Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics Conference Final Preview

Celtics, Heat Run It Back

Another Eastern Conference Rematch

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are set to do battle in the Eastern Conference Final for the third time in four seasons. Let’s dive into our Heat vs Celtics Conference Final Preview and see what to expect in this unique 1 vs 8 matchup.

The Boston Celtics survived a seven-game series over the Philadelphia 76ers to book their ticket back to the Conference Final thanks to a historic Game 7 performance from Jayson Tatum. The 25-year-old entered the NBA records with his 51 points being the most ever in a Game 7 – eclipsing the previous record set by Steph Curry (50 points) in the first-round of this seasons playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Heat edged past the New York Knicks in their second-round series and needed just six games to get the job done. Miami pulled off the biggest upset of the playoffs in the first-round when they ousted the #1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in just five games.

The Celtics are overwhelming favorites to return to the NBA Finals, with the Bean Team priced at -600 odds to win this series. They are also the title favorites across the board as they currently sit at +210 to win it all.

Heat logo Heat vs Celtics Celtics logo

Date & Time:
Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Streaming: TNT

Boston Offense Catching Fire

The Celtics emerged victors in last seasons Conference Final showdown between these teams as they won a memorable Game 7 on the road against a Jimmy Butler led Heat.

This time around they’ll be the ones with home court advantage and they’ll look to use that home court edge to extract the best of their offense against a top-tier Miami defense.

Boston’s offensive versatility makes them arguably the toughest team to contain right now and their ability to space the floor and attack the paint make them a formidable opponent for any NBA team. So far these playoffs, the Celtics rank 1st in Effective Field Goal percentage (57.7%) and 2nd in points per possession (1.19) which is in-line with the numbers that saw them finish 2nd in adjusted Offensive Rating on the NBA regular season.

Miami’s defense will certainly possess an entirely different challenge and their willingness to show different schemes throughout a game should keep Boston on their toes if nothing else. However, the fact remains that Boston’s ability to switch from three-guard lineups to two-big lineups gives them the upper-hand against any defense that the Heat can run.

As good as the Heat have been these playoffs scoring the basketball the team still has question marks around its ability to produce consistent half court offense.

Against the Bucks they were able to space the floor and simply shot their way through each game at an incredible rate. Versus the Knicks they capitalized on generating live ball turnovers that resulted in transition buckets.

If Boston is able to continue its offensive output they’ll force Miami to try and keep pace at a rate that is beyond what their roster capabilities are likely capable of doing.

Spoelstra Ready to Play Spoiler

Miami’s biggest advantage arguably comes on the sidelines. Erik Spoelstra is universally considered one of the smartest minds in basketball and his savvy playcalls and schemes can be the ultimate equalizer in any series.

Spoelstra’s game planning will need to be at its best to try and contain this Boston team, but it will need to be even better if he’s to help his team find a way to pierce this Boston defense.

Miami has been able to rely on outside shooting to date, but against the Celtics wings they won’t nearly be afforded the same space or opportunity. They also know they won’t be afforded the same number of second chance opportunities against a team who has been a top-3 rebounding team all season long; playoffs included.

While Jimmy Butler will always find a way to get his the biggest question for Spoelstra is how to involve Bam Adebayo in a way that will put pressure on Boston’s elite interior defense.

If Miami can use their ball movement to stretch Boston’s defense across the court they might give themselves a chance at working them in a way that could also impact their offense on the other end of the floor.

There are rumors that Tyler Herro may be cleared to play at some point in this series and that will be a huge boost to a team that needs all the scoring it can get in this series. Even if that does come to fruition however, this is a task that might be too much even for one of the best coaches the NBA has to offer.

Celtics Too Much to Handle

Ultimately, the Celtics will have too much firepower in this series and their talent should prevail in a best-of-seven series against a familiar foe.

This core has gone through a lot and that experience will help them overcome the advantage that Spoelstra has over Joe Mazzulla. While the series price is far too short to be laying on the Celtics, grabbing a futures ticket on Boston to win the Championship might be the best approach before Conference Finals gets underway.

Taking a correct series score of 4-1 should represent some great value as well for Boston. While they’re not likely to walk through this series they should be able to prevail in quick fashion given some of the matchup advantages at play.

That’s all for our Heat vs Celtics Conference Final Preview. Be sure to check back and find all todays NBA scores and playoff analysis to help you stay ahead of the markets.

Follow us on Twitter

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

Back to top button

pointspreads

WHO WILL WIN?

March Madness
gonzaga
Gonzaga
Purdue
Purdue
Friday, March 29, 2024
50%
50%
March Madness
creighton
Creighton
Tennessee
Tennessee
Friday, March 29, 2024
50%
50%
Serie A
napoli
Napoli
Atalanta
Atalanta
Saturday, March 30, 2024
50%
50%
Bundesliga
bayern munich
Bayern Munich
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Saturday, March 30, 2024
50%
50%
Submit your vote and view the results
Hey Again

vote all you can

pointspreads

PS-email

PS-email

pointspreads

pointspreads-email

Bet like a PRO!

pointspreads-email

Subscribe now and get Weekly Expert Free Picks