ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF
The stage is set for the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat to meet in the Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday. It is the battle of the two top seeds. Both teams have the best records in the East. The two superstars of this series are going to be Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler.
Impactful Players
Tatum has yet to get past the Eastern Conference Finals in his career. Although he did make it there twice, he lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018 and the Heat in 2020. As for All-Star Jimmy Butler, he and the Heat had a finals run in 2020 which resulted in a loss to Lebron James and the Lakers. Both players lead their team in scoring and have been vital to the success of their teams.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are coming off of a series where they beat the injury-riddled 76ers in six games. Jimmy Butler has averaged over 28 points a game in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. He has been the strongest offensive force for the Heat. Jimmy Butler has also made his defense known, averaging 2.1 steals a game which leads the playoffs.
Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have been strong for Miami all season offensively backing up Jimmy as the second and third-leading scorers on the team.
Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra speaks on the series.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have swept the Brooklyn Nets and defeated the defending champion, Milwaukee Bucks, in seven games. The Celtics, just like the Heat, pride themselves on their defense.
Tatum has averaged only 17.7 points against Miami this season in three games as opposed to the 26.9 points he averaged all year. The Celtics are coming into this series without Marcus Smart after suffering a hard fall last series.
Boston Celtics center Al Horford speaks on the intensity he expects from this series.
Horford is also ruled out for Game 1 for health and safety protocols and is questionable going forward.
Game 1 starts Tuesday night at 8:30 pm ET in Miami.
