By: The Intermission Staff
The NBA Playoffs have been electrifying to this point. Big upsets, multiple sweeps and unsung heroes have been the big storylines for the 2020 post-season. We are now at the Eastern Conference Finals where the fifth seeded Miami Heat are taking on the third seeded Boston Celtics for a chance to play in the NBA Finals.
Here are The Intermission's staff picks for the Eastern Conference Finals:
Alex - Miami in 6
Miami is currently 8-1 this post-season and they just knocked off the top-ranked Milwaukee Bucks in five games. The Heat have proved that they are a top team in this league and are ready to win now. Miami has tons of veteran leadership with the likes of Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder and Udonis Haslem on the team. Besides their vets, Miami can look towards rising star Bam Adebayo, three-point specialist Duncan Robinson, and the "Baby Goats" Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn to contribute in their series against Boston. The Celtics just knocked off the defending champs, the Toronto Raptors in seven games and shouldn't be underestimated, but I think Miami's rotations are too much for Boston to handle and Miami will be going to the NBA Finals, like I predicted in January.
Joseph - Miami in 6
Jimmy Butler has been an absolute beast this whole postseason, and the Heat look like the best gelled team in the bubble. I expect them to take care of business and finish off the Celtics in a competitive 6 games.
Drew - Miami in 6
With Boston having one of the best all-around teams in the league and Miami having a whole lineup of shooters, this is going to be the most electric matchup we’ll see in these playoffs. Miami’s offensive talents have proven to be deadly towards any of the league’s teams, but I believe that Boston has what it takes to give the Heat a fight, enough for six to seven game series.
Jamie - Miami in 7
The Miami Heat have been the most dominant team in the playoffs this season. They ran right through the Pacers and Bucks, just losing one total game in the playoffs thus far. On the other hand, the Celtics are coming off an absolute seven game war with the Toronto Raptors. Boston had no trouble with Miami in the regular season, winning two out of three meetings against the Heat. Boston’s two wins against Miami came before the Heat traded for skilled veterans Jae Crowder and Andre Igouldala. I think Crowder and Iggy are the X factors in this series and the Heat will prevail because of them.
Crina - Miami in 7
Barely scraping past a struggling Toronto Raptors team, the Boston Celtics are set to face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Jimmy Butler and his squad are well rested going into the ECF finals, and whether or not that proves to be an advantage against the Celtics is yet to be revealed. This series can go either way, but I will give the slight advantage to the Heat, as they have more depth in their roster. If they go off, the Celtics might not have enough gas in the tank.
Myles - Boston in 6
Yes Boston just played seven tough games against Toronto. Yes the Heat just beat the team with the best record in the league in five games; but the Celtics will head to the finals this year. The main reason why the Celts will beat the Heat is Jayson Tatum. Not that he will take over scoring wise but through his creation. Against Toronto when Kemba could not create, Tatum was the player Boston needed. In the series he averaged 5.3 assists a game, up from 3.0 from the regular season. Combine this with players who will work as hard as Miami in Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart as well as the potential return of Gordon Hayward, this is the making of a team who can perfectly play what so many think is going to be the future of the league.
Sam - Miami in 6
The Miami Heat are too much to handle for the Celtics. With the three-point shooting from Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson, plus Bam Adebayo’s dominance in the paint against Daniel Theis, the Celtics will have their hands full. Also, I think that Jimmy Butler is going to continue his dominance against Jayson Tatum and the supporting cast of the Celtics. Boston will give the Heat a run for their money a little bit, but not enough to beat them four times.