The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat square off in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight. On Wednesday, Miami took Game 1 thanks to strong three point shooting and a 3rd quarter where they outscored Boston by 21. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Celtics are 9-point favorites.
Spread: Boston Celtics -9
O/U: 215.5 points
ML: Celtics -400, Heat +315
Featured Parlay:
- Jayson Tatum 30+ Points
- Bam Adebayo 15+ Points
- Jimmy Butler 6+ Assists
- Jaylen Brown 2+ Made threes
Injury Report
Malcolm Brogdon has been added to the injury report with a right forearm strain. He is listed as probable, and will more than likely suit up tonight.
For the Heat, the injury report is mostly the same from Game 1. Tyler Herro (hand) and Victor Oladipo (knee) are both out, while Omar Yurtseven (nose contusion) is questionable.
Celtics Projected Starters
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Robert Williams III
Heat Projected Starters
PG: Gabe Vincent
SG: Max Strus
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Kevin Love
C: Bam Adebayo
Boston Celtics Overview
There was a lot to dislike in the second half of Game 1, especially in the 3rd quarter where they were outscored 46-25. At the root of all their issues was a lack of intensity, something called out by Joe Mazzulla, Marcus Smart, and Jaylen Brown following the game. After a blistering end to the 2nd quarter, Boston “let go of the rope,” as Mazzulla put it, showing no signs of life on defense and straying from the game plan on offense. Against the Heat, the Celtics really can’t afford to play lackadaisically again. They got by Atlanta and Philadelphia with a few clunkers, but their effort has to be better or they could be in trouble.
Their offense also has room to improve, and that starts with three point shooting. All year, Mazzulla has hammered home that the Celtics offense is at its best when they shoot a high volume of threes, something they did not do in Game 1. They were able to drive right through the teeth of the Miami zone consistently, but they couldn’t muster much offense from deep, taking just 29 attempts and shooting 34.5%. Definitely expect more threes attempted tonight, and if they’re falling, Miami’s defense may be stretched thin trying to get stops.
Miami Heat Overview
To make noise in this series, the Heat’s offense had to be better than it was in Round 2. In Game 1, Miami delivered. The team was firing on all cylinders, shooting 54.1% from the field and 51.6% from three. At the center of it all was Jimmy Butler. He exploded for 35 points, 7 assists, and 6 steals, giving the Heat the Playoff Jimmy level performance they needed. They’ll need that production again going forward too. Though Miami’s role players have proved themselves to be capable Playoff scorers, expecting them to maintain this production for the rest of the series is not reasonable. Outside of Butler and Bam Adebayo, they shot 25-47, a really big step up from their numbers in Round 2. Butler’s aggressiveness and scoring will be a big factor in determining whether the Heat can actually win the series.
For the same reasons, Bam Adebayo needs to maintain the level of production he gave in Game 1. Though he didn’t make the biggest impact on the glass, Adebayo feasted on offense when left in single coverage, scoring 20 points on 9-13 shooting. If Boston continues to focus primarily on Butler, Adebayo has to keep going hard at Robert Williams III and take the open shots to help open things up for the team.
Prediction
The Heat are never going to go down easy, and I think tonight is close up until the end. Ultimately though, I trust Boston to find some more success from deep and tighten up their defense. I’m not sure there will be any blowouts on par with Games 2 and 7 of the Philadelphia series, but I think the Celtics pull away late and even up the series 1-1 heading into Miami.
