The NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will tip off on Tuesday night, televised on the worldwide leader in sports—ESPN. Whereas the semifinals in the Western Conference have not yet been completed (Game 7 in the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets series is also on Tuesday), Boston and Miami have been winning there NBA series so quickly that they are already ready to go for the conference finals.
Here is the NBA playoff schedule for the Eastern Conference Finals:
Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 6:40 pm EST, ESPN
Game 2: Thursday, Sept. 17, 7:00 pm EST, ESPN
Game 3: Saturday, Sept. 19, 8:30 pm EST, ESPN
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Miami has arguably been the best team in these entire NBA playoffs. In the No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed first-round matchup, the Heat engineered a surprising sweep of the Indiana Pacers. Head coach Erik Spoelstra’s club also made shockingly routine work of the Milwaukee Bucks, who posted the league’s best record during the regular season. Miami took the first three contests, lost Game 4 in overtime, and then finished the Bucks with a 103-94 victory last Tuesday.
Thus the Heat will have had a full week off by the time they take the court for their opener against Boston. The Celtics, meanwhile, outlasted the defending champion Toronto Raptors in seven games and they get three days off in between series. Head coach Brad Stevens’ squad preceded its triumph over Toronto by erasing the Philadelphia 76ers with an impressive four-game sweep.
While single-game lines are the most common form of NBA playoffs betting, NBA series odds can be similarly intriguing. The Celtics are -136 favorites to take this series and advance to the NBA Finals against either the Clippers, Nuggets, or Los Angeles Lakers. As for the Heat, they come in as slight +110 underdogs. Looking at Game 1 from an individual standpoint, the odds are relatively similar. Boston opens as a -120 favorite on the money line, while you can get Miami at +102. The spread has the Celtics as -1.5 favorites.
If you are looking at riskier plays and finding longer NBA playoffs odds, exact series scores are also on the market:
Celtics 4-0: +1000
Celtics 4-1: +500
Celtics 4-2: +420
Celtics 4-3: +440
Heat 4-0: +1500
Heat 4-1: +700
Heat 4-2: +500
Heat 4-3: +490
This NBA series will likely be wildly entertaining from start to finish. Both teams boast plenty of star power: Jayson Tatum of the Celtics and Jimmy Butler of the Heat are just two examples. And, oh yeah, there’s also Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown for Boston in addition to Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo for Miami. If Marcus Smart is dialing long distance with the same consistency that he was against Toronto, the Celtics will be a bear to defend on the offensive end of the floor. The Heat’s defense has been great in the Orlando bubble, but this is the most difficult test yet.
This should be a competitive series between two teams that are in outstanding form. We think a whole week off may be too much for the Heat, which could cost them in Game 1. Moreover, they have not been tested at all throughout the playoffs. If this best-of-seven set is tight, battle-tested Boston may have the edge late. Take the Celtics at -136 to reach the NBA Finals, and doing so in exactly seven games (+440) also has good value.
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