Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics Prediction: the Series Without a Favorite Begins

Both teams are nothing short of admirable. The first and second teams in the Eastern Conference finals show that they are the best at the end of the regular season, but we'll find out who will pass next in this series.

Eric Spoelstra's team finished their conference semifinals a game earlier than their opponent. The Heat is still playing with one major star, Jimmy Butler. We can certainly talk about Adebayo and Herro, but those guys are still in prospect status, and yet the team has enough resources to deal with all the obstacles so far.

As always, the Heat's coach is the main foundation for solving complicated problems and picking up keys to the opponent and avoiding injuries in the rotation. Right now, there are four players in the lineup. But most likely all of them will take to the floor in their first home game.

The Celtics have already done a lot of unexpected things, from a complete turnaround over the course of the regular season to beating the reigning league champion with a seven-game streak.

Boston hasn't rested, but the question here is whether they need a break when they've gained that kind of momentum. The instability of the two offensive leaders Tatum and Brown is a little frustrating, but there are new heroes in every series. A rejuvenated Al Horford became key the series' victory with the Bucks. Grant Williams started scoring from beyond the arc again at a terrific percentage.

Much depends on Ime Udoka, however, as well as his opponent. The Celtics coach has shown that he makes plenty of decisions and that his rotation is quite varied.

As stated earlier, both coaches have more than enough options on the strategies. Boston emphasized attacking from the perimeter in the series against the Bucks, fearing Giannis and Lopez, and it worked. But the Heat don't have such tough players in the paint, so Brown and Tatum's midrange and pass rush and attack seem likely. As for Miami, they can also run different versions of threats from the perimeter and into the paint, and Strus in particular looks bright with his best field-goal percentage. But despite the teams' variability on offense, good defense will be the mainstay of this series, as it always has been.

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