The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat take their first stab at advancing towards the 2020 NBA Finals this evening, as Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Finals series begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Celtics and the Heat have a rivalry rooted in the playing and coaching careers of their current general managers Danny Ainge and Pat Riley respectively, two of the slickest coaches in the game and some of the best grifters in the game.
Stylistically speaking, the Heat run their offense through their star wing Jimmy Butler, relying on that attention to get their shooters open while Butler slashes to the cup and often gets to the free throw line.
How to watch or stream Boston Celtics-Miami Heat Game 1, Round 3 https://t.co/ef9exWebzM
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 15, 2020
The dynamic of slashing and bombing away from the perimeter is — as Boston head coach Brad Stevens noted on Monday — reminiscent of the Golden State Warriors, but with a lot more zone on defense.
The Celtics, conversely, use a similar system more geared towards pace-and-space offense that allows them to defend against most offensive schema on the other end of the ball via switching with dashes of zone and man-to-man.
Boston has the talent advantage, the better regular-season record, and finished the 2019 with a higher-rated defense (fourth to Miami’s eleventh) and offense (fourth to the Heat’s seventh).
Gordon Hayward OUT for Game 1 vs Miami Heat, but nearing a return https://t.co/0aLS4dhI19
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 15, 2020
The Celtics also tied the Los Angeles Clippers for the league’s second-biggest regular season scoring differential at +6.4 points per game, both teams only trailing the Milwaukee Bucks’ absurd +10.1 points per game with the Heat outscoring opponents to the tune of +2.9 points per game.
Take the differential data with a grain of salt given Miami’s gentleman’s sweep of the Bucks in the last round.
Though, it should be noted in that case that Milwaukee’s defense dares teams to attack from beyond the arc, a strength of this Heat team.
CLAB 15: Previewing the Miami-Boston Eastern Conference Finals https://t.co/tmW2X5Q7Yp
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 15, 2020
Both teams are relatively healthy, with the Celtics set to get veteran forward Gordon Hayward back soon if not in Game 1. They will likely also be without wing Javonte Green (knee), though the Radford product is a deep rotation player who won’t hurt their plans if he rests a few games more.
Miami reports no injuries of note for Game 1, with only forward Chris Silva (pelvic fracture) continuing to be listed on their injury report.
With all this in mind, we’re predicting a Celtics win, 109-98, and most online sportsbooks tend to concur with Boston granted a -1.5 spread on average.
PHOTOS: Boston Celtics player salaries for 2019-20, future seasons
