It’s a game we’ve all been waiting for. The red hot Miami Heat will face off against the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Miami Heat were able to make relatively quick work of the Milwaukee Bucks in the semifinals, but will they have the same success versus the strong starting lineup of the Boston Celtics?
It wasn’t an easy road for the Boston Celtics as the Toronto Raptors took them all the way to seven games, giving them little to no time before preparing for the Miami Heat. Can Jayson Tatum put on another show as he did in the semifinals? More importantly, in this pivotal Game 1, who should you be placing your money on?
Jimmy Butler & Miami Heat Come in as Underdogs
Judging from their previous series, it’s hard to figure out why the Miami Heat isn’t the favored team in this first game. Miami had to face the number one team in the Eastern Conference and finished the series in five games. On top of that, Miami looks to be the more consistent one between the two teams, and even bench players are doing their part to contribute.
The Miami Heat did a phenomenal job of forcing the Bucks out to the perimeter and keeping them out of the paint. It’ll be interesting to see if they take the same approach against the Celtics. If you need any more reason to lean towards the Miami Heat, they’ve covered eight times in their last ten games.
Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown Have Their Work Cut Out for Them
The Boston Celtics had a tough time with the Kawhi Leonard-less Toronto Raptors, and now they face a tougher opponent in the Miami Heat. The key for them staying competitive in this series is with another outstanding performance by Jayson Tatum.
They’ll also need more consistency from starting point guard Kemba Walker, who was slightly lackluster in the series versus Toronto.
Throughout their series against the Raptors, the Celtics were able to use the entire floor to create scoring scenarios. Against a smaller sized Heat team, they might try to work the ball inside the perimeter to create easier chances to put up points. They’ll also need to buckle down on defense. In the later games of their series versus the Raptors, they had a difficult time slowing down the production of Kyle Lowry.
Miami Heat versus Boston Celtics Betting Pick: Miami Heat +1.5
This game opened with the Boston Celtics -1.5 and the O/U at 210.5 per MyBookie. It’s strange that the Heat aren’t favored in this game, even if it was only by a point. T
The Boston Celtics are a strong team, but they’ve had some inconsistencies and a short rest between series. That being said, the team you should take for Game 1 is the more consistent Miami Heat +1.
