Eastern Conference Finals (Heat vs Celtics)

[stadus]

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.

[1714874610]

1714874610

[1714874610]

1714874610

[1714874610]

1714874610

[1714874610]

1714874610

[1714874610]

1714874610

[Baofeng]

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.

[Yamifoud]

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.

[rdbase]

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.

[Velvet78]

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.

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.

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.

[harizen]

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.

[OgNasty]

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).

[Hypnosis00]

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.

[Fundamentals Of]

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.

[Dave1]

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.

[Botnake]

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.

[Fundamentals Of]

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.

[OgNasty]

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.

[Coin_trader]

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.

[Distinctin]

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.

[Yaunfitda]

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.

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.

[OgNasty]

It's almost inevitable for them to lose the game today but at least they gave the Celtics a good game.

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...

[freedomgo]

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.

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.

[Fundamentals Of]

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.

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.

[Coin_trader]

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.