Game: Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics
Date/Time: Wednesday May 4th, 2011 / 9:00am AEST
The second game of a best-of-seven series between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics will take place on Wednesday morning. The Miami Heat, as the second seed in the Eastern Conference lead the series 1-0 after beating the Celtics in game 1. Boston is the defnding Eastern Conference champions, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals last season. The winner of this series will take on either the Atlanta Hawks or Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Miami Heat Overview:
The Miami Heat won their final four games of the regular season, and have won five of six in the postseason. Their only loss in the postseason was game four in Philadelphia. In the win over the Celtics, Dwyane Wade poured in 38 points, while Chris Bosh ripped down 12 rebounds. During the regular season, LeBron James was the leading scorer, with 26.7 points per game.
The Heat are in the postseason for the second third season. The Heat won 43 and 47 the previous two seasons, and then finished first in the Southeast Division with 58 wins this year. Miami scored 102.1 points per game; for 8th in the NBA, and allowed 94.6 per game; which was 6th.
Boston Celtics Overview:
The Boston Celtics swept the New York Knicks and looked good doing it in the first round. In the first game against the Miami Heat, they looked like they did late in the season; old and slow. Paul Pierce was ejected late in the game, which was a big blow for the Celtics. Boston in the loss was led by Ray Allen with 25 points.
During the regular season Paul Pierce was the leading scorer with 18.9 points per game. Boston did a bunch of their damage on the defensive side; ranking first, allowing 91.1 points per game. The Celtics won the Atlantic Division by 14 games over the New York Knicks.
Heat/Celtics Pick and Prediction:
Miami is playing pretty well at home. They know it is not time to mess around. The Heat have a ton of pressure on them to win in the postseason, after their pre-season acquisitons. Look for the younger Miami Heat to come away with the win over the aging veterans in Boston. The Miami Heat are -5, and we are very confident they will cover that spread and win the game. Bet the Miami Heat to win this game./
Our pick: Miami Heat -5 over the Boston Celtics. Bet the Heat at Sportsbet.