The Boston Celtics weren’t going to pass out without a fight. And while they are still behind in the Finals of the East Conference, they approached a remarkable return on Friday night.
Boston achieved a 121-108 win over the Miami Heat in Game 4, reducing its deficit to 3-2. The Celtics will look to tie the three-game series and force a 7-win game when the groups return to the court at the ESPN Wide World of Sports resort at Disney World on Sunday night.
Miami now has an 11-3 playoff record, and this is the first time it has lost two games in a series of playoffs after sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the first and beating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games right now.
In the Western Conference finals, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 3-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets. While the Lakers are one win away from advancing, the Nuggets overded a 3-1 deficit in their first two playoff series in this playoff, so this scenario is not new to them.
Here you will find everything you want to know before the end of the conference finals.
Upcoming playoff schedule
Saturday, September 26
Game 5: Nuggets No. 3 Denver vs. No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers, nine p. m. ET, TNT
Sunday, September 27
Game 6: No. 3 Boston Celtics at No. 5 Miami Heat, 7:30 p. m. ET, ESPN
Monday, September 28
Game 6 (if necessary): Los Angeles Lakers No. 1 in No. Denver Nuggets, 7 p. m. ET, TNT
Wednesday, September 30
Game 7 (if necessary): No. Denver Nuggets at No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers, to be determined, TNT
The date and time for a seventh game imaginable between the Celtics and the Heat has not yet been determined.
NBA title odds
Los Angeles Lakers: -330 (bet $330 to win $100)
Miami Heat: 440 (bet $100 to win $440)
Boston Celtics: 800
Denver Nuggets: 3600
The odds received FanDuel.
Predictions of the convention final
Heat bounce, win Game 6 to advance
Losses in Miami were rare in the playoffs, but after opening the playoffs with 10 wins in 11 games, Heat has lost two of their last three games to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. playoff streak as the fifth seed?
It’s possible, but it’s still unlikely. The Heat has played well in all the playoffs, and lately they’ve been a little inscrutin, especially in the arc. In Friday’s fifth game, Miami finished 7 out of 36 with 3 points still, there were still six players scoring double digits. points, adding 23 from Goran Dragic base and goalkeeper Duncan Robinson.
If the Heat can regain long-range effectiveness, this series deserves to return to its advantage.
“In fact, it might not be easy,” Robinson said, according to The Associated Press (h/t ESPN). “We’ll have to come together to do difficult things. “
That’s exactly what Miami will do when it recovers to win Game 6 and qualifies for the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. The Heat has a balanced lineup, and it will take some of its players to warm up. Friday’s defeat.
Expect Miami to end this series on Sunday night in a tight and competitive game.
Lakers win the game to qualify
The Lakers are the Utah Jazz or Los Angeles Clippers. They’re going to be a much harder team for the Nuggets to reverse a 3-1 deficit. In fact, Denver’s Victory in Game 3 could end up being the only win he wins in the Western Conference finals.
What exactly is another one in Los Angeles? Well, on the one hand, he has LeBron James, one of the biggest playoff contenders of all time, and after his streak of consecutive NBA Final appearances last year at the age of eight, it turns out that the 35-year-old is motivated to return. .
“It’s time to win, and I don’t have a chance or the time to feel tired,” James said after Game 4, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I’m tired now. That’s when I’m tired. When there are zeros on the stopwatch. That’s when I’m tired. I’m not tired of the game. “
In Thursday’s win, James and Anthony Davis combined for 60 points. The Lakers have been the team in the Western Conference throughout the season, and their star duo is a great explanation for why. Los Angeles to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.
James and Davis do everything for the Lakers. Los Angeles had 12 offensive rebounds and 25 second-chance issues in Game 4 James also stopped Denver baseman Jamal Murray late, employing his defense to help seal the Lakers’ win and playoff record at 11-3.
When the tension is high, James meets. Don’t expect me to allow the Nuggets to return to this series.