After two rounds of NBA Playoffs, the Miami Heat have shown why they were the number one seed in the East. They defeated the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers to earn their way to their second Eastern Conference Finals appearance in three years.
Being one of four teams remaining in the playoffs as well as having been one of the best teams all year, the Miami Heat have a great chance of winning it all this year. Heading into the Eastern Conference Finals, the Miami Heat will be facing the Boston Celtics.
The two teams have had several memorable playoff battles over the years, most recently being when the Heat defeated the Celtics in six games to advance to the 2020 NBA Finals. As the top seed in the Conference, it would be reasonable to favor the Heat over the Celtics in this series, right?
Well, the majority of fans actually believe that the Celtics are favored in this series. And if you look around across the Association, most NBA writers and analysts predict the Celtics to win against the Heat.
Let’s set the record straight here.
The Miami Heat will face the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, but it seems like everyone is picking the Celtics. They certainly welcome the doubt.
The Celtics had one of the most spectacular season turnarounds in NBA history.
They are clearly a great team that is capable of winning it all. But so are the Heat and they have proved that all year.
Should the Celtics really be favored so heavily in this series?
The Miami Heat are used to being the underdogs. No one outside of Miami Heat fans, faithful, and media expected them to go to the NBA Finals in 2020.
Although the Heat have a reputation for always being a good team, they don’t have the reputation by which it is expected that they will win a championship each year. Those expectations fall on teams like the Celtics and the Lakers.
Both franchises have historically won significantly more than the rest of the league. They are the most popular teams in the NBA and they are usually good.
When they aren’t, it is a huge disappointment. Still, the Heat don’t care who counts them out or not.
They have the mentality that they can beat any team. They trust that their teamwork, leadership, and culture will take them as far as possible.
So, if there are any doubters, they will love to prove them wrong. That is exactly what Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are prepared to do against the Celtics.
They will take the doubt cast upon them and use it as motivation to play elite-level basketball. The NBA should be ready for a very competitive series.