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2023 Playoffs Celtics 8-5 vs 2023 Heat 8-3

The Heat have taken care of business while the Celtics have done the same despite a few more hiccups.

Awards and Honors

Celtics

6th Man of the year Malcolm Brogdon.

All NBA 1st Team Jayson Tatum

All NBA 2nd Team Jaylen Brown

All Defensive 2nd Team Derrick White

Heat

All NBA 2nd Team Jimmy Butler

All Defensive 2nd Team Bam Adebayo

How did we get to our 2020 Eastern Conference f

Miami has been the Cinderella darling who continues to dance. After dispatching the top seeded Milwaukee Bucks the Heat went on claim another underdog victory against the 5th seeded New York Knicks. This was all done in only 11 games. They are led by their All NBA player Jimmy Butler and 2nd team defense player Bam Adebayo. Head coach Erik Spolestra is the coaching mastermind behind getting the most out of his players to play at an elite level.

The Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks in a tough 6 games and closed out the 76ers in a back and forth 7 game series that wasn’t so tough in the end. This 76ers team was led by MVP Joel Embid who played a poor game 7.  Boston is back and ready for another title run in 2022. They ar led by All NBA players Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Followed by key contributors 6th man of the year Malcolm Brogdon, Marcus Smart, Derek White, Al Horford and Robert Williams. This team has the right mix of talent to compete with anyone.

Key Matchups

Who will defend Tatum? Miami last year assigned PJ Tucker in this role. With him now in Philly who will take on the task of defending this NBA star?

The J’s VS Jimmy and Bam

Boston relies on their two J’s heavily for their elite two way play. Is Miami’s duo ready for these two talents?

Can Miami shoot enough?

During the regular season Boston made the 6th most threes while Miami made the 6th least threes. With Tyler Herro still unavailable can Miami shoot enough to keep themselves in this series?

Who wins the 6th man matchup?

NBA Champion Kyle Lowry appears to be rejuvenated and locked in. Brogdon has been one of the best bench players in the league obviously. Excellent guards in this series. Who wins this matchup?

Who wants it more?

This series will come down to the 50-50 plays. I’m trying to see who’s diving on the court and attacking every loose ball like a loose shoestring.

Boston staying fresh

Joe Mazulla has often played a rotation of 7 to 8 guys in the postseason. Preferring to rock with his trusted players. Spolestra is the exact opposite running one of the most experienced and deepest lineups in the post season. It appears that Jimmy Butler is playing as one of the best players in the world. Tatum has something to say about that after calling himself one of the best players in the world. Here’s a quick hit. If Butler outduels another top talent, is he officially a top 5 player?

Summary

This is a tough series to pick. Miami has been incredible all post season as they have adjusted to any opponent put in front of them while utilizing a deep rotation. Boston on the other hand has 2 of the 3 best players in the series. Boston is extremely talented. Miami iscoached at an elite level while playing extremely hard and maximizing their team chemistry. This will be a back and forth series with low scoring games. Take the unders.

Prediction Miami in 7