Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are set to face the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday night. With a Game 2 drubbing behind them, mostly at the hand of the Boston Celtics’ lethal range shooting in that contest, the Miami Heat are hopeful to come back out and, once again, snatch the momentum in this series.
A nature of two beasts and though the Miami Heat were able to sustain and respond in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference Finals matchup, they were pummelled in the paint during that one. In Game 2, they were set ablaze from behind the arc.
Again, they were able to come back from being manhandled in the first half of Game 1 for 42 of 62 points to allow less than 10 in the second half, ultimately winning that game, but the dichotomy is interesting.
Perhaps that speaks towards the notion of forcing them to convert inside of the three-point line, though not to as a cataclysmic extent as they did in Game 1, which may be a Heat strategy to winning games in this series.
With the Miami Heat in Boston for two tough games, you have to be a realist. Though both would be splendid, they only need to take one of the two games.
Speaking of winning though, that’s exactly what the nature of the business is here today. Listen, you want your team to win every single contest that they ever play in—ever, in case that wasn’t insisted upon enough.
However, you have to know that in life, sports especially, you don’t always win. The beauty of it all is this.
With the home-court advantage as the East’s top seed, the Miami Heat really on have to win one of these games to stay in the driver’s seat. The Celtics snatched the home advantage by winning one in FTX Arena Thursday, but the Miami Heat can take it right back.
If they are even, 2-2, with three games remaining in this series, the Miami Heat have themselves set up for a potential best of three series with two of those games in their place. That’s all you can really ask for.
Well, you can ask, hope, and pray to take both games in Boston—surely the ideal scenario to see the Miami Heat advance to the NBA Finals. However, all they really need to do to keep a firm grasp on this thing is take one of the two in TD Garden.
There is this in closing. Yes, you would prefer that one be on Saturday though, as that puts all of the pressure squarely back on the Boston side.