NBA fans waited all pay per head season for the chance to see what the Miami Heat could do against the defending conference champions in a postseason series, and after the first two games the message is clear. The Heat will not take prisoners with a much more aggressive and confident style than they showed during the regular season against the Boston Celtics, and that has led to complete domination through the first two games.Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics
Saturday May 7, 2011 – 8:00 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Online Sports Betting Odds: Boston Celtics - 130
The Celtics head home looking for answers and hoping that their best players will be available to provide them for game three. Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Ray Allen all suffered injuries in their 102-91 game two loss, and whether or not they can provide that elite level of play that Boston will need will be an essential factor to them staying alive in the series and keeping them with the MLB betting Red Sox and Boston Bruins as the city’s sporting hopes this spring.
NBA Betting Preview: Miami Heat
The Heat have looked like what many thought that Boston would through the first two games of the series, with their stars controlling the tempo and their bench outperforming that of the Celtics. Lebron James and Dwayne Wade looked dominant at home, while James Jones has come alive to lead Miami’s bench including a franchise postseason record 25 points in game one. The Heat have actually been the more physical team so far in the series, and have earned the chance to push Boston to the brink with another win.
NBA Betting Preview: Boston Celtics
Pierce and Allen both left game two at various points with injuries, while Rondo pushed through tightness in his back to finish game two. All three starters are expected to be ready for game three, and each will need to be able to perform at a high level in order to avoid falling behind three games in the series. Kevin Garnett has been a force at both ends of the floor but he can’t get the job done alone and it will be up to Pierce and Allen to control James and Wade. The hometown crowd should provide a momentum boost for a determined Boston team, but health could be the biggest factor going forward in the series.
NBA Betting Matchup: Heat vs. Celtics
The pressure will be on the Celtics to respond at home down two-games-to-none, but injuries to key players will keep them from reaching their potential. Miami has looked solid through the first two games, and the physical style and bench play that were supposed to be weaknesses in this series have actually ended up being strengths. With the chance to push Boston to the brink the Heat will bring their best effort, and earn four straight chances to earn a spot in the conference finals ahead of this year’s Kentucky derby betting race.
BSNblog Pick: Miami Heat + 120
