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Boston Celtics: 3 keys to victory over the Miami Heat

By Rudi Richards

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 11: Kemba Walker #8 of the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics high five during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 11: Kemba Walker #8 of the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics high five during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

The Boston Celtics will take on the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals down in Orlando. Here are the three keys to the series for Boston.

Tuesday night will see the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals take place between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. It’s a surprising matchup, as many would’ve expected Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks to have been a lock to be in this series earlier in the year. However, a Celtics-Heat matchup is far from the weirdest thing that’s happened this season, as we have playoff basketball happening in September.

The Heat have been the most impressive team since the NBA’s restart, showing that they meant business early on, to solidifying themselves as legitimate contenders, following a sweep of the Indiana Pacers and an emphatic five-game series win over the 56-17 Bucks. The Heat getting this far can be seen as overachieving, but that’s not what head coach Erik Spoelstra and his group of players will think. Jimmy Butler and friends are big believers in themselves, and they’ll back themselves to take the next step during this series.

For the Boston Celtics, there would’ve certainly been many doubters, and a few months ago a Raptors matchup in the second round would have seemed like an excruciating task. The bubble Raptors were different though. They didn’t look like the team that they were before the break and that was troubling. The Celtics’ Game 1 and 2 wins made this series look like it was over early. But the Raptors turned up and took it to seven, where the quality that Boston has was on display.

Going into the Eastern Conference Finals, Miami will have had three days rest more than Boston. Is this necessarily a good thing? Who knows. You can expect the Heat to be fresher, but for a team that’s performed so well in first quarters like Boston, this might not matter too much. Starting this series well is going to be huge for both teams, as any separation could prove too much to overturn for two solid squads.

Here we take a look at the three keys for the Celtics to come away with a series win and advance to their 22nd NBA Finals.

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