Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 16/05/2022, 20:53  by Joseph King | Modified on 17/05/2022 at 03:53 in Basketball Predictions

The Conference Finals tip off with game one in the Eastern Conference as the top-seeded Miami Heat host the second-seed Boston Celtics at the FTX arena in South Beach. The Heat are looking to make their second NBA Finals appearance in the past three seasons while the Celtics are looking to make their first finals appearance since 2010, despite having reached the Conference finals four times in the past six seasons. The Heat come into game one as slight favorites, with oddsmakers likely referencing the fact that the Celtics were involved in a tough seven game series against the defending champion Bucks and will have to travel to Florida on short rest as part of the justification for the price. The Heat will also be the better rested of the two sides, as Miami wrapped up their series against Philadelphia 4-2 giving them a full two day rest advantage.

This should be a fascinating and physical series as two of the NBA’s best defenses square off for a classic Eastern Conference rivalry. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will likely need to keep up his superstar level of production for his team to advance and Boston will face their toughest defensive test yet. Miami are one of the league’s deepest teams but will also need their stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to be at the top of their games as well. It’s likely we see a close, back and forth game to kick off this series and both defenses should show up for this one. Boston’s short rest could play a significant factor especially when playing away to one of the NBA’s strongest historical home court advantages in Miami. Look for both teams to try and set the tone on the defensive end which should result in a lower scoring type of game.