We have the first conference championship set and it happens in the East. The Boston Celtics will battle the Miami Heat for the right to go to the NBA Finals. The Heat finished off the defending league MVP and Milwaukee Bucks in five games. Miami swept the Pacers in the first round of the playoffs. Boston got here by defeating the defending champions in an epic seven game series. In the opening round, Boston swept the 76ers. Both of these teams are in my top 5 teams that could take home the championship. For me, Boston was expected to advance in this series. Milwaukee was picked to beat Miami despite the Heat being the only team that have a winning record against them. Will the long layoff effect the Heat? How will the exhausting 7-game series affect the Celtics? Could Hayward make a return in the series against the Heat?
Miami have been all about their business since the playoffs started. They swept the Pacers in dominating fashion. In the second round, they pretty much dominated the Bucks also. Jimmy Butler has stated that this a business trip and they haven’t played their best basketball yet. The Heat are a great overall team that can shoot and play defense with the best of them. Bam Adebayo has turned into one of the best players in the league. Duncan Robinson is one of the best pure shooters in the league. The leadership of Jimmy Butler has this team thinking they can beat anyone in any given night. Coach Erik Spoelstra is one of the best coaches in the league. Can he lead the Heat to their 5th NBA Finals under him? How will Miami try to contain all the scorers for Boston?
Boston have gotten so close to the NBA Finals under Coach Brad Stevens. Two years ago, they lost to the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals. Last year, Milwaukee upended them in the conference semifinals. This year, Jayson Tatum stepped his game up to becoming a superstar. Jaylen Brown has grown into one of the best 2-way players in the league. He’s able to guard the toughest guy on the court while putting up 20+ points. Kemba Walker has fitted in nicely with this team, but he struggled against the Raptors. Marcus Smart has shown numerous times why he’s the heart and soul of this squad. Will the Celtics finally make it to the NBA Finals with this team? Boston can’t let their guard down against this Heat team like they did against Toronto.
Will Boston get more help in scoring with Gordon Hayward this series? This could be another 7-game series for the Celtics. If so, does the Celtics have it in them to survive another one? This is sure to be a tough and scrappy series between these two. The reserves should play a huge factor in this series. If Heyward were to return, this would give Boston more scoring off the bench. How will rookies, Tyler Herro and ROY runner-up Kendrick Nunn affect this series? I’ve said Boston is my favorite to come out of the East and I’m going to stick with that. Boston Wins Series 4-2 and Advanced to the NBA Finals
