The NBA Eastern Conference Finals continue on Sunday with the Miami Heat holding a 2-0 lead over the Boston Celtics ahead of two home games. The visitors will be in dire need of a victory in Game 3.
Despite the rough start to the series, Boston remains the favorite for Game 3 as bookmaker Bovada has Miami as a three-point underdog for the contest. The odds are at -105 for the hosts to cover the spread and at -115 for the Celtics to beat it.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: May 20th, 7:00 P.M. (EST)
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla will be desperate to see a consistent performance from his team Sunday. The Celtics lost Game 1 following an awful third quarter and they let go of the rope in the fourth in Friday’s Game 2. Jayson Tatum has yet to make a field goal in the fourth quarter in the series and there will be a lot of eyeballs on him Sunday.
Tatum is only a week removed from his historic 51-point outing in Game 7 of the second-round series against Philadelphia and he has posted 30-plus points in each of the first two games of the Conference Finals, but for some reason, the 25-year-old superstar has lacked the confidence to take matters into his own hands against the Heat in the final period of play. This needs to change on Sunday for Boston to have a realistic chance of turning the tide in the series.
Meanwhile, the Heat have looked full of confidence and belief even in the toughest of times. Jimmy Butler is playing out of his skin and his determination and will to win seems to rub off on others as well. After averaging below 23 points per game during the regular season, Butler has upped his scoring average to 31.1 points in the playoffs, and he’s been a major factor defensively as well, recording two blocks and nine steals in two games against Boston.
Butler always seems to find ways to drag his team out of trouble and Boston has had a very tough time limiting his effect on the proceedings. The veteran star has had a great supporting cast as well, with Bam Adebayo playing some of the best basketball of his career and a number of players popping up with big games off the bench.
Another winning effort from Butler and the Heat on Sunday would put Boston in a very uncomfortable position as there hasn’t been a single case in NBA playoff history where a team has come back from a 3-0 hole to advance into the next round.
