The Eastern Conference Finals begin Wednesday night when the eighth seed Miami Heat visit the top seed Boston Celtics. Boston enters this series as big favorites to advance, but never count out Jimmy Butler and the Heat in the playoffs. Below is my NBA pick for the Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics.

Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics Betting Pick

The Pick: Boston Celtics -8.0

This game will be played at TD Garden at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

Why Bet the Boston Celtics:

✅ Boston has covered the spread in 12 of their last 17 games played.

✅ The Celtics have won 11 of their last 16 games overall.

✅ At home, the Celtics have won 11 of their last 14 at TD Garden, but they did lose two of their four home games in the second round.

Miami Heat Never Give Up

Miami was one game away from not making it out of the play-in tournament, but a few weeks later and they are now in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat upset the top seed Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and followed that up with a series win over the fifth seed New York Knicks.

Jimmy Butler has been fantastic these playoffs as he leads the Heat with 31.1 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. The next closest Heat player, in regards to points, is Bam Adebayo who is averaging 18.1 through 11 games. Adebayo also leads Miami with 9.2 rebounds per game. Eight different Heat players are averaging double-digit points through the first two rounds. A total team effort by Miami.

The Boston Celtics Are a Confusing Team

Boston has been a hard team to figure out these playoffs as they have struggled in both of their series wins. The Celtics needed six games to knock out the seventh seed Atlanta Hawks and needed to come back from 3-2 down to get past the third seed Philadelphia 76ers. Boston may be getting into form and that could be trouble for the Heat.

Jayson Tatum had a historic game seven in the second round, and he has been the leader for Boston these playoffs. Tatum leads the way with 28.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. Al Horford has added a team high of 1.3 steals and 2.2 blocks. Jaylen Brown has been solid this postseason as he is averaging 24.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists through 13 games.