The Miami Heat took advantage of a fatigued Boston Celtics team with a 93-79 win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics went into the half tied at 46-46 after putting up 35-points in the 2nd quarter, but that was close as they would get. The Heat took charge of the game with a 26-15 3rd quarter. These two teams will be back at it on Wednesday for Game 2 in Miami. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 EST and will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Having a look at the odds for Game 2, we get a very similar set of lines compared to Game 1. Miami is favored by 7.5-points over Boston with the total set at 177. The Heat covered an 8-point spread and the two teams finished under the total of 178.5 on Monday. Double-click here to get the latest on the Heat and Celtics series.
Boston
I wouldn’t count the Celtics out after a poor showing in Game 1. Boston was really in a difficult spot. The Celtics had just played Game 7 in their series with the 76ers on Saturday, and got little rest after flying to Miami on Sunday. The numbers definitely back the fact that the Celtics were tired. Boston was out-rebounded 48-33, scored just 33 points in the second half, and shot 39.5% from the field (4-14 from behind the 3-point line). With a couple of good nights of sleep and a full day of rest, Boston should come out with a lot more energy in Game 2.
Defensively the Celtics have to be happy with the fact that they held the Heat to just 89 points, but they are going to need to make some major improvements on the offensive end to even think about winning on Wednesday. While the Celtics exploded for 35-points in the 2nd quarter they managed just 44 points in the the other three quarters combined. Kevin Garnett was the only player for Boston who shot the ball well, scoring 23 points on 9 of 16 shooting. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo combined for just 34 points and were a miserable 14 of 45 from the floor.
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In order for the Celtics to turn this series around and steal a game in Miami, they are going to need a much better performance out of their star players. The guy who really needs to step up is Pierce, who managed just 12 points, three assists and 2 rebounds in Game 1. Boston also has to look to attack more in the open court, as they struggled to score in their half- court offense.
Miami
Erik Spoelstra has to be pleased with how well his team played in Game 1. Miami was clearly the more aggressive team on both sides of the floor, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade continued to put up enormous numbers, and the role players had one of their best games of the postseason. All of that’s great, but it won’t matter as much if they don’t come back and win Game 2. If the Heat can simply match their effort from Game 1, they should head to Boston with a 2-0 series lead.
James continued his incredible play in the postseason with 32 points, 13 rebounds and three assists. He shot a remarkable 13 of 22 from the field. Wade was also extremely efficient offensively. He finished with 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting and added a team-high seven assists. The huge difference in this game was the play of the Heat role players. Shane Battier posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, Mario Chalmers added 9 points, five rebounds, and four assists, and Mike Miller went 3 of 5 for eight points in just 12 minutes off the bench. Any time the Heat get 39 points outside of James and Wade, they are hard to beat.
if you take out the 2nd quarter, Miami’s defense was about as good as it can get. James did a superb job of not letting Pierce get going early and James and Wade really slowed down Rondo in the second half. The Celtics are going to come out with more energy defensively and will make a few changes on the offensive end. If Miami can match their defensive intensity from Game 1 and keep getting solid contributions from their role players, they should be able to hold on for the win. As far as covering the 7.5-point spread, I could easily see the Celtics keeping this one a lot closer.
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