The Miami Heat continue to make a fool out of pretty much every "expert" who dismissed them as any sort of NBA title contender and called them a pedestrian regular-season team that barely squeaked out of the play-in.
Consider: The Heat are 13-0 when they go up 2-0 in a playoff series under Erik Spoelstra. In conference finals, teams that go up 2-0, with both victories coming on the road, are 15-0 all time. Whether the wins came at home or on the road, teams that have gone up 2-0 in conference finals are 56-6 all time. That's better than a 90% success rate in finishing the deal. Which is to say, Boston is in trouble. Game 3 is an absolute must-win.
With that in mind, here is the viewing information and odds for Game 3, followed by key storylines to watch.
(2) Boston Celtics at (8) Miami Heat
- Date: Sunday, May 21 | Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Kaseya Center -- Miami
- TV channel: TNT | Live stream: TNT app
- Odds: Celtics -3.5; O/U 214.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Heat: Miami, up 2-0, is STILL considered an underdog to win this series, according to ESPN analytics, which gives Miami a 35% chance of moving on to the Finals. Thirty-five percent? If ever you wanted to question the merits of these nerd numbers, this would be a good time. So that's the storyline for the Heat. They still get to play the "nobody believes in us" card. Jimmy Butler and company are just fine with that.
Celtics: Boston needs to figure out its late-game offense quickly. It turns into a mess at the worst times. No movement. No consistent answer for the Heat double-teaming Jayson Tatum, who has gone scoreless from the field in both fourth quarters of this series. Also, will Joe Mazzulla continue to single cover Butler in the biggest moments? If he does, the Celtics better shut everyone else completely off and control the defensive glass, because Butler is going to torch any single defender.
Prediction
I'm doing it. I'm picking against the Heat. I think I'm probably an idiot, but Boston has been better on the road than it has at home and this is do-or-die time. The Pick: Celtics -3