The Celtics will host Recreation 1 of their first spherical collection on April fifteenth at 3:30 pm at TD Backyard. Who will share the parquet ground with them on Saturday continues to be up within the air. The primary recreation of the play-in match pits the Miami Warmth and Atlanta Hawks within the #7 vs. #8 matchup, with the winner heading to Boston this weekend and the loser heading house for one more likelihood to face the Milwaukee Bucks in Spherical 1.
Final spring, Miami dispatched of Atlanta shortly in a gents’s sweep 4-1. Each groups have been banged up, however ultimately, the #1 seeded Warmth used a stifling protection to smother Trae Younger (31.9 FG%, 18.4% 3FG%) and the Hawks.
Issues could be completely different in 2023. The Hawks haven’t precisely soared to the identical heights that had them within the Japanese Convention Finals two years in the past, however they’ve retooled since their postseason assembly with the Warmth final 12 months. After firing Nate McMillan after an underwhelming 29-30 begin to the common season, new head coach Quin Snyder didn’t fare a lot better, going .500 in twenty video games. Nevertheless, since March 1st, they’ve averaged essentially the most factors per recreation within the league with a 119.2 offensive score. They don’t essentially defend properly, however the hottest offense coming into the playoffs has to imply one thing.
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This single play-in recreation is really a contest of distinction. In South Seaside, the getting older Warmth can nonetheless defend, ending the 12 months ninth in defensive effectivity (112.8 factors per 100 possessions). They only haven’t been capable of rating constantly, though they completed their last twenty video games with a 117.8 offensive score. Playoff Jimmy Butler continues to be Playoff Jimmy Butler — Celtics followers know this all too properly — and ultimately transferring veterans Kevin Love into and Kyle Lowry out of the beginning lineup could have preserved them simply sufficient for a last Finals push.
In response to our mates at DraftKings, the Celtics are at present +160 to win the Japanese Convention and +320 to win The Finals. These odds may change after all relying on who they meet within the first spherical: may a rematch with the Warmth who took them to seven video games final 12 months within the ECF have an effect on these odds or will a Hawks workforce they crushed in all three common season video games be a mere formality?
Miami is at present a 5-point favourite on the newly-named Kaseya Middle in opposition to Atlanta on Tuesday night time at 7:30 pm EST. The Warmth went 3-1 in opposition to the Hawks this season, together with a two-game mini-series sweep again originally of March.
Nevertheless, who you suppose will win vs. who you suppose are a greater matchup for the Celtics may very well be two completely different solutions. Reply within the feedback part with each picks.
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