We didn’t expect this to be a short series with the top two seeds battling for the Eastern Conference title and a trip to the NBA Finals. And so far the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat haven’t disappointed. There hasn’t been much of a homecourt advantage with each team winning on the other’s home turf. And the series could be a war of attrition with several key players banged up in Miami’s 109-103 win in Game 3. If this was the regular season we’d probably see Miami’s Jimmy Butler and Boston’s Jayson Tatum take extra time to get right. But with the series reaching Game 5 on Tuesday there isn’t much time left.
Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will air live on ESPN with tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 from FTX Arena in Miami. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game on the NBA Playoff schedule.
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Playoff Analysis
Playing as the lower seed the Celtics would have to win a road game at some point in the series. They checked that box early with a dominant 127-102 victory in Game 2 with three players scoring more than 20 points. After a grueling seven-game series with Milwaukee in the previous round I expected there to be some hang-ups in Game 1 and I was right. Two days after beating the Bucks the Cs faltered down the stretch losing 118-107. Boston rolled into the playoffs going 28-7 over their final 35 regular season games and made quick work of the Nets with a first round sweep. They fell behind the defending champs three games to two responding with a pair of double-digit wins to advance. The Celtics have been here before but have yet to reach the NBA Finals with the core group that includes Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart.
The one thing about the Heat is that they don’t get too high after wins or too low after losses. That even-keel approach helped them secure the best record in the East and home court advantage. It also helped in their Game 3 victory after getting squashed at home the game before. Ceding homecourt with their loss in Game 2, the Heat quickly got that back using the formula that helped them win 53 games during the season. They played stingy defense, shot the ball well and got contributions from the entire roster. And they overcame the loss of Butler to a knee injury making the victory that much more impressive. Now that they reclaimed homecourt the Heat are looking to improve on their 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS record at FTX Arena.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics need all hands on deck to win another game in Miami. And they also need more a more consistent effort from Tatum, who’s taken over as the team’s poster child. Tatum was money in Game 2 scoring 27 points on 8 of 13 shooting and he got help from Smart and Brown, who each scored 24 points. Collectively the Cs shot 51 percent from floor while making half of their 40 three-pointers.
They failed to carry that momentum to Game 3 with Tatum scoring just 10 points on 3 of 14 shooting. Boston nearly came all the way back from a 26-point first half deficit but eventually came up short with 24 turnovers being a major reason why. Tatum and Smart both exited with injuries but returned later in the game. However, they need to improve their shooting to get a win.
Miami Heat
The mark of a good team is the ability to pick each other up when things go awry. The Heat showed what they’re made of bouncing back from a Game 2 loss. Bam Adebayo had a massive game picking up for the loss of Butler and absolutely killed Boston down low. It was a weakness Miami saw when the Celtics couldn’t contain Giannis Antetokounmpo in the previous series. after scoring just 16 points in the first two games combined, Adebayo dropped 31 with 10 boards adding six assists and four steals. “He did his version of what Jimmy does,” Erik Spoelstra said.
That whole ‘pick-me-up’ attitude has served Miami well this season. Void of superstars, unless you want to put Butler in that category, the team thrived this season. They got Kyle Lowry back at a good time. He scored 11 points in his first action since Game 4 of the Philadelphia series and Max Strus hit a big three-pointer late to extend Miami’s lead after Boston made a late surge. You just don’t know who’s going to step up on any day.
Celtics at Heat NBA Odds Pick
I have the Celtics winning the series in seven games and I’m sticking with it. That means they need another road victory and I’m counting on their best players being their best players, something that’s happened since the end of January when the C’s went on an epic run.
NBA Odds Prediction: Boston Celtics / OVER
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