arc in the second. Pretty sure that won’t cut it against Boston. Vegas likes the Celtics -8 in game one, and they should win by double digits. Take the Celtics.
Eastern Conference finals – No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 8 Heat
Game 1: Heat at Celtics, Wednesday, May 17 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 2: Heat at Celtics, Friday, May 19 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 3: Celtics at Heat, Sunday, May 21 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 4: Celtics at Heat, Tuesday, May 23 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 5: Heat at Celtics, Thursday, May 25 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)*
Game 6: Celtics at Heat, Saturday, May 27 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)*
Game 7: Heat at Celtics, Monday, May 29 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)*