Celtics vs. Heat: The Trilogy 💪

It's the most highly-anticipated trilogy event of the year, and I ain't talking Creed III. The Celtics and Heat are running it back in the ECF for the third time in four years, and Game 1 is going down tonight. God I love the playoffs 🏀 (3 min read)

Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images

Eastern Conference Finals Preview

We got deja vu all over again tonight, but unlike last night’s WCF matchup (Jokic’s stats were insane), this evening’s battle in the East between the 2-seed Boston Celtics and 8-seed Miami Heat isn’t just a repeat — it’s a three-peat (almost), and these rivals split the first two editions 😎

  • Here’s hoping Round 3 is just as thrilling as Round 1 in the 2020 bubble (a 4-2 Miami victory), and Round 2 last year, a seven-game war that went 4-3 in favor Boston, but nearly ended very differently…

Not long after that game-winning three-point attempt banged off the front rim, Jimmy Butler was ready to proclaim that the Heat would be right back in the same position this year 😤

And despite an up-and-down regular season, and a loss in the play-in tournament, that prediction has come true 🔮

  • The man they call Playoff Jimmy has almost willed it true on his own. An All-NBA Second Team selection, he’s no slouch in the regular season, but through the first two series he’s exploded for an efficient 31.1 PPG along with 6.6 RPG and 5.4 APG. And he’s at his best when it matters most 💪

Butler’s counterpart in the above graphic has certainly had an eventful postseason as well, and while I’m sure the highs and lows of Jayson Tatum can be frustrating for Boston fans, man are the highs worth it 🙌

  • A dreadful first half performance from Tatum in Game 6 had Boston’s season hanging in the balance, but he responded by outscoring Philly himself 16-13 in the 4th. He then proceeded to put up a historic 51 points in Game 7, ending both the Sixers’ season and Doc Rivers’ tenure as their coach 😳

The Celtics look borderline unstoppable if Tatum is playing the way he has over the last five quarters. But even if he has an off night against a tough Miami defense that just held the Knicks to 100 PPG, Boston isn’t lacking in alternate weapons 💪

  • Now super-max eligible on account of his All-NBA Second Team selection, Jaylen Brown looks like he’s on a mission to earn that fat contract, with at least 23 points in nine of his last ten (which is why you can catch me taking Over 24.5 Points at -108 😏)

  • Marcus Smart is not only scoring more (15.8 PPG, up from 11.5) than he did during the season, but he’s doing it more efficiently (46.5%, up from 41.5%). It’s just business as usual for a guy who has quite a bit of experience at this stage alongside Brown and Tatum ⬇️

It’s a seasoned trio that will be difficult to topple this time of year, and once you factor in the contributions of role players like Playoff Al, Derrick White and Sixth Man of the Year Malcom Brogdon, Boston becomes all the more dangerous 😤

  • Simply put, Miami will have their work cut out for them if they want to steal Game 1 on the road, especially in front of what should be another raucous crowd

  • The biggest question mark is the offense outside of Butler. You know Bam Adebayo will at least make his presence felt on the glass and on defense, Kyle Lowry has as much big game experience as anyone in this series, and there’s a plethora of sharpshooting wings on the roster, all capable of heaters. But who steps up? 🤔

As you might expect, oddsmakers are backing the Celtics on their home floor tonight by a pretty significant margin. Take a look at how the lines are shaping up for Game 1 at TD Garden 👇

  • Spread: Celtics -8

  • Moneyline: Celtics -370, Heat +295

  • Over/Under: 210.5

Trivia Question: Which point guard was taken one pick ahead of Marcus Smart in the 2014 NBA Draft?

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

For My Parlay Gurus

Eight points seems like a lot to cover, even for a team as impressive as the Celtics at home. This Heat team feels like they’ll stick around in more games than they should this series, and I’m thinking that’s the case tonight. But I’m also banking on Jaylen Brown continuing his consistent excellence — check out this parlay 👇

  • Heat +8 @ Celtics: -108

  • Jaylen Brown Over 24.5 Points: -108

$100 on this bet would win you $282 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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Trivia Answer: Dante Exum was selected by the Utah Jazz fifth overall in the 2014 Draft, right before Boston selected Smart with the sixth pick

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