The Eastern Conference playoffs have been turned upside down. In a surprising turn, Giannis and the Bucks have been eliminated and the defending champion Raptors are watching from home. The 2020 East Finals see the 3rd seeded Celtics matching up against the 5th seeded Heat. Let’s take a closer look at this matchup as these two renew their rivalry…
The Matchup:
Boston Celtics
- 48-24, 3rd in East
- Round 1: 4-0 sweep over Philadelphia
- Round 2: 4-3 over Toronto
- All-Stars: Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum
Miami Heat
- 44-29, 5th in East
- Round 1: 4-0 sweep over Indiana
- Round 2: 4-1 over Milwaukee
- All-Stars: Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo
Season Series
- Game 1: Dec. 4 2019: Celtics won 112-93
- Game 2: January 28, 2020: Celtics won 109-101
- Game 3: August 4, 2020 (@ Orlando bubble): Miami won 112-106
- Overall: Celtics won series 2-1
Regular Season Takeaways
- Turnovers and 3-point shooting were the biggest factors during their regular-season matchups.
- Boston shot 40% and 36% in their wins and Miami shot 34% in theirs.
- The Celtics caused a combined 31 turnovers in their two wins.
- Neither team played each other at full capacity.
- Smart and Hayward were out for Boston in the first matchup
- Tatum was out for Boston in the second matchup
- Butler was out for Miami in the third matchup
- Bam Adebayo carried the Heat in the 3rd and final matchup with 21 points and 12 rebounds.
- In Bam’s first two games he averaged 12 points and 8.5 rebounds as the Celtics found a way to limit his productivity.
- Jaylen Brown played well in all three games against Miami averaging 24.6 ppg.
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The tics are playing good ball, but I think the lack of a productive heyward will further tip the scales to red hot Miami!
Initial reaction says Celtics in 5/6 games but the Heat are HOT! They’ve taken advantage of this ‘no home court advantage’ situation more than any other team! And the gut said Pacers over Heat…. and Bucks over Heat… so it’s hard to discount the Heat! Still…sticking with the Celtics in 5/6 games.
good info. not a Boston fan but like them to win the series.