Miami Heat ready to face off against Boston Celtics in Eastern Conference Finals – NBA Playoffs Update
The Boston Celtics booked their passage to the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers in the penultimate game of that series. They will now be facing the Miami Heat in the Conference Finals, with Miami already sending
out a message; they are ready.
The Heat are coming off of an extremely physical series against the Indiana Pacers that they ultimately won in 6 games with super stars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James in scintillating form. Boston have had a gritty 7 game series themselves, so they are as
battle tested as ever.
The Heat though have fresher legs, bigger stars and are raring to go.
"We'll be well-prepared," Heat forward LeBron James said Saturday. "Our coaching staff will put us in position to win ballgames."
The Celtics have defied all odds this season to get to as far as they have. A weak roster that started the 2011 – 2012 NBA campaign in TD Garden has been further devastated by injuries as the time went on, but Boston have found a way.
The gritty veterans of Boston, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, not to mention mercurial point guard Rajon Rondo, have been impressive to say the least. LeBron James is no stranger to their prowess though, having suffered at their hands and having
dished out some himself.
He won’t be taken aback by what they do.
"I mean, I've played Boston enough with Doc Rivers at the helm and those guys, they don't change," James said. "They shouldn't change. They've been successful. They won't change."
Individual players and their battles aside, Miami’s head coach Erik Spoelstra is clear about what his side needs to do in order to win. He believes the Heat must play their own game, not get drawn into what the Celtics would prefer. The way they played the
last 3 games against Indiana would do just fine.
"The most important thing is us playing to our identity," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We improved the last three games. We were able to play our type of game, to defend and rebound.”
An important factor in deciding the series could be the health of Heat star Chris Bosh.
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