Eastern Conference finals: Miami Heat v Boston Celtics.
What the Heat need to do: Everything starts with Jimmy Butler. He is the straw that stirs the drink with his drives to the basket, dogged defense and ability to draw fouls. Aside from Butler, the Heat’s other ace in the hole is their coach, Erik Spoelstra. He may be the best tactician in the game, capable of turning a slight advantage into one that could decide a series. The Heat grind out games, and the Celtics are well aware of that, having faced Miami last year in the conference finals, going to seven games and barely winning after a missed Butler buzzer-beater that still lives in the minds of their fans. While the Heat are the No 8 seed, they believe they are on Boston’s level. With the unflappable Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry, along with shooters Max Strus and Duncan Robinson, Miami have a great chance to advance if they stay disciplined.Key player for the Heat: While Butler remains the biggest name for Miami, it will be hard for the Heat to win through without strong shooting from distance. Miami will surely look to muck the game up with fouls, rugged play and every other trick Spoelstra can muster. But they will need to hang with Boston’s big-time scorers in order to advance. As such, Robinson and Strus must hit shots often, both to put up points and to create the court space for Butler to operate.
What the Celtics need to do: Remember who they are. It’s strange, Boston somehow tend to forget that they may be the best team in the NBA and certainly the best remaining squad in these playoffs. Do they get bored? The team’s two stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, are complemented by the excellent Al Horford, Robert Williams and Marcus Smart: many would argue the only NBA team that can beat the Celtics are the Celtics. If the team get lackadaisical or lose confidence, Miami will attack like a piranha crossed with a pitbull and there will be no tomorrow. Indeed, the series will be won and lost between the ears for Boston and their playoff tested roster.
Key player for Boston: The key figure for Boston won’t be on the court. Instead, it’s the rookie 34-year-old head coach, Joe Mazzulla, who replaced Ime Udoka amid a storm of controversy. The youthful play-caller is somehow two years younger than the team’s starting center, Horford. Will Coach Mazz be outwitted by Coach Spo, who already boasts two championship rings from the LeBron-Wade era? Or will he rise to the challenge? Mazzulla has already recently been called out by Smart. But Mazz and his team responded in Sunday’s Game 7 against Philly, outscoring the 76ers 33-10 in the third quarter. It will be up to Boston’s coach to make sure the team stay rooted in their identity: a killer one-two punch with a talented supporting cast.
Prediction: While the “Zombie Heat,” as Bill Simmons calls them, just won’t go away, Boston are far more talented top-to-bottom than the squad from South Beach. They should take care of business in the series and meet the Lakers in the finals for the 13th time in history, each team hoping to earn their 18th title banner. Boston in 6.
