The Boston Celtics are hoping home court is good to them tonight, Saturday May 7th, as they host the Miami Heat for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The Heat lead the best-of-seven series 2-0. NBA oddsmakers have the Celtics as -3 point home favourites over the Heat with the over/under set at 183.5 points. Be sure to check the Heat vs Celtics NBA Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
Miami (6-1, 1-1 V) is winning because of their solid defense. For all of the offensive artistry delivered by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, defense has been this team’s backbone. “We’re winning games because of what we’re doing defensively,” Wade said Friday. The Heat has given up 87.7 points per game in the playoffs — best among the remaining teams and well below the 94.6 points allowed in the regular season, which was sixth in the league. Miami’s field-goal percentage allowed, second-best during the regular season at 43.4, has dropped to 41.8. The Heat’s blocks per game have jumped from 5.2 in the regular season to 6.9, with Wade and Joel Anthony swatting away 12 apiece. The credit can be spread across the board, not just the Big 3. Center Joel Anthony has been a sparkplug by blocking shots, altering others and offering timely help defense. It’s no coincidence that when Anthony has been in the game during this series, Glen Davis has shot 4 for 12 and Kevin Garnett 7 for 19. Anthony said he has defended both about equally. Garnett has shot 9 for 25 when on the floor with Chris Bosh, who also has defended him a lot. Though Rondo played well in Game 2, he is shooting 4 for 11 when Mario Chalmers is in the game. And Mike Bibby has fared better defensively than most expected; he even blocked three shots in the first two games.
Boston (4-2, 2-0 H) has to figure something out fast, which is why Shaquille O’Neal is expected to make his postseason debut tonight. The depth of his role, of course, could be anyone’s guess. “We need it, and Shaq needs it,” Rivers said of yesterday’s accelerated workout. “He’s able to do everything, but once practice starts you’ll see if he’s tentative or if he has to stop. I am very confident he’ll play. There’s no way you get him at 100 percent — that would be the miracle. But we can get him to a point where he can help us, and he may be at that point. There was, apparently, a silver lining in Kevin Garnett’s 8-for-20 Game 2 shooting performance: the fact that he took 20 shots. Rivers would like to see a similar number tonight, albeit with a lot more efficiency. “Game 2 he got the shots, but he was rushing them,” the Celtics coach said. “I liked the 20 attempts, but we have to get him a better 20 attempts. “We do have to keep that number. I liked most of them. I think he just rushed a couple of them. But we got him a ton of those shots in the paint, and Kevin usually doesn’t miss those shots. We want some of those same shots.”
Recent Trends to Consider:
Home team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
Under is 15-5-1 in the last 21 meetings in Boston.
Favorite is 15-6 ATS in the last 21 meetings.
Heat are 0-5 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Boston.
Heat are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
Heat are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games.
Heat are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Celtics are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as a favorite of 0.5-4.5.
Heat vs Celtics
When: Saturday, May-07-11, 8:00 PM ET
Pick: Celtics -3
Point-Spreads.com recommends you check out NBA Point Spreads before Heat vs Celtics game.
The Bottom Line: It’ll be close, but I think the Heat will cover, even win. Be sure to check Heat vs Celtics Basketball Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
