Bitcoin Forum

For the East, we have to wait for the result of the Game 7 between the Bucks and Celtics, either team will advance, I think they'll be a good match up with the heat. I like the position of the Heat as they have a good rest, and they also take the home-court advantage.

But of course, as usual, let me hear your opinion, which team will win and who/what will be the key to the success of the winner?

I'm leaning on a Bucks vs Heat Eastern finals. Holiday and Giannis seemed to have picked up their tempo right now. They are explosive on their past few matches against Celtics and can probably carry forward this momentum to a Bucks win. Heat vs Bucks would also be a more interesting matchup than a Heat vs Celtics one, if there'd be no injuries on either teams that is. Better to watch either teams on full power than with handicaps.

Giannis remain consistent but Holiday does not have a good game in game 6. He shoots 7-17 and made 17 points in the game. Also, the Bucks bench does not have a great contribution to the team compared to what they did in game 5, so hopefully, they'll make the right adjustment in game 7 as it's not easy to win on the road.

Game 6 is not really good for them because almost all of them struggles and its hard for Giannis to sustain the team if his teammates didn't provide quality numbers to help him out to win the game. Also game 7 is really tough for them knowing how crazy active the celtics fans and for sure the audience will add up the pressure to the game and this is huge advantage for Celtics to take over this to advance on next round.

Miami Heat.
Balanced. They are one of the teams that doesn't need much effort to have a great defensive stance. Almost all of them are not a weakness even in a switch. I think that is why they are not using Duncan Robinson much. They are trying to prevent showing any hole that will make an opponent attack it more.
Butler is also getting better and better, this is the Butler we've seen going back and forth against Lebron in the bubble 2020.

Today the Celtics, it seems serious to hunt for victory today proved the Celtics beat the Bucks (95-108), but the Bucks also did not want to give the Celtics a chance, even though the Bucks had to lose, but there is still one more meeting for the two of them, as you said it seems both teams are heating up.

Talking about the Miami Heat, on the field the Heat can also be considered the best team they score the most points in the NBA season, I also like the Heat team.

Of course, in the game there are wins and losses, this season's NBA champion, my hunch tends to be stronger for the Celtics, I believe in Jayson, Brown, marcus will give the Celtics their best this season, even though the Bucks have the title (defense).

Miami Heat is in a good position now. Any of these teams will be tired when they come to play against the Heat. Heat have a couple of more days to rest so this will come handy for them to prepare and train some more tactics for any of the two teams that come their way

Regardless of who will win between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, it will be a good match for the Miami Heat.

But I'm looking forward to the Bucks entering the Eastern Conference Finals.

Not that I'm a fan of them but if you guys remember, Milwaukee Bucks swept the Miami Heat in the last year's playoffs and I've won a decent amount betting on them. It will be a revenge mission for the Miami Heat against the Milwaukee Bucks if they meet up next series.

Miami will surely take the championship here, they are very dominant since the season started and right now, the momentum is on their side. Celtics on the other hand was able to tied the series and force a do or die game which gives them the good momentum, whoever wins on this Miami will be more ready for that, they have time to rest for now.

The game 6 was indeed a crucial game for Celtics and fortunately the result is in favor to them, Bucks should not lose their confidence here because this is their last chance to enter into ECF no more next game so its the best time now to go all out and focus on this game first. They are the defending champion and they should play like a champions, I’ll go for Bucks here and have a bet as well. Miami should be more ready this time and no time to take that rest, their next games will be a hard one.

They are the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, so they are dominant although there is some close call before the end of the season wherein they are in a losing streak, but they regain their composure and now in the ECF.

I will also be rooting for them whoever they faces in the ECF. They have the complete package, but it will be a good matchup for the Celtics because they are almost equal, with stars and some defensive players. For sure this could be a low scoring series.

It's hard to get a read on who will win game 7 between Celtics and Bucks but I prefer to see a Heat vs Celtics finals. I have no problem with Giannis but I think I've seen enough of him and his "hero ball".

I still think the Heat have the best or complete roster in the East but the Celtics are not that far behind.

That was the impression on the Miami Heat last playoffs but ended up on a embarrassing 0-4 result and eliminated in the First Round.

I understand that last playoffs and current is different but I think Heat is overrated even they clinched the 1st spot in the Eastern Conference.

I'm not with the Boston Celtics though but I will favor Milwaukee Bucks to win and advance to Conference Finals.

Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics are a pain in the ass for me regarding betting. :D

These teams are unpredictable and you can't just rely on home-court advantage. There are times that Bucks will explode, then Celtics will do the same, then they will have a close game, then the result can't be determined easily until the final buzzer sounds.

Even though I will put all my best in terms of analyzing both teams, it's difficult to predict who will win in their series to face the Miami Heat in the finals.

That's true, I really thought game 6 will be in favor to Bucks unfortunately it was not and I lose my bet.
This time, its hard again to place a bet because the defending champion is at risk on losing the chance to defend their title. Miami can still speculate their possible opponent so they can create good strategy, the ECF are more intense for me compare to WCF.  ;D

The Heat were sixth in the standings last season so what gave you the impression that they were the most complete team that time? The Bucks were third.

It usually takes a hater to say that a team that clinched no. 1 spot and advancing to the Finals as overrated. A neutral fan would at least pay respect to those achievements. I can even call them as overachieving team.

It appears that way. Maybe because the Warriors are coming off as a dominant team there while the Suns are being pushed.

Right, and for those who are at lost as to why Duncan was used sparingly in this series, this is the main reason, and inserted Max Struss because he can play defense. Then they have Victor Oladipo who can explode anytime. And of course their franchise player in Jimmy Butler. Who really shows what a leader he is in their series against the 76ers. But as for the Bucks vs Celtics, just hard to predict this one.

I'd also pick the Miami Heat since Bucks and Celtics are performing somewhat sloppy as they continue to drop games at home. It'll be an issue once they advance to the next round and face off a much tougher team like the Heat. The only worrying part on the side of the Heat is how they'll adjust once Lowry gets back to the lineup again since we saw the team struggle on the road when they fought the Sixers.

For me the Heat and bucks will fight in the Eastern finals, because surely bucks will dominate the game 7 and there's no way giannis will let boston to win again, where in, there will be an adjustment for sure for the next game.

Yes i know it's quite skeptical to bet on the next match since its tied up but no doubts for the defending champion IMO. infact since game 1 to game 5 it's really obvious that bucks has big advantage, so i will go for bucks no matter what.

I would go for Celtics vs Heat. Since Giannis tried to carry his whole team in game 6 but it wasnt enough to overcome the deficit. Bucks needs someone to shoulder the Burden but Middleton is out while Holiday played terrible.

Celtics been improving their defence every game.

He carried the team in all the games in this series, but we also see some contributions from his teammates like Holiday and other guys are also stepping up. Giannis just have to minimize his outside attempt, it's a low percentage shot, instead, he should attack the rim and pass the ball when doubled.

Not true, otherwise they win every game.

Just in, Celtics dethroned the defending champion and will advance to the Easter Conference Finals.
What a winning statement from Celtics for the delight of the crowd. 28 points lead is really big, it looks like Bucks already give up and stop playing. Well it will be Heat vs Celtics this will be a hard one for Celtics but who knows, they might have the good shot here.

I find that disrespectful. Giannis kept on playing until there were only two minutes left if I am not mistaken. They still played defense and tried to close the gap but it wasn't their day.

It will be a hard one for the Heat too. Celtics may even have a slight edge in thos series. There are intangibles gained from defeating the defending champs.

Celtics defence again proved solid thats why Bucks scored terrible.


I like your logic,  improving = 100% win. He is passing the ball when doubled but his teammates are shooting terrible, its like that you dont even watch the games.

We have Heat vs Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals as it seems.   ;D  But I must indicate that I was very amused by Celtics' amazing performance against Bucks. They demolished Bucks by 109-81 and won the series 4-3. I believe that Celtics definitely deserved to advance to this round. And as for this draw in the conference finals, I think Celtics are still going to be the closest side to eliminate their opponent.

It's not Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat

Boston Celtics seem to have far better performance compared to Miami Heat overall this playoff. Why? I looked at their all losses and check the stats. The Celtics during their losses still established good stats in most cases. As for Miami Heat, I've checked some of their losses and they are really at worst on those nights.

However, Heat is much different today. I'm sure, for every team that Miami Heat faces, there's always a different adjustment.

Still, I can't say who has the upper edge. Both teams are equal to me. After all, they finished 1st and 2nd in the Eastern Conference.

It has been settled now, and it's Heat vs the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. I will say that I will be biased on this one, as I have an outright bet for the Heat to win the Conference Finals. But it might be a tough road for them as the Celtics is also a well balance team like team. Both have shooters, good ball handlers, defenders. The X factor might be the bench scoring, the team that will have the best bench players every game will take this series.

Heat should win game 1 since they have a longer resting period compared to Celtics but who knows, my opinion is heat isn't that consistent in their shooting. Unlike Celtics someone can take over when the lead scorers are missing shots.

But Heat are good at their home court, they never lose a single game yet in the playoffs, so I expect to see them play with heart and take game 1. I'm sure people are still betting on the Celtics because of their good showing, but difference series, we will certainly witness a different game.

All play with their heart also both of this team is hungry for championship. Also we can say that both Celtics and Heat are well poise this season so we will see an exciting game between them. But for this selection I will go with Celtics because this team is much improve team and what I think they are much stronger than heat(IMO).

@OP, you can now edit the thread.

It's official now, Heat vs Celtics will be playing in the Eastern Conference Finals.
This is a good match-up IMO, both teams have their own star players who are consistent in the playoffs so far.

By the way, in their head-to-head matchup, in their last 3 games, Celtics lead by winning 2 out of 3.

Game 1 tomorrow.

Heat vs Celtics, heat is -2 at home.
As reported, Marcus Smart is questionable in game 1, but I still think Celtics will have a good fight in game 1, they have won games without Marcus smart, so it's not a big loss.

https://www.slamonline.com/nba/celtics-announce-marcus-smart-is-questionable-for-game-1-against-heat/

Heat - Celtics series is starting tonight. For Game 1, bookmakers are favouring Heat but there is not an enormous gap too. Honestly I'm waiting for seeing a quite competitive start to this series. After seeing Celtics against Bucks like that, my expectation level from them has increased a lot honestly. Heat are another very tough opponent but we might see this series ending by seven games too. Anyway, I'm favouring Celtics to start with a win.

Horford did not win as well, actually, Celtics had a good start until they loss their defense in the 2nd half, particularly in the 3rd quarter. It was a good game though because Celtics aren't giving up, so I believe this series will be long, probably game 7.

Yeah, Tucker defending Tatum.

While Butler is free to roam, no one can stop him not even Tatum and Brown, Pritchard? too small, Butler just shooting over him. And then Butler also can take Tatum in the defensive end. But we will like a series wherein both are healthy. So the Celtics need the services of Horford and specially Marcus Smart who will be defending Butler so that is a good matchup to watch.

I was shocked when I saw the score when I returned to watch the game and it seems like they were just lucky sinking those shots in the 1st half but they cannot stop the counter strategy of the Miami Heat in the 2nd half which lead to their 1st lose in this series. I was expecting this to happen because so far, Horford and Smart have been one of the main keys to reaching up to this point, and without them, it would be just some kind of a throwaway game since the Miami Heat has already adopted and managed to survive without Lowry in the playoffs.

https://i.ibb.co/Ks5x5cK/282095532-5271440479630019-7114021847248667754-n.jpg

I took a bet on Miami Heat only after I read the news that Marcus Smart and Al Horford were not playing.  

But what a game! I was surprised when Celtics dominated and was leading double digit in the first half. I was thinking that maybe the youth on both Tatum and Brown are just too fast to handle. I was a bit discouraged, I quit watching for some minutes and went on to water my plants. When I came back, the game was already close. Jimmy Butler's accuracy and Miami Heat's hustle made the difference.

Game 2 will be more interesting as Horford and Smart are expected to play. I hope Pj Tucker is just fine.

We hope to see a healthy team against a healthy team.

With Horford and Smart back in the line up, Celtics will be able to match the Heat very well, and we might see a very close game since Celtics will try to steal one game on the road. I expect that this series will be long, I love to see a game 6 or 7 if possible, so Celtics should now allow they'll go down 0-2 in the series.

I have the same thought and seriously, I did stop watching it know that Celtics really dominates the first half but I was shock to see online that Miami really won the game 1 and that's a big surprise to me that they even have a huge lead in the first game. Well, Celtics did a great job in game one despite of the loss consider some players are missing with them but now in game 2, this will be more interesting to see Horford and Smart back, let's see if they can still contribute to the team. This will be a long series I believe.

The Heat made a huge comeback in the 3rd quarter so for sure you missed that great game. Nevertheless, this is just one game, and the Celtics are not healthy because they are missing the services of their 2 best defender. So this could be a long series, and maybe it will be Smart who will have the task to guard Butler and then we have two big man battling it out in the middle, Adebayo vs Big Al.

Latest update.

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-injury-updates-marcus-smart-probable-game-2-al-horford-doubtful

Marcus smart is probably.
Al Horford Doubtful.

Well, Horford is not ruled out yet, so let's hope that he will play in game 2 as that's a very important game for the Celtics.

Thanks for the update, at least Marcus Smart is probably, he is a big help for the Celtics.

Both teams are undermanned actually.
For heat, Lowry is out in game 2, so if Horford is out in game 2, that's a fair match up, no excuses for both parties.
Let's see if Celtics will bounce back like they usually do.

They are just +3.5 in game 2, I don't know if the public will bet on the Heat considering the spread is lower compared to game 1.
I like to see the Celtics to start strong, but at the same time to be able to hold their lead in the 2nd half as that was their problem in the first game.

Also, I expect a major adjustment in game 2, and now that Smart is likely to play, I hope that would help them to be better.

If you think about that, then maybe bet on the Celtics to win in game 2.
Bettors might take Miami Heat because the spread is only -3.5, that's too attractive considering after a big win in game 1.

People still thought that Butler will again make a great performance, so obviously, Heat is going to be the play of the public.
I'm also planning to put a bet live, if Heat starts strong then I might take Celtics for an odds of 3.00 (at least).

The Boston Celtics bounces back as I expected in a 125-102 win on road. After losing in a big lead on Game 1, they return the favor by beating the Miami Heat in a big lead too. I really don't expect a 2-0 lead here as I know the Celtics will be different after a loss. Now that they even the series, that will serve as a reference for the Miami Heat on what things needs to do next game.

Again, when the Miami Heat loses, it's only Jimmy Butler who is consistent. The most consistent player for me in this playoff who always acquires good numbers. They are like that since the start of the playoffs.

Looks like the Heat need these 2 things.
1. A second or third player that can help Butler offensively.
2. Kyle Lowry

I don't know if Kyle Lowry will play this post-season, so if somebody knows it, then they can share it here. Overall, the Heat's performance isn't that bad in Game 2, but the Celtics had a better offense than them thus, they lost. The three point shooting of Celtics is one of the reason why they won. In Game 1, they only shot 11/34, but in Game 2 they shot 20/40. Another one is the return of Smart and Horford, and we know how impactful they are defensively.

I'll go with Celtics in 7 here. I believe that they are a team that is good defensively, and at the same time, good offensively as well.

I have to agree that Jimmy Butler is the only player in the Miami Heat that play good even when losing. There's no help from his teammates once they are downed like giving up the game early. If Miami Heat doesn't have Jimmy Butler, they might exit early in the playoffs.

I also noticed in the whole playoffs series of Miami Heat that when they are winning, it's only Jimmy Butler as the reason and no one else. What happened to those young Miami Heat that feels pumped during the NBA Bubble Finals.

I think Kyle Lowry is out for the rest of this playoffs. I agree he will be a good help because of his experience. But even if he comes back, he might be having a slow adjustment because of his long rest.

Turns out both players were available in that game, and they also contributed well the game.
It was a blowout win by the Celtics, a big bounce back, so now they have already tied the series and I'm looking forward to another great game in game 3.

Yeah, I will continue to ride on Celtics bandwagon here, Lol.

What an impressive show of outside shooting and their best defensive player taking on the best offensive player. So now they are back to even, and have a good chance to take the lead next game as it will be played on Boston Garden. The next 2 games will be critical as they will have a chance to be up 3-1 in they win both at home.

Since the game 1 when they dominate the first half, I started to think the same thing and it looks like Celtics are in a good position here. This can be more crucial for Miami and better not to let Celtics win on their home court because for sure, that's a not safe lead and we know that Celtics are really capable to win against them. Good to see some players back for Celtics, most probably in Game 3 they will maximize it and let those players contribute. I go for Celtics in game 3, this can be a good bet for me.

This is very similar to the Warriors vs Grizzlies series where the road team steals one game on the road to even the series. And that series ends in 6, so most likely if Celtics will win 2 home games they'll advance in the NBA Finals. Butler is always good, unfortunately Celtics played better as a team.

Maybe, but the Warriors in that series are having a tough time beating the Memphis, it was not easy compared to their first round journey. Here, this is an ECF, for sure there are plenty of surprises here and now we may think that Celtics would easily win the series but it's not as simple or as easy as that. Human nature, we easy got hype on the latest result, just like when Heat dominated the Celtics in game 1.

This. Butler has always been a great player on his games with Heat, but his teammates need to step up their game if they want to triumph against Celtics and move forward to the Finals. Lowry is very inconsistent, although when he's enabled, he's really a beast in the paint. If they can do some great plays consistently, there is no doubt that they can go through the defense of Celtics. Oladipo and Herro are promising enablers for the team with their plays, but most of the time they hesitate, ending with them not doing much for the team.

Well, as I said the Boston Celtics will always bounce back because that's what they do and they exactly did it earlier, the gap was 25 points and the Miami Heat almost didn't own even a single quarter because it was too clear that they've been dominated by the Celtics on the 1st half. Well, I hope you did bet on the Celtics side.

That's the worst-case scenario for the Miami Heat. They need to force a win on either Game 3 or 4 playing at the Celtics arena for them not to be pressured once they return to their home crowd. Being down by 3-1 is a big problem and can't imagine the Boston Celtics will lose 3 times in a row.

But before we speculate that to happen, let's see if there are big adjustments too that Heat will do. If the Celtics are able to regain confidence after a big Game 1 loss, the Heat should also do the same after a big Game 2 loss playing as an Away team.

Indeed they need Lowry because they won't let Tyler Herro do the playmaking. Why? He is young and doesn't have enough playoff experience unlike Lowry with a championship ring. Butler is not that type and we saw how bad he is when he tries to pass the ball. Gabe Vincent is also not their choice.
If Lowry won't play though there might be another solution. Do isolation plays but it needs to be perfect. Herro and Butler are good at it but their problem will be double-team if the Celtics caught what they are trying to do.
The other strategy I could think of is go small ball. They cannot maximize the strength of Adebayo because there is no one to pass it in so better take him out.

Yes it's a bit similar but the intensity here in Conference Final is really different compared to that certain match-up in Round 2 where Warriors and Grizzlies have faced each other in a tight series.

It's too early to tell that the Celtics will be the one to advance in the NBA Finals but their chances are quite good because the way I see it, they are more tougher than the Miami Heat. Nevertheless, they need to limit Butler more.

I expected to see Heat winning the second game as well but Celtics didn't let it happen. It looks like they had their lesson from the first game and prepared much better for this one. Because their performance was really extraordinary this time. They simply destroyed Heat by a result like 127-102. And the most important thing that helped them win this comfortably was that each one of the Tatum-Brown-Smart trio scored 24 points or higher. G. Williams also made a significant contribution by 19 points. Heat couldn't answer them in the same way and the series is 1-1 now.

They actually had a good 1st half-game in the first game but the Heat respond in the 3rd quarter by dominating the Celtics. In the 2nd game, Celtics made sure that Heat would not do it to them again as they are successful in controlling the game, especially in the 3rd quarter.

After the series is tied, Heat looks like they don't stand a chance of beating the Celtics anymore.
Anyway, Celtics still needs to win 3 games to advance, so it's still too early to conclude.

That has been the trend in the first 2 games, Heat starting very slow in the first two quarter. They were able to overcome and win the first game, but the second one? it is not the same as the Celtics made sure there will no huge 3rd quarter comeback from the Heat. And it boils down how the Celtics put a defensive pressure on Butler and the rest of the Heat, no easy look, no easy basket. While on the other hand, they score whatever, whenever they want, inside, outside, doesn't matter.

So here we go to the game 3.

Celtics are playing at home, and the current spread is -6.5.
IMO, I think Celtics here are just overvalued, yes, they won game 2 and dominated the Heat, but this is just another game, and we know that Heat will certainly make an adjustment, so I have a big feeling that we will not see the same scenario in game 2 as Heat will try to make it a close game.

Honestly, I'm a bit hesitant taking that -6.5. I would be okay if they came from a close game win or a loss, but they came from a huge victory which people might think they'll easily win this game and that most bets might be going with the Celtics, therefore I think I will lean on the heat with handicap betting.

You have a point and it's your choice if you lean on the Heat in tomorrow's game but it's hard to forget that the Miami Heat have just won that 1st game and the gap is not that big considering that the Celtics that time was undermanned and the DOTY of the year wasn't there as well as Al Horford. For me, the hand is on the Celtics side, especially since they'll play at their home and they could probably get that -6.5 spread.

There is indeed lots of people who did expect to see the Miami Heat winning the 2nd game but they just end up losing mainly for those bettors who bet on Miami's side. Honestly, the Heat didn't fully dominated the 1st game because the Celtics have been fighting and still manage to give some challenge to the Heat, they're just undermanned that's why they lost that specific game. On the 2nd game, the Celtics buried the Heat with 25 points because the key players are back.

With that, I think people are still thinking that the Celtics will have a bigger chance of winning now that the series is shifted to their home court. However, IMO, this will not be easy for the Celtics and Heat will find a way to lead in the series and that is by winning the game 3. I hope that it's going to be a different game, different from game 1 and 2, a game that is close that could reach an OT if possible.

Same here mate, not sure if I'm going to pull the trigger at -6.5 although the like has move a bit from 2.x to 1.9 hours before the game.

Heat is a good team in adjusting, they have the experienced under coach Spo so I think this will be a different outcome in game 3. And if we see Lowry orchestrating the offense for the Heat, this could be a close one.

Sprit is the essential one for this gambling. Mostly don’t set your emotions in the loss. While involve your money,don’t set your money into the top of the brain. It was dam sure you will loss your entire holding in the gambling. Celtics will win the match for sure, while making a critical situation here. Many people will inverse their money in gambling will loss huge money.

In an hour, the third game of the series is starting, Celtics - Heat. I really admired Celtics' performance in the last game. They showed a huge defensive and offensive performance at the same time which was a big help for destroying Heat comfortably. I assume that Heat would play better this time but it might still not enough for them to win. Because I think Celtics are closer to a victory once again. Maybe this would be by a much smaller margin but they would still make a comeback in the series and be 2-1 ahead.

It's like a different Heat team in the first half for game 3. I like how aggressive they are in attacking the paint with Adebayo taking the lead. They have to watch out though because Celtics, despite the many TOs in the 1st half, still ended the second quarter stronger and that could give them more confidence going into the third quarter.

It was Adebayo this time to carry the scoring load for the Heat. I think he might have watch the replay of game 2 and he knows that he was outmuscled in both end by Robert Williams so he has to do something about it.

That good lead was enough cushion for them and somewhat was able fend off that huge comeback from the Celtics to win game 3 and get back the home court advantage.

Nah, Heat beat them in their own homecourt, although both stars are out, Tatum and Butler because of injuries so they cancel each other. But I guess the Heat has much more depth as they were able to have someone step up the plate in Bam Adebayo to make a 2-1 lead for them. But this series is still far from over, a win by Celtics next game could even up the score again. So it's going to be game to game basis and most likely this could be a 7 game series again.

This is a great series, I also thought that Marcus Smart would be injured after he falls because he grabbed his ankle, good thing he is okay. Now, game 4 would be different if Butler will not be able to play, and I'm sure that Celtics will try to even the series.

Indeed! Nobody has expected that he will come back again and play, and he even shoots a three-pointer right after he got back on the court. What a nice play by Marcus Smart, he really couldn't bear leaving his team hanging while trying to chase the huge gap given by the Heat.

It is still undetermined whether Jimmy Butler can play or not, but coach Spoelstra said that it's not that serious as they are also expecting Butler to play in Game 4.

I watched about half of last nights game between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat and I couldn’t believe how well the Heat played without their star player being on top of his game in Jimmy Butler. It’s amazing to me that they were able to pull off the victory with Jimmy Butler only ending up with 8 points. I foresee them in the championships for sure.

I had all but given the series to the Celtics before this game.  I have to admit I was shocked to see how it turned out.  Now they're saying Butler isn't 100% but it seems like a lot of people still think Miami is going to win.  I'm not in that camp, but I must admit that I have no idea how they pulled out the win last night.  I guess this is going to be a series after all.

Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics series has been going on very competitively. Miami Heat are 2-1 ahead now but I still believe in Boston Celtics of course. Boston Celtics are my favourite team for the the championship as I indicated it before. I really like them for their solid offense and defense both. And maybe this series will finish by a very close score but Boston Celtics would manage to eliminate Miami Heat hopefully. And when it comes to the fourth game, I'm expecting Boston Celtics to be victorious. I will wait for them to be better at defending above all else.

Unlike the Mavs vs Warriors series, I think this series is going to reach game 6 or 7. Yes, Heat has the lead in the series now but it's still too early to conclude, we know that the Celtics are good in bouncing back, so I believe they will be able to even the series tomorrow, and I like that their spread is not moving significantly, I'm very comfortable with -6.5

This is only possible with a healthy Jimmy Butler on the roster of Heat. There's a news that he is questionable to play in game 4 while Celtics will not repeat their mistakes in game 3 and obviously adjust there strategy to match up Adebayo aggression. They have Theis to stop him by force if Butler will not return in the rest of the game. Jimmy Butler has a lot of injury reports on this season and this might be bad news to Heat if he will not come back healthy to stop Boston counterattack against them. We already witness how they manage to come back against strong opponents when they Beat Bucks in game 7 match.

Heat without Butler is very easy to beat by Boston with a complete package of attack and defence roster.

Regarding health, so are Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart. They are in probable status and the decision will be before game time if they will play or not.
Remember that twisted ankle by both players? I think Smart's case is the worst but he got back into the game although it's obvious he is still in pain.
This series may become unpredictable if both teams' starters will be out.
Butler is a big piece for a win but the bench managed to finish it in 2nd half of Game 3. I think Miami Heat will possibly win this if ever the injury cases get worst.

Yes, if Smart and Tatum can't play then all advantage will go to Heat. Even if Butler can't play there are a lot of players that can step up, we've seen Bam and Lowry do that in game 3. So I might favor the Heat if that will be the scenario at game time (no Smart and Tatum). And if the Heat win, it's going to be 3-1 and most likely they will win the series against Boston.

Tatum is probable in game 4 according to report.
https://thespun.com/more/top-stories/celtics-announce-jayson-tatums-status-for-game-4

Celtics need him, he is the star player of the team along with Jaylen Brown, so he should be available.
They cannot miss this game, otherwise, we can conclude that the series is over. Also, Butler is going to play, but we don't  know if he gets the maximum minutes he used to enjoy.

This is a must win for game, Tatum is their star player so it will be difficult to play without him in the court. If the 3 of them can play then it's all up to who has the heart and wanted to win more.

I wouldn't be surprised though if Miami will get this win, they have the momentum going into game 3 and Bam will have or at least continue to dominate inside. Key for Celtics is their defense, might be a low scoring game.

This series is very unpredictable, just like when we thought the Celtics will win game 3 because they dominated the Heat on the road in game 2 but it was the opposite that happened, so I expect the Celtics to even the series tomorrow and go back to Miami fighting and trying to get a win.

Let's bet on our favorite team, me, I like the Celtics but the spread is quite high, so it's a big scary for me as a bettor.

Tyler Herro is definitely out of this match up tonight for game 4 in Boston.
https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/tyler-herro-injury-heres-why-heat-star-wont-play-game-4-vs-celtics

Didn't notice anything last game but these type of injuries come out of no where and can affect the outcome of this match.
He is an important player to the Heat and will miss a dozen or more points from him. He can score a three on fast breaks quite easily.

I will expect Celtics will tie up the series tonight because they are a team without any quit in their play when it comes to the post season.

You were really right about the third game of the series. Bam Adebayo had an important role in winning against Celtics in this game and Heat got ahead by 2-1. And tonight there is the fourth game waiting to be played. It is in Celtics' home court once again and hopefully Celtics will be able to make the series 2-2. This series deserve to finish by a 4-3 result. In my opinion, Celtics can be the team to advance to the final. But in this situation, it is very hard to make sure about something. Heat seem like they can make much bigger difficulties for Celtics compared to the previous round.

As for the key players of both teams, these players do have the game-time decision status tonight:

Boston Celtics:
Jayson Tatum
Marcus Smart

Miami Heat:
Jimmy Butler
Kyle Lowry
Jimmy Butler

I didn't mention other injured players that are listed as OUT and those who give impact yet on both teams (no offense to those).

Of all these players, only Jayson Tatum and Kyle Lowry might play in tonight's game.

Wow. That 18-1 start by the Celtics is they most dominant beginning of any playoff game I’ve ever seen. Miami has plenty of time left to come back, but this has got to be mentally testing for them. There’s still more than 2 minutes left in the first quarter and they’re down by 17… Now we watch to see if it’s going to be a crazy blowout or if the Heat can grind their way back into this one (on ABC/ESPN).

Nice start by the Celtics, 21-4 is the current score, I like their chances of winning here, just like the usual, they have a good start and if they can keep their lead, they might win this game. Good luck to them, hopefully they'll be able to even the series.

By the way, Smart is out.

I am looking forward to a 2-2 standing after this fourth game. I'm sure the Celtics will get back on Miami. This early, Jason Tatum is already feeling hot and pumped up and will definitely add a lot more of scoring power to the Celtics. With 20 points just in the second quarter and the team leading so far by 25 points, this is going to be an exciting eastern conference finals. They only need to maintain a comfortable lead and continue to deny Miami of offensive rebounds.

Yes, it's a different Jayson Tatum we are witnessing this game, although he is nursing that shoulder, he still play and provided good offense to the team right now. So it's going to be a very difficult task for the Heat to even make the score close or cut the lead to manageable less than double digit because of the way the Celtics are shooting in this game.

Heat has to come back from a heavy deficit in order to win the game, and I don't think they'll be able to do it because they are in the same situation in game 2 and they were not able to come back, how much more now that they are on the road.

Williams III is also back in the lineup, and he is doing a great job so far as he was able to limit Adebayo with 3 points only which was the Heat's top score in game 3. This series is getting exciting, I'd like to count this already for the Celtics and will be a tied series going back to Miami.

Great job to the Celtics for maintaining the lead to a comfortable degree. That double digit lead was well kept all throughout the game. And while the Heat got better three-pointers, Boston had the great free throw points in addition to their better field goals. Props to Tatum's 31 points for this win. Of course Horford's successful rebounds and blocks and the overall defense of the Celtics also played a big role in this victory.

Maintaining the lead is one way to put it… They destroyed them the entire game. The Heat bench looked defeated in the first quarter. The Celtics won by 20 and that makes the game seem closer than it was. The Heat need to pretend this one never happened. I feel pretty good about calling the Celtics vs Warriors Finals matchup now after seeing a few games in this series. Boston is just playing great.

Jimmy Butler is not performing well maybe his injury is not really ok and he just forces himself to play despite his injury. He is not giving his 100% in this game which results in this very performance especially in the first quarter that which they only score 11 points against 29 points in Boston. The number of minutes played by Miami heat players is evenly distributed among the bench which is a clear sign that the starter is not doing well.  The absence of Tyler Herro is really noticeable since the Heat bench is useless on today's match. I think game 7 for this match is already guaranteed.

Jimmy Butler was really forcing himself to play on the game earlier even if he had an injury or inflammation on his knee. He still played and got some rebounds along the way but didn't get no more than 30 minutes on the court. Unfortunately, he barely helped his teammates because of that said injury that's why he just contributed 6 points.

Aside from that, Kyle Lowry also didn't got any good run earlier. It's almost inevitable for them to lose the game today but at least they gave the Celtics a good game.

It's just a horrible game from Butler and Lowry in game 4, and yeah, it's inevitable, not matter how hard they do shooting the basket in the first quarter, it's not falling while the Celtics has found the ring too big. They have to bounce back in game 5 and I think they can still salvage this series and move to the NBA finals against the Warriors.

I don't think they gave them a good game at all.  It started out 18-1 and that was as close as it ever was...  It was pretty clear from the first 5 minutes that Boston was in control and Miami had next to no chance.  I'd like to see them put up a fight and make a series out of this, but to me it looked like they were broken out there.  I think the first win they got was a result of covid and injuries, the second win was a bit of luck...  I don't think they get another win this series.  It's Boston vs Golden State in the Finals...

Among the stated players, Marcus Smart was the only player on both sides who was ruled out because of that specific ankle injury that he got in Game 3. Meanwhile, on the Heat's side, Tyler Herro was also ruled out but Jimmy Butler did play but just for a short minutes because of his knee.

In Game 4, the Celtics didn't had any tough challenges because of the said injuries on the Heat side while having a bad run on the 1st four minutes of the 1st quarter. I'm curious who could play on the Game 5 but Butler will likey be the one who will ruled out as they get back on their home.

But the Heat is playing better in the other 2 games so I personally withhold my prediction on which between the two teams will be reaching the NBA finals. But in the Western Conference, it seems it is becoming clearer that the Warriors are winning and will be the team to reach the NBA finals even if their game 4 which is happening right now will go to the Mavericks. It might end with a 4-1 standing in their favor.

I lose confidence in Heat after there one-sided defeat against Celtics in there recent match despite the return of Kyle Lowry. Lowry and Tucker is not performing well on game 4 and I believe this will be same scenario if they didn't step up. They are the key player to stop the momentum of Celtics since Tucker is the one who can guard Tatum tightly just like what he did in Game 1 while Lowry on the other hand can help Jimmy Butler to get some space and do an open shot by drawing the attention of the defender to his attack.

Heat seems weak when Lowry return because he can't perform his role properly to carry the team. Oladipo is much better than him for starter.

Still early to lose confidence when the series is tied and besides it is their homecourt the next match and that would help a little I guess on the Heat's side. I guess age already hit on Lowry and I wouldn't be surprised for a 37 years old veteran, maybe they need more on the younger one like Herro to step up though he missed the game and could miss the game 5 as well. Maybe they need to make Oladipo their PG?

There are some doubts with the Heat right now after what happened in Game 4.
The question is, will Herro and Butler will play in Game 5 because they are their top 2 scorers in the playoffs and both of them have injuries. I just hope that they will be playing in Game 5 or else they might lose it all.

Oladipo as their PG? Not a bad option but it's risky and it's like they are experimenting if they will do like that. I will not be surprised though if they will give Oladipo more time since he played well in Game 4 and aside from him, I think they need to give Robinson more playing time. He's a sniper and can shoot threes but he isn't playing most of the time because of his awful defense. Celtics in 7 still and the Warriors are waiting for them :D.

Lowry should be their PG, I don't see Oladipo being an effective PG although he was the top score in game 4. Also, if Herro will not play, their offense will become limited, and I don't really understand why Heat are not using Duncan Robinson a lot when he is a good 3 point shooter.

If Smart will play, Heat will be in a bad spot.

I expected Celtics to win the fourth game of the series and they did it. It was even a very solid win also by 102-82. Jayson Tatum was shining bright in this game and scored 31 points. For Heat, Bam Adebayo's performance was really poor this time and it was one of the factors why they lost the game by a huge gap like this. The series is 2-2 now and I'm excited about the next one too. It is really hard to predict which side can win this series for now. But I see Celtics a little better than Heat for now.

Looks like we will see these both teams having some handicap again later in Game 5 as lots of players on the both sides are still questionable to play. There's a lot who puts their bets on the Celtics side than the home team, we will see how the game goes later. This is quite interesting!

Injury Report for the Game 5 at Miami:
(BOSTON CELTICS)
Sam Hauser - Out
Marcus Smart - Questionable
Robert Williams III- Questionable

(MIAMI HEAT)
P.J. Tucker- Questionable
Gabe Vincent - Questionable
Tyler Herro - Questionable
Max Strus - Questionable
Kyle Lowry - Questionable

I'm guessing nearly all of those guys will play, but we'll see.  The game will kick off here in about an hour and I'm ready for some basketball.  I've been wrong so far with thinking the Heat didn't have a chance, but I'm sticking with my opinion that the Celtics are the better team and will pull out a victory from this series.  Tonight seems as good a night as any to grab the series lead.

Actually, these are not really big handicaps to consider for the Boston Celtics since there are lots of games already where they won without these players in this playoffs series. Unlike in the Miami Heat, those questionable players are really doing some impact on their team.

With how the Miami Heat starters played last game, that was at their worst unlike in Boston Celtics where all of their losses, their main scorers still do have a good contribution, especially Jayson Tatum.

I will give Boston Celtics do now have an edge to win this series by 80% after Game 4 results. But still, it's early to tell since Heat will surely do everything to win as it's necessary to do so. It's just my own analysis.

The game is already in the third quarter and it seems Heat is not as weak as they are in their game 4. There is no double-digit lead from the Celtics. In fact they were able to get the lead. So this is now a different game. Adebayo and Butler are now stepping up to do something big for the team. They must have known they urgently contribute something big for Miami to win. As you rightly predicted though, Lowry remains weak and couldn't help the team much.

3rd quarter is very bad for Heat. They have 16-32 and erased their early lead and shift the momentum to Celtics. They should remove Lowry on this crucial and stop experimenting with his adjustment in the crucial matches. Lowry is playing 21 minutes without an assist and points with just 1 rebound which probably the ball just landed on his position. Heat might loss there chance to be on finals if they keep playing like this because Celtics is very strong on crucial matches especially if they already got the advantage and momentum on the 2nd half.

And they are still outscored in the 4th, not sure how they will recovered and it seems that the Celtics are going to take this win at their home court.

Yeah, not sure why Lowry wasn't inserted early and go with Struss.

Might be 4-2 next game for the Celtics here. They are good at closing crucial matches and this team are complete at both end.

Only 38 points in the 2nd half, Lowry scored 0 points, Butler obviously not playing well because of his injury maybe and Herro didn't play in Game 5. Herro and Butler are their 2 best offensive players and yet and with what's happening right now, it looks like no one can step up offensively.
Now things are favoring the Celtics as they got to win on the road and only 1 win away from getting into the NBA Finals, which is their first trip since 2010.

A low-scoring Game 5 but Tatum and Brown scored 22 and 25 points respectively. Let's give credits also to Derrick White as well, as he is playing very good in this series. Now the Heat are having problems offensively. They don't have a primary shooter right now since Butler is injured and not playing well in their last 2 games. Do you think the Celtics will finish it on their home in Game 6 or the Heat will win in the road?

Everyone on Heat is not playing well except Bam Adebayo who keeps carrying his teammates. Jimmy Butler should just rest if will play like that, At least he can recover and play better in the next games unlike this where he is very ineffective in 2 consecutive games since he returns from his injury. Celtics are laying very good overall and finishing this series as early as possible before the Heat gets the momentum again. I agree that this is already over, Miami players are just insisting to play despite they are not healthy anymore to continue their finals run. Too bad for Heat to encounter an injury issue when they are 1 match away from the finals.

In game 4, this round is exaggerated. Injuries from the description maybe there haven't been any results, both the Celtics and heat, who got more injured. But the difference in points in Game 5 and injuries are minimized. I hope the road in Game 6 can be more conducive. If it's hot it will be lower of course celtich has good enthusiasm. and maybe he will take advantage of that fight in the future
The difference in points in round 5 makes predictions almost slim. But this year's NBA Finals will be exciting

I think this series is going to end in game 6, Heat has no answer on the Celtics, their main scorer Jimmy Butler has been struggling in the last 2 games already. In game 5, he only score 13 points from a very poor shooting with 4-18, if Butler continues to struggle, then Celtics will go to the NBA Finals.

That's good if it will happen so we will witness the NBA finals soon. I'm sure the NBA Finals is going to be exciting as both teams are capable of winning, and though the Warriors are the favorite, I believe they are just slightly favorite, so the bets will be well distributed.

That's the problem that Heat needs to address if they still want to extend the finals, they should work as a team because Celtics are really dominating the series but of course there's still a chance for Heat to tied the series. Celtics should not be more complacent here, better to stay focus and try to finish the series and go to the NBA Finals. Butler should step up and do better on the do or die game, it's not too late yet.

It's too late already, if Heat would want to win, they should do it on their home court, but they failed in game 5 and it was not even a close game, so their chance of winning now is very low. Game 6 is going to be a do or die game for both teams, at least Celtics should think that way as heat will gain the momentum if they will allow the Heat to win in game 6.

Too early to say but I agree, Heat should be able to win on Game 5 but failed to do so, most probably game 6 will in favor to Celtics since its their home court advantage and the momentum is with them. If Game 6 goes to Heat there's a high chance for them to get the championship, luck can still be on their side. Eastern conference are more intense since we saw the two teams really fighting neck and neck, whoever wins on this two team the NBA finals will become more exciting.

As long as the game is not over yet, there's still a chance for the Heat to come back and win the series. Look at the Celtics vs Bucks series, it was Bucks who first reach 3 wins in the series but Celtics won the last 2 games that eliminated the Bucks.

There should be no room for error for them in the next 2 games. Although it can be done, but their chances are slim. Now they have to go to Boston Garden wherein they were eaten alive in the first quarter alone, 18-1 run. And then the injuries are pilling up, Herro is out, Butler and Lowry is still feeling some pain and not fully recovered. Only Bam is taking the load but he was check by Big Al and Williams. And then their medical team doing a great job on Tatum's injury. Celtics will go to the NBA finals next game.

Even if the Heat will survive in game 6 and gain the home court advantage in game 7, I still think that the Heat will not be favored to win the series as Celtics have beat them twice in a row already in a dominant passion on their own home court. Game 6 is a must-win for both teams, but it should be the better team that will win.

Man these games have pretty much been boring, for both conference finals. Seems like whomever wins ends up winning by a wide margin. As a Bulls fan I was rooting for the Miami Heat being Jimmy Butler is their star player and all, but I have to say it’s almost a certainty in my mind now that we are going to see the Warriors versus the Celtics in the finals.

Yes, for now, that's the most probable thing that would happen.

They are just one win away to advance in the NBA Finals, so I'm hoping that NBA Finals would not be boring and it's going to be a close game like what we always wanted to see. I'm rooting for the Warriors to win the NBA Finals, so I will cheer for them.

Bam Adebayo made the biggest contributor of the team but it is still not enough because he cannot carry the team well as their offensive players have sustained injury but they chose not rest it. To me, if only Jimmy Butler did rested fully on Game 4 then he could pretty much give more than what he did in the game earlier but no, instead he played and yet he still barely helped the team. They got this all coming because they don't know when to rest and accept defeat, it's a series game and if they know that they are no match in that specific game then they should just take some time off.

I'm not a Heat fan tho ;D

Actually, you're right about that because the Boston Celtics are just one game away from advancing to the Finals while the Heat seriously needs to be consistent but the problem is almost all of them mainly their key players are badly injured from the previous games while the Celtics situation is not as bad as the Heats problem.
The Boston Celtics figure of 80% chance to win this series is quite relevant.

First of all we are still not certain who will win from the Heat vs Celtics game. We know that Celtics are ahead right now but then we could have a win by Heat on the next one, and that could be something difficult to decide since game 7's are always a bit of a challenge and a tossup, you could literally flip a coin for that winner.

At this point, Warriors will play for sure, but I do not know which one will face Warriors. Celtics would be a great matchup though, they have great wings and guards that could defend against Curry and Klay, which would be their benefit. Give Marcus Smart to Curry, and Jaylen Brown to Klay, and let Tatum decide on who to help, and switch things around constantly.

There’s no final result yet and who knows, maybe Butler will double time to work with his team and take the game 6, that’s not boring to me since we saw a lot of twist since the playoff started and now we are getting closer to see the teams going into the NBA Finals. Though the way Celtics played in Game 5, I believe they have more confidence now but with Miami, they should stay focus. I loss some bets with Miami but that’s fine, and I’ll take the risk again placing some bet with them, this is more exciting than expected.

I don't get bored too with the series although the competition got wrecked because of some unexpected injuries. I don't understand why the series becomes boring to others. Maybe common for not really an NBA enthusiast and just showing at the playoffs or Finals.

Regarding the series, since minor to major injuries occur at some starters for the Heat, it gives a domino effect on their offensive strategy. Jimmy Butler might be playing right now and showing no signs of injury but he has that he got in Game 3. It's impossible that he already fully recovered from that but since it's a call of duty to play and he is cleared to do it, he risks it to help the team.

I'm seeing Boston Celtics will end this series next game at their home.

The way Miami Heat played last game, there's no room for the same performance and mistakes next game. They lacked short in the last quarter and that's the time Celtics managed to get the big lead. I'm even thinking that the Heat's last game doesn't have any boost nor any encouragement. They already seem to waive the white flag when Celtics continuously pounding them. There's a small effort on getting back on feet for even let's say Celtics did a great defense limiting Heat's offense.

If that kind of playing performance for the Heat will happen again, then see them next season. The Celtics deserve to reach the Finals as honestly, their playoffs journey this year is tough as they faced all the big teams in the East.

I'm sure that Celtics are preparing hard to finish the series in game 6. Warriors had already advance in the NBA Finals, they don't want to get so tired facing the Warriors, so this game 6 is very important for them and they should not make a mistake. I am prediction a low scoring game tomorrow as it's going to be physical both teams wanting to win.

Both teams played a defensive game, so most likely it's a low scoring game again.
The over/under line now is 201. Last game, they only have a total of 173 points, so I think that 201 is already high and the under looks very attractive.

This will be a hard battle, Heat will surely not give up on this easily and that low scoring game are more possible.
We know this two teams are great in physical plays, it's just a matter of proper execution. Below 190 points are more possible, this could be a safe points to predict. Warriors will surely look into this game and watch the team that they are going to face in the finals, Celtics is on a good position here.

Warriors are always ready for whoever wins the series. As a fan, I like to see the best to face the Warriors so both teams will have even support from the bettors. The Celtics are likely to win, question is if they can cover the spread since I'm a bit doubtful because of the past result that the Celtics have beat them via blowout.

The Heat - Celtics series is coming to an end soon. Celtics are in the lead by 3-2 for now. Their high effort in the last two games of the series was worth appreciating very much I think. But I expect Heat to win the third game actually. It is just like a sixth sense or something like that for me.  ;D  But when it comes to the probable winner of the series, I'll continue with Celtics. I like the way they compete more than Heat's. I will just expect them to defend Heat strongly in the seventh game and win 4-3 at the end.

I hope the Celtics will continue to play hard, they need to keep their composure as closing a series is not easy. Their advantage is they are at their home court, the fans are supporting them as they like to celebrate the success of the Celtics if they will beat the Heat tomorrow.

The hype is gone for the Heat now, though I would say they are a good team, they have not made the right adjustment in the series resulting in a blowout loss in game 5.

It's a tough choice to make because their previous games in this series were all won by 10+ points by both teams, but I'm rooting for the Celtics to win here and close the series. This will be a close and low scoring game but the Heat's key players are mostly injured and they're just nursing it for the time being because they cannot afford to lose without giving a fight.

I think the Celtics finish things off tonight and send the Heat fishing.  They've got to be looking to get this series behind them so they can rest up and get ready for the Warriors.  Nobody on the Celtics want to know the Warriors are relaxing and watching game tape while they're still preparing for the Heat matchup...  I'm expecting a good first half that turns into a blowout as the Heat give up and Tatum or Smart walking away with the first ever Eastern Conference MVP award.

Things can be over in this series tonight. Celtics are very close to ending this. If they win tonight, they are ending it by 4-2. On the other hand, it is going to be another very difficult game for Heat and Celtics both. Heat would try their best to collect themselves by winning the sixth game here. Even if they make it, it would be by a close gap I think. Because I don't expect to see Celtics playing in a complacent way. Their defensive performance was really impressive the last time and I hope to see it again. I believe Celtics will finish this tonight.

I expect another grind out game here and a low scoring affair.  Going to be real tough for Miami to win in Boston.  Would like to see Miami come through to give us a game 7.  Haven't even checked to see if hero is playing tonight but if he can get out there, he helps spreads the floor otherwise Boston can pack it in the paint.  Enjoy the game go heat!

Teams like the Heat are tested in this kind of situation, I mean they needed to win in this game to force a game 7. So there is still a chance for them to win and go to the finals. They will have to take it one game at a time. They have the experience and the players to do so. They will just have to think positive as they are in the brink of elimination. So I wouldn't be surprised when fans thinks that they are done then suddenly comes back and win game 6 and then go home and try to win game 7.

They have to keep playing hard, that is all they could do, that's their system. They play a very hardcore defense, and in this day and age, if you are playing amazing perimeter defense, then you are blocking most teams to score as easily as they want, Heat is a marvelous three point shooting team and since Celtics could stop them from there, a lot of the workload comes to Bam, let's see if Celtics could go on and win this, or will Heat push it to 7 game series.

This also works well for Warriors, if Heat wins, it will take a while longer before they play their next game, hence they will have a lot of time to rest and play in the finals.

Tyler Herro is out. But even if he will play, there are no changes. It's difficult to think he will be at 100% healthy status if he can make it tonight. It will affect his overall performance. Miami Heat shows already their capability in those 5 games. I'm pretty sure that the series will be over and no more Game 7 will happen. I'm just biased because I have an ongoing bet on the Celtics to win the series even though I'm not a fan of them lol.

Once the Celtics managed to get a lead for over 10+, that's the start of frustration for the Heat and they are done now.

I'm pretty sure the Boston Celtics will now end the series later. Miami Heat already did their best but it's clear they can't stand a chance to bounce back in this series. Playing at the Celtics arena, the crowd will boost their strength to finally end the series. It will be Celtics vs Warriors in the Finals.

Seems not a good match to me even though Miami will win in this series. Golden State Warriors is already an automatic winner for me in the NBA Finals. Never seen any reason why the Warriors should struggle at the ECF Champion.

It's pretty intense game so far though, the Heat had a good start and then the Celtics has to claw back in the 4th quarter.

They are currently tied at 99 with 2 minutes to go, this game could go either way so let's see who will earn the right to face the Warriors in the finals.

Edit: Heat now leads 99-104, 1:25 minutes to go.

Heat already got the game 6 and they are now forced to do the game 7 round. A healthy Jimmy Butler is too much for the Boston to handle plus the help of effective Lowry and Tucker. The game was so intense and I'm surprised that Boston keeps losing in there own home court even with there match against Bucks. Game 7 will be do or die so I expect a very close fight in there next game. Celtics is really exhausted in case they won the series because they already have a back 2 back game 7 match before the finals.  :D

Exhausted? I don't believe in that, if they will be in the NBA Finals, they won't feel that because they are hungrier to win than feeling the tiredness. Celtics is going to avenge their loss in game 7, and the bookies believe in that, reason why they are still the favorite now with -2.5 currently.

Heat ML looks so easy for majority of the bettor, but it's not gonna be easy.

Hunger to win is negligible if the player already feels the fatigue and injury during the finals match. We already witness a good example of this when GSW defeated by Raptors on the NBA finals where GSW stars 1 by 1 and become injured there NBA matches which results to lose the championship. They are still human so anything can happen to there health if they are consistently subjected to heavy physical games.

The Celtics will obviously still be the favourite because they defeated Milwaukee which is the defending champion. I doubt that they will still be the favorite in the Finals match. But I do preferred Celtics to win the ECF so that they have the momentum run and beat the GSW in the finals.

I think that's a different scenario because we all know that the Warriors that time prior to the injury were the heavy favorite to win in the NBA Finals. First they lose Durant, 2nd they lose Thompson, so you can't expect a team to win anymore. In the coming NBA Finals, let's just hope that both teams are healthy so we will see a great NBA Finals series.

Hunger to win isn't enough to really win championships IMO. If your players are tired and haven't rested enough and you let them play in a highly stressful environment, there'll be limits on the duration of their peak performance and then they'll just fall off on the later quarters of the game. For sure all of the contenders that plays on NBA is always hungry for that championship ring, but not everyone who has that hunger and drive has the ability to convert it into a win.

I agree, I don't think that the Celtics is exhausted in this game, it's that the Heat has more heart to win and wanted to force a game 7 at their homecourt. I'm just shocked though to see that they are still the favorite despite their bad performance. Jimmy Butler is back and so is Kyle Lowry, and they are good at shooting in their homecourt, I expect Struss and Caleb Martin or even if Robinson will allowed to play, they are going to shoot more 3 point in game 7.

They are professionals, I'm pretty sure they know how to manage themselves. Yes, Warriors are now resting because the series is over, but that doesn't mean tha they will easily beat the winner of Celtics/Heat series. I still think that the better team will win and personally I think Warriors are the better team but I would  not underestimate the heat or Celtics.

And this is what I'm talking about, the Heat coming back in game 6 and now forcing a decider at FTX arena wherein they have the home court. And it's the other way around this time, the Heat shooting very good at Boston Garden, and although the Celtics was able to take a lead in the 4th quarter, Jimmy drive for a lay up and a FT and then Lowry shooting a 3 point shot to make a separation. And then they play good defense, steal the ball or allow the penetrators to pass the ball outside in which the Celtics can't convert.

As expected, they played a good game today and they really not giving up yet. Game 7 will be a crucial for Celtics since this will be the home court of Heat and we know how much the energy the crowd can give to the players, hopefully Celtics will not be intimidated by this and just stay focus on the game. With the way both team played today, I'm actually having a hard time to analyze on where to put my bet in game 7, I know Heat will have the home court advantage here but Celtics are still a good team and they will not give up as well. For this, I will go now for Celtics to take the championship and face Warriors in the final, will place some bet here because I know Celtics are so eager to go back in NBA Finals.

Unfortunately, they are not able to finish the series in game 6 which is too costly for them but of course there still a chance for them to take the championship but expect a more tough battle with Heat, especially now that game 7 will be the home court advantage of Heat. Celtics have to be more consistent this time, this is a do or die for them, it's been 12 years since Celtics enter into NBA Finals, I hope they will grab this opportunity and beat Heat again for one last time.

This match is really very costly for them because they have all the advantage on today's match to finish the series yet they can't stop Jimmy Butler to carry the Heat. Playing at enemy homecourt during the game 7 is a very tough to win if we consider how good Miami Heat at Home. I will bet on Miami this time since Jimmy Butler performance and the other starter is now good compared on the previous matches.

The improvement of Kyle Lowry is very noticeable because Butler is now have space to do easy shot.

There's no consistency in this series, one day a star will struggle but the next day he will be carrying his team to win. So I don't count the Celtics out already here, because we've seen this before the current series in the Bucks vs Celtics series when we thought Bucks will win but the Celtics still beat them although Bucks too a 3-2 lead first.

Celtics is a tough team also, in game 7, they will give everything they have because there's no tomorrow.

No consistency with the superstars in this series lol.
Tatum and Butler's performance in this series are as volatile as crypto lol. They would struggle like hell and scores less than 10 pts on a certain game and then look at how Butler bounced back. He managed to score 47 points  to keep the series alive.
I though the Celtics have turned the momentum on their favor when Derrick White cut and took the lead. But, Jalen was struggling. Too many bad calls. However, that's the most entertaining game for this series so far after those blow out games early in this series. I hope game 7 is more entertaining.

Lol everyone counting out the heat like the Celtics were playing Orlando or something.  Heat didn't trip into the 1 seed, they are legit.  Not a fan of either team but I'm rooting for Jimmy to get a ring, dude is amazing to watch and never gets any love.  Game 7 is gonna be so good, can't wait.

Unfortunately, the Boston Celtics have been defeated by the Miami Heat earlier and the latter have successfully forced a Game 7 that will be played in their home at Miami. The game was tough and the Celtics clearly did their best to cover up and have some good rally but Jimmy Butler was a beast and contributed 47 points. The rest of the Heat roster made a contribution but Butler literally carried the team to finish the game in their favor.

Surely, there's many who lose their bets because same as us, they also expected that the Celtics will close the series. I can see that the Heat bettors are now happy for the odds they got lol.

Me too. I think that the guy deserves to get a ring and he forced the game 6 to be theirs. Well, it's a do or die next match so, it's the fate deciding factor for him and the team if they'll be the one to be against GSW.

It's always the better team that wins and that's why at the end they're proclaimed as the champions of the season per se. The crowd is thinking about Warriors to be getting this year's ring but we don't know, let's just wait and see.

This series has been quite a ride. Game 6 was amazing from beginning to the end. Jimmy Butler was incredible. When things were tough, when there is a chance for elimination, he steps up big time. That is the kind of player I respect. He is not so athletic, not super talented, but obviously a super hard worker and has winning mentality. He will never be up there as the other superstars or franchise players probably but he is surely one the greatest players now. Game 7 is going to be amazing. Both teams will have incredible mindsets to win and even tough if we see a team with a big lead, I am %100 sure it will be a game to remember.

This could be said about Celtics defense as well. One game they have amazing defense, one game they let Butler score 100 points in a single quarter. I do not understand why it is like that but I know that if they do not have a good defense on game 7 then they are going to end up losing the series. What made them win all those games was the fact that they were capable of stopping stars, and anytime they couldn't stop the stars, or the three point shooters, they lost the games.

It is going to be a very tough last game, and it is going to work out so well for Warriors as well, they are taking that extra vacation and they are going to be much better in the finals, I say the winner of the league is already decided unless something unexpected happens.

Its always fun now to same game 7 and Boston celtics had a match point against Miami but now they will need to fight them again for the last time. Butler will decide where the game will go. If he is hot Miami will probobly go into the next round. Thats what happened in last few matches

One night later, we are going to find out the winner of the series. Heat said that it was not over by winning Game 6 by 111-103. In this victory, Jimmy Butler had an incredibly big role that's for certain. His 47 points were nearly the half of the points the team had in the end. But the final game is going to be very competitive I think. I expect a much closer final score at the end of the game. Warriors are waiting for their opponent in the finals now. If you ask me which one of these teams I would like to see in the finals, I'd say Celtics.

The bottom line is, every players, every teams, that are currently alive in the playoff series deserves to get a ring. They won't reach their respective spots if they didn't give their best. Technically speaking, both Miami Heat and Boston Celtics shows their off-night and best nights already making it difficult to analyze the per-game results. I admit, I too was having a hard time analyzing their game.

In their last game, I honestly even thought that the Celtics will now advance to the Finals by 80% but I'm wrong. The series between Miami Heat and Boston Celtics is really a close match. Since they have now reached the Final game, there should be no room for any mistakes.

Absolutely!

With this performance (Butler), it just goes to show how important he is in the team!
When the team needs Butler, he's there to help the team and the teammates!!

I believe the Heat has a great chance to reach NBA finals, and game 7 will be at their home (American Airlines Arena), this is an interesting variable that can help the Heat win the game

Game 7 will be tomorrow, finally, we will see the biggest game so far in the playoffs.

I like the status of the Heat here, they are the home team, and yet they are underdog per sportsbook betting odds.
Butler has to drop a good number, that way their chance to win is good.

He is and we'll get to see how he performs again for the game 7. Who was it again that has tweeted that they'll go against Boston. That guy from GSW. I can't remember.

Well, it's true that everyone really deserves it. But when it comes to this point that it's only a few of them remaining, we'll be going with the idea that whoever does the best deserves it. This is the last game for both of them on this semis and it's going to force each of them at their best.

It's the conference finals, yes, they will give their best as no more excuses for this game. Hopefully the Celtics will not complain more to the refs like they did in game 6 because it will only loss their focus on the game, a team with great focus and teamwork should win.

I agree with that, the moment Celtics start to get frustrated because the call is not in their favor, that would only make them lose their focus. Actually, that game 6 was close, there were instances in the 4th quarter when they took the lead, however, it's the Heat's composure that make them come back and beat the Celtics.

The same story, there's still no one who could stop Butler, while the heat had a brilliant strategy of doubling Tatum or Brown whenever they got the ball.

There will always complain especially if there's a bad calls that needs to be addressed, they are already in the finals and that referees should judge the game fairly. I expect to see more intense game here, and Celtics will not give up even if the Heat will have the home court advantage. Celtics will do their best, I will place my bet with them since I know they are the real contender here, they just need to be more consistent and yes, better to focus on the game while having those complains, that can also lose the momentum especially if Heat takes the lead. This is exciting, I can't wait to watch them one last time for this conference.

Celtics is the winning favorite by most but we can't underestimate Heats as well as they will surely give their best for this final game. I will not say the results lies in how the referee managed the game and bad call that distract the players, it was indeed the team will work and do the teamwork. Likely, we expect a more physical approach to both teams and for sure hard fouls (wrong call is possible). Only I just hope that there is no hard injury happens to the players.

Warriors are showing their championship form, they always bounce back after every lose and have dominated their opponents.

1st round = 4-1
2nd round = 4-2
WCF = 4-1

That numbers are very scary, they may not be the old team but I think they are better now.
With Curry who still is very consistent, and Thompson found his rhythm again, I guess they would give a problem to their opponent.

But all of that will be erased once we are in the NBA Finals.

The good thing in this coming NBA Finals is that we have a balance between two teams, what I mean is there's no team that is heavily favored to win, so bettors can choose between the two and still believe that what team they'll choose will have a great chance of winning.

Whichever team make it to the final round of this season, they are going to have a very difficult work to do. Because the competitor for them is going to be Warriors in the end. Warriors are much stronger than before now. I mean they are like this as a team. Curry and Thompson don't have to carry all the games anymore. Against a this much powerful offense team, I think that Celtics would be the most challenging competitor. The reason why I think like this is that Celtics are a much stronger defense team than Heat.

The sportsbooks are also favoring Celtics here. I am checking the pulse of the bettors here. Maybe, I'll just put my money also on the total points betting line here. But we can't ignore the possibility that Heat will go all in for this game. So both would have hard time making points because of the strong defense. Let us see. If Heat will make a very good strategy, they can upset Celtics in this game.

There is a reason why they are the "underdogs" even though they lead the eastern conference and they still took the series to 7 game and basically they look like it is equal betting right now, it is just that Celtics looked a bit more comfortable on games they won, whereas Heat looked a bit less comfortable when they won.

So, people assumed Celtics could win easily if they play their game well enough, but to be fair if Heat could hit their threes again, I believe they could win equally. I would put this game to 2.50-2.50 odds equally to be fair, because to me these two teams are equally good and there is no difference between them at all.

Still a good numbers though, a gauge on how good the Warriors is on this playoff so this could have a carry over, as sort of momentum in the finals regardless on how they are going to face.

I doubt that, Warriors will be heavy favored in the first 2 games, even at the who is going to win the NBA finals, they are a huge favorite against the Heat and the Celtics.

As for this, I like the chances of Heat to win in this game 7.

I think that's not the current situation. In the upcoming NBA Finals, regardless of who will win tonight between Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, the Golden State Warriors will surely be the heavy favorite. I think saying it's "balance" might not be appropriate. Even referring to the current NBA Champion outright odds right now, the odds for those remaining Eastern teams have a wide gap on the Warriors' odds.

But anyhow, I'm hoping regardless of who will in the Eastern Conference Finals, they will give the Warriors a tough competitive game.

There is a very little time left to Game 7 between these teams. They have a similar chance to move on to the finale. Like many people I also started to be more positive about Celtics. It doesn't seem like they would lose this series from this point. The defenses will be important for both teams and Celtics might be able to become superior about it nicely. I just expect a high scoring game anyway to determine the winner. Celtics should be winning at the end.

Celtics is the Eastern Conference Champion!
The last 3 point attempt by Butler is very crucial, he should not shot that in a hurry or at least go for the 2 points shot so they can tied with Celtics at score of 98 and go for OT, that was a very costly mistake for him and a shot to remember. Congrats for Celtics after years of being out in the finals now they came back stronger.  :)

Agree on this. They are craving to take the lead even before that crucial shot that make them loss so much field goal attempt. The last mistake of Butler shows how he is too confident to himself that he didn't wait for his teammate to be on position if he really wants that shot. He should atleast drive inside and get a potential 3 point play by getting foul counted since the only defender that time is Horford which is easy for him to get an easy foul due to AL size.

Still good thing that Boston so that GSW will finally get a good fight that they deserve. I'm hoping for a game 7 on this upcoming NBA finals.

The Finals matchup has been set, and everyone gets excited whoever wins this NBA title. Celtics vs Warriors for the NBA title, not only a battle of their respective coaches but definitely its for the best team to win, and all team members must have prepared their defense and shooting skills for that. Both Celtics and Warriors are tough so expect that this will be another memorable game that  will amaze everyone, so good luck for both of the team.

Celtics got in, so it's GSW and them. Good luck to both teams then.

The duo for the Dub nation will always be the best of them on that team. They're always showing who they are and they always give their best. And with this finals, it's for sure that they'll be able to get into hand in hand match against Celtics. The game 1 is one of the intensed number of the finals because whoevers fire up and wins it, gets the confidence.

Yes, now it's going to be the Celtics vs the Warriors. I thought that it will be Miami, nevertheless it is a good match up for the Warriors. Celtics might be a difficult match up.

So congrats to those who have backup the Celtics in their series against the Heat. I wanted to see the Heat again go into the finals, but I guess Celtics deserves it more this year as they really work very hard for it. Jayson Tatum now, a true superstar.

I think Udonis Haslem can easily go retire now, now that Draymond really has predicted that broken code. Well, congratulations to the Celtics making it to the Finals. Saw a thread about the revenge tour of Celtics in Facebook (Meta) after losing from past 2019-2021 playoffs from Nets, Bucks and Heat, they now made it to the Finals beating these teams in just 1 playoff this year alone. Just wow!

Celtics wasn't the favorite team to make it to the Finals but against all odds they made it, more like an underdog for this match against Warriors since this time people's favorite is Warriors to win the Finals. Of course, we love underdogs and of course, I go for Celtics.

Celtics really deserved it, after all the hardwork they finally reached the finals. It was a bit thrilling on the finals minute of the game as Celtics became lost for a minute as they carelessly didn't hold on to a 10 point lead. Lucky, Jimmy didn't make the three.
Who else right here who appreciates what Butler did on that last crucial possession? Heat and Butler is drained and won't probably going to win the OT. That was a bad decision and shot selection for Butler at first sight, but nah, that was the right thing to do. Live or die with that 3.

I think you what you meant is that the Miami Heat have managed to win some games but barely compared to the Boston Celtics who have dominated them if they win some games.

The bookies are seeing them as an underdog because they are undermanned and the rest of the roster are just nursing their injury while playing. So, the Celtics indeed have some advantage. Also, people don't really expected that Jimmy Butler could duplicate his performance on Game 6 and carry the team again.

And looks like they were right after all because the Celtics have won the conference.

Congratulations to the Celtics for winning the ECF. That was a hell of a game, Heat almost made it, if only Butler did not rush his decision, he shots a 3 point instead of attacking, I don't know what he was thinking, maybe he just want his team to be ahead, but his shot is not a high percentage shot, there's a better shot than that. What a waste of effort, they could have a comeback win.

Celtics have dominated the entire game, they started with a big lead in the 1st quarter and Heat were slowly getting back in the game in the 2nd half, but this time, it was the Celtics who were able to maint their composure, and the Heat's 3 point shooting was not effective when it's needed most.

Great series, it has surely entertained the fans, and now let's welcome the NBA Finals, Celtics vs Warriors.

6/30 3 point shooting. That's a bad ratio. It's both combination of hardcore defense of the Celtics and a bad night for the Miami Heat.
Strus 2/7, Vincent 1/3, Tucker 0/2. This ain't the average we have seen from them. They usually make those 3 point shots as long as they are open and they had their chances but just an off night.
I took a bet for the Miami Heat here as I thought they were the better team after winning Game 6. I was wrong but thumbs up to their performance.

Yeah, missed the live game tbh but watching the replay and highlights they literally blow it on the beginning of the game but Heat catch-up and that was the thriling one, if Jimmy didn't take that three, take a timeout, or instead go head onto the paint, that would have even tied the game or make a winning.

Butler and Adebayo are the ones lifting them up but that was a crucial mistake I guess for Jimmy, they have plenty of time or they at least have maximize that tone last timeout. Coaching staff would be at fault once again I guess, they should've look at it. Anyways, it's over, better luck again for them the next time.

They almost wasted their opportunity, Smart made a lot of attempts in the 3 point line but it did not sink in, it seemed like they allow him to shoot. Unfortunately their rally is not enough because they still fall short in the end, Butler was the best player but he was also partly to be blame because of his last shot that did not went it.

I seriously think that Butler didn't rushed that shot, they cannot make it through the end of the game if he forced an OT. That is why he suddenly tried to shoot a long three even though he can make a 2 point shot if he chose to attack the paint. They were already tired and Bam Adebayo cannot force himself in the center because he was also busy on offensive while the others cannot make a shot.

Congratulations to the Boston Celtics especially Jayson Tatum for winning the ECF MVP award.

Jason Tatum deserves that award, he was a big contributor to the success of their team, so now it's going to be Curry vs Tatum as they are the best players on their respective team. It's a different kind of ball game, back to zero, and hopefully, a game 7 is possible again.

Celtics finally managed to eliminate Heat by the seventh game. But it wasn't easy for them certainly. While there were around three minutes left to the end, the game started to be more interesting. Marcus Smart wasted some chances and Heat punished their opponent after that. That three pointer was very important for Heat to stay in the game too. However they still couldn't make it and Celtics secured the 100-96 win. I appreciate Heat's performance a lot too during the whole series. They both deserved to advance.

I do not see a game 7 in this series. Celtics are already tired, there is no way they can take it to 7 games with this tired legs. The first thing that goes away when you are super tired is the defense, then the offense becomes a bit more balls go short when you shoot type of situation, and that becomes an easy target for the other team.

What could warriors do? They could up the pace, and even if they miss, they could just run the ball constantly and shoot, play the famous 7 seconds or less ball. That will result with high possessions, and a lot of running, and that would ruin celtics. If I can think of that, think what Kerr could be planning now, it is going to be super easy for them.

Yeah, it is expected that Jason Tatum will win the ECF MVP award no doubt about that.

And the Heat losses big time, they have their chances to win game 7, only if Butler hit that crucial 3 point they might win it as they will have a 1 point lead. But that's how the game is, and then the Heat again started slow that gives them a hard time to trying to get close as Boston is not going to give up that lead easily specially in a game 7.

It was a good decision to take a three to win the game at that moment but he made it tough for himself. He took it too quickly even if he's already tired and his teammates weren't set to help in rebound if he misses. It wasn't even a long three but he almost airballed that one. He could have made one more pass  for a little breather and look for a screen.

Celtics have made it! They didn't prove many people who were believing in them wrong and defeated Heat by only a gap of four points. The last moments were thrilling and Celtics let their opponent come more and start becoming hopeful for a comeback. However they still had things under control later and became victorious. There was a great team play by Celtics too. Tatum, Brown and Smart shared similar statistics. Butler's effort was in vain this time but I really liked his trying this hard.

There are lots of "what if" bro. What if he nailed it? That wrong decision will turn into a good decision, right? The play won't be wrong in the eyes of others since Butler made it. Actually, even some fans may be upset about the decision, it will be a different story if that 3 went it.

The Heat was rallying throughout the game and that was exhausting. Instead of fully blaming Jimmy Butler, blame his other teammates that only wake up in the final minutes like Oladipo and Lowry. If only these guys are red-hot early, Butler won't take much of the load to narrow down the lead.

Of course, there are a lot of 'what if' in that scenario, maybe it was an ill advised shot, just like what Dame did against PG13 and the Clippers in a close out game.

For sure it will haunt Jimmy Butler for the rest of his NBA career, but then again, that is his decision. If he made the shot then he will be the hero, simply as that.

I can look at this objectively and my stand remains that there was a better way to take it. I won't have a problem if he misses as long as he took more time to set up a good play before shooting a three.

Precisely why it was the better decision to take a little breather. They probably have 10 seconds more to set.

This is not about a blame game.

Dame made it but I'm with PG13 that it was still a bad shot.

Yeah, that last shot. Many would have thought that the story would be different if that came in for the Heat, but it didn't. We're going to see on Friday the very first match between the Celtics and the Warriors.
Since this thread is all about Heat and Celtics, I think it's now time to close the thread since there are other threads that would discuss the finals for NBA.

I believe it's the bettors who blames Jimmy Butler for that quick 3 point shot he didn't made because even in my side, I always hear that he could have pass that ball to others who could make the shot at point blank or he can attack the paint and make the shot and maybe go for an overtime. I was just listening but I said to myself, if only they knew how tired was Jimmy Butler for carrying the team. He played for almost 50 minutes and barely rest in between quarters and time outs while his team are not that consistent.

It was a good play and the Miami Heat still deserves some credits mainly Jimmy Butler because they got to the conference finals.

I agree that people need to stop blaming Jimmy Butler. Yes, it was a bad attempt knowing there was no team mate in position to get the rebound and Jimmy Butler is not really the 3-point guy. But it's Jimmy Butler. He is the main reason why Miami Heat is the top seed in the east. He is the main reason why they reached eastern finals and made a gallant effort to reach the series at maximum game 7.

With the current Miami roster and its consistency, without Jimmy Butler they won't achieve it. In my opinion, they actually over achieved this season. Only Jimmy Butler, Adebayo and an old, injured P.J. Tucker passed the exams.     

I'm indeed happy for him for having that MVP award and including Al Horford, he is now 35 years old and at last he now made an appearance in the NBA Finals.

As a leader, Curry and Tatum's mindset will be a big contributor to the team's success but without the help of their respective teams, their contribution and energy will just be wasted. As for Curry it's vs Marcus Smart and for Tatum it's vs Wiggins, yes I hope that the series will reach Game 7.

As you said, they are already tired and we can really see how exhausted the whole team was especially Bam who cannot even do his thing because Butler needs his ability in offense. For sure they've talked about making that three point shot whenever they have an open shot and Butler did it but it didn't go through.