The NBA's opening night is here and we will see the Boston Celtics travel to South Beach to take on the Miami Heat. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 pm start time and it will be televised live on TNT. Currently the odds have Miami favored by 6.5 points with the total sitting at 186.5 points for the contest. Find out what side the Public is taking on all the games by clicking HERE.
Free Analysis: Boston had the best offseason of any of the serious title contenders, despite the controversial loss of Ray Allen. After falling to the eventual champion Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, Allen bolted to join Lebron James and company in South Beach, however the addition of Jason Terry in his place is an upgrade over the ageing Allen. Throw in two first round draft picks in Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo, the return of Jeff Green and the underrated signing of Courtney Lee and the Celtics yet again are poised to make another serious push in the East behind their core of Rondo, Peirce and Garnett. That Boston came within a game of making the finals last spring was somewhat of a shock. Allen and fellow No. 2 guard Avery Bradley were out or limited throughout the playoffs and Jeff Green missed the entire season. The Celtics are healthy at the moment and will use a deep rotation to keep players like Garnett, forward Paul Pierce and Green from wearing down. Point guard Rajon Rondo, who averaged 20.9 points and 11.3 assists in the seven-game series against Miami last spring, has drawn praise from his teammates and coaches and appears ready to step up as the leader of the team.
After stumbling in their first attempt at a Championship, the Heat broke through a season later, defeating the favored but inexperienced Oklahoma City Thunder in just six games in the NBA Finals. Behind MVP Lebron James, the Heat bounced back from a Game 1 loss against OKC to dominate the rest of the series, going with a smaller line-up, compared to the traditional one they had used for the most of the season. Any questions about whether or not James was able to handle pressure situations were answered against the Celtics in Game 6 last spring. On the road and with his team against the wall, James crushed Boston’s celebration plans by putting up 45 points on 19-of-26 shooting and adding 15 rebounds. He went on to average a double-double in the finals and earn his first ring. Still only 28 years old, James will be aiming for his fourth MVP award in five seasons. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who both sat out the Olympics with injuries, played the preseason and are ready to go on Tuesday.
Head to head, the Celtics are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings, while the home team is 15-7 ATS in the last 22 meetings. The Heat are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games and 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 3 or more days rest.
Free Pick: Gonna go with the Celtics in this one. Boston may appear to be a bit weaker without Ray Allen, but I feel that Jason Terry will fill in just fine. Boston had a very good offseason in upgrading their aging team and they are ready for another run at the Title. Last year Boston had a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Heat, before Miami won the last 2 and they will be looking for some payback in this one. Championship teams in their first game can struggle a bit and I look for that to happen in this one. Boston is 8-3 ATS the last 11 in the series and that trend should continue here as this one goes down to the wire.
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