The Miami Heat will soon begin their Conference Finals series against the Boston Celtics. This should be a great series and probably the most competitive matchup that the Heat have faced so far.
Plainly, the series could go either way.
That being said, it has felt like nearly everyone is already counting out Miami. As the team that usually holds the identity of the underdog, this is nothing new for the Miami Heat.
But it feels different this year because they actually should be favored to win.
The Heat are the number one seed in the East.
They had a better regular-season record than the Celtics and they will have home-court advantage for the majority of the games in this series. The Heat are undefeated at home so far in these playoffs.
Aside from the obvious fact that the Heat have won more than the Celtics, let’s take a look at, not only, how the Heat have dominated but also how their star has outshined nearly everyone this postseason.
We will see specifically why the Heat should be favored over the Boston Celtics in this series.
3 Reasons Miami Heat Should Be Favored Over Boston – Both Have Progressed
The last time the Heat faced the Celtics in the playoffs, both teams were a lot younger.
Then And Now
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were just growing into stardom. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro were also rising stars at the time.
All four players are a lot better now than they were in that series. It is worth noting that although Tyler Herro had a breakout postseason and played very well in that series, his game has expanded since then, with him becoming a more well-rounded player than just the pure shooter we saw in 2020.
The Celtics have added a lot of great defenders such as Al Horford and Robert Williams to strengthen their roster and make them one of the top teams this year. The Heat added experienced vets in Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker as well.
Both have a championship pedigree and increase the overall defensive versatility for the Heat, allowing them to switch things with practically any defender. Both teams clearly got better.
But the edge should go to the Miami Heat because of how special Jimmy Butler has been in these playoffs (more on that later).
3 Reasons Miami Heat Should Be Favored Over Boston – One Has Been Dominant
Let’s move on to how the Heat have performed in these playoffs. In the first round, they faced the Hawks.
Playoff Dominance
Their defense completely took Trae Young out of the game.
Although he had his way around teams last postseason, the Heat were able to limit Young to about 13 points less than what he averaged last year.
Against the 76ers, the Heat started the series going up 2-0.
When Joel Embiid returned, the 76ers were able to tie up the series.
However, the Heat won the last two games, proving that they were the better overall team.
The Heat won both of these series convincingly and largely without much contribution from Kyle Lowry. Hopefully, he returns fully healthy and ready to go for the Conference Finals.
With him, the Heat should be able to beat the Celtics. Their defense and three-point shooting will be important for this series, but their experience and physicality should give them the edge over Boston in this series.
3 Reasons Miami Heat Should Be Favored Over Boston – Best Player Is Jimmy
Finally, let’s discuss why having Jimmy Butler should make the Heat the favorites in the series.
Starpower
Butler has been nothing short of spectacular in these playoffs, but hardly anyone seems to be talking about it. He is averaging nearly 29 points and eight rebounds on over 50 percent shooting.
He has arguably been a top-three player this postseason, if not the best.
The Celtics have Tatum and Brown. Both have been terrific in the playoffs, especially Tatum, who dropped 46 on the defending champs.
However, both have been inconsistent at certain points in the postseason. We have seen that when one of them struggles, the rest of the offense usually follows.
Jimmy Buckets has been able to take over at any point in the game. He has been lethal from midrange.
Butler has been the most consistent and the best overall player in these playoffs. And he is getting it done on both ends.
With him, the Miami Heat should feel confident heading into the Conference Finals against Boston. And It’s really just that simple.