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Written by Dan
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Tuesday, 20 April 2010 04:10 |
Celtics Vs. Heat 4/20/10
Boston is home though it isn't like the days of the old Boston Garden.
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics
NBA Playoffs: 1st Round - Game 2 - Celtics Lead Series 1-0
Tuesday April 20, 2010 08:00 PM EST (TNT)
The Line: Boston -1
Game 1: The Boston Celtics stepped up their defence in the second half of their opening round match against Miami, holding the Heat to just 32 second half points en route to a come from behind 85-76 victory. The Celtics trailed the Heat 61-47 with 7:02 left the third quarter, however the Celtics then outscored the Heat 17-5 for the remainder of the quarter and trailed by just 66-64 going into the fourth. In the fourth, the Heat lost all composure and only managed 10 points for the quarter, compared to the Celtics who scored 21 and had all the momentum by this point, eventually running out game one winners. Dwayne Wade led the Heat with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists but had to work for every single point as the Celtics and back up guard Tony Allen did a good job of double teaming Wade, forcing him to defer to others, who failed to step up with Quentin Richardson the only other Heat player in double figures. The one sour note to come out of game one for the Celtics was the altercation between Kevin Garnett and Quentin Richardson who came to blows on the Miami sidelines, with Garnett throwing an elbow to Richardson's jaw and as a result was ejected after being assessed with two technical fouls. Garnett will now miss game two through suspension which is a massive blow for the Celtics.
Season Series: The Celtics swept the regular season series with the Heat, winning in all three matches this season while covering in two of those. The first two meetings were played in Miami were the Celtics pulled away late in the game on both occasions to come away with the win. The final regular season meeting would take place in Boston and much like the first two meetings, the Celtics would again pull away late in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.
Prediction: Game one turned out just like how every regular season contest between Miami and Boston has gone as the Heat would go toe to toe with the Celtics for the first three and a half quarters, only to lose composure and lose it in the closing minutes. With Kevin Garnett ruled out of tonight's showdown, the Heat have been given a golden opportunity to win a game before heading back home for games three and four. Will we see the Heat do what they have done in each of the four meetings this season and fade away when it counts or will they step it up and take the game into their own hands when it counts. If they are to do the latter then Michael Beasley and Jermaine O’Neal have to step up their game if the Heat want to take this game and ultimately advance to the second round. I think we see a more balanced effort from the Heat tonight and I expect Dwayne Wade to lead this team when it counts, in crunch time….
Dan’s Pick: Miami M/L
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