Heat vs Celtics Live Free 2020: The Eastern Conference Finals begin on Tuesday night, and with the top-seeded Bucks out of the picture, the road to the Finals is wide open for the Celtics and Heat. Before Game 1 tips off, Mike Sykes and Charles Curtis made their predictions for the series.“I’m taking the Heat, and I’m going to tell you why. Jimmy Butler! Who is stopping Jimmy Butler? Playoff Jimmy Butler is a thing.
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I don’t see necessarily there being a defender on the Celtics, maybe Marcus Smart gives it a shot. And I know the Heat don’t have a lot of experience, but that’s where Spoelstra comes in.”Forty-eight minutes wasn’t enough to determine a winner in Game 1 between the Celtics and Heat.
Tatum led the way for the Celtics with 30 points, but moving forward Boston will need to figure out a way to get Kemba Walker going on the offensive end. Walker finished with 19 points in the first game, but he shot just 6 of 19 from the field and an abysmal 1 of 9 from 3-point range. That’s not going to cut it if the Celtics want to return to the NBA Finals for the first time in a decade. The Heat dominated the Celtics in the paint in Game 1 as they outscored them 48-26 from inside that area.
This will be a major area of improvement for Boston in Game 2 as it will have to figure out a way to limit Miami’s paint production while simultaneously boosting its own. Also, the Celtics have to figure out a way to get Kemba Walker going. Walker is one of the most dangerous players in the league with the ball in his hands, but he has struggled since the second round against the Raptors. Finding ways to get Walker some good, open opportunities — both from long range and at the rim — should be a main focus for Brad Stevens heading into Game 2.
Game 1 was extremely close as evidenced by the fact that it went into overtime, and in the end it could have gone either way. So, it’s not like it’s time to panic for the Celtics, or time for them to make any major adjustments. Knowing how close they were in the first game, and that they don’t want to fall into a 2-0 hole, expect the Celtics to come out motivated in Game 2.
Look for them to make a concerted effort to get Walker going from the field, as it unlocks a whole other level of Boston’s offense when he’s dialed in. Plus, the Celtics entered the opener coming directly off a tough seven-game series, while the Heat had a bit of time to rest and prepare after they bested the Bucks in five games.
That advantage should be neutralized in Game 2. Look for the Celtics to have a bounce-back performance. With 23 seconds remaining in extra time, Kemba Walker buried a step-back jumper to give the Celtics a one-point lead. Down 115-114, Jimmy Butler responded, finishing a tough floater that turned into an and-one chance after a foul.
Butler drilled the free-throw to give Miami a two-point game with 12 seconds left. After leading the Celtics in scoring with 30 points on 10-of-24 shooting, Jayson Tatum attempted to tie the game with a dunk over Bam Adebayo. However, the Kentucky product met Tatum at the rim for a vicious block to seal the game.
Following Miami’s 117-114 victory in the Orlando Bubble, Paschall chimed in on Twitter with a reaction to the Miami’s game-saving stuff. The rookie called Adebayo’s block “crazy” and “tough.”It’s 2012 all over again. After enduring the painful rebuilding cycles associated with older contenders, the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics have made it back to the same stage where they famously battled it out for a spot in the NBA Finals eight years ago, but with very different names.
LeBron James and Paul Pierce are gone, replaced by Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler. On both rosters, only Udonis Haslem remains, and that sets the tone for this series. As much history as these organizations share, this is a matchup neither knows particularly well nor could possibly be prepared for.
After all, assuming that the No. 3 and No. 5 seeds would reach the Eastern Conference finals would be somewhat foolhardy under normal circumstances. But Boston and Miami defied the odds, and now we have not only one of the most surprising final four matchups in NBA history, but one of the most exciting. Here’s everything you need to know about the Eastern Conference finals.