Once again, the Boston Celtics find themselves in a win-or-go-home moment as they face the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Trailing the Heat three games to two, the Celtics will need to win not only tonight, but on Tuesday as well to advance to face the Los Angeles Lakers, who just eliminated the Denver Nuggets Saturday evening to advance to the 2020 NBA Finals.
For now however, the focus is just on Game 6, as they can’t afford to get caught daydreaming about what might lie ahead lest they become one of the 27 other teams no longer playing this season in the process.
Boston’s bigs buoy Game 5 with Kanter and Theis making critical plays https://t.co/Db5A3zkoFa
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 27, 2020
Little has changed in terms of likely adjustments; Boston has seemed to have become much more comfortable busting Miami’s preferred mode of bigs-up-front 2-3 zone, and has found ways to minimize center Bam Adebayo’s lob threat inside.
So long as the team’s perimeter and transition defense remains crisp and connected, the tools have been assembled for the job.
The question is whether the Celtics can maintain the laser focus needed to defeat such a disciplined opponent; all of Boston’s losses are arguably a result of them not doing so.
How to watch or stream Miami Heat-Boston Celtics East Finals Game 6 https://t.co/uFWUDjwWLX
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 27, 2020
Injuries are largely the same, with only rookie wing Romeo Langford (wrist) out for Boston and the Heat returning the same players healthy as in Game 5.
We like this team’s chances so long as they play together the right way, and predict a solid win at 112-101.
Most online sportsbooks concur, floating the Celtics a -3 spread for the game.
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