Celtics-Heat odds: Updated betting lines for Eastern Conference Finals originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will soon meet in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in the last 10 years.
The Heat won the previous two meetings — Game 7 in 2012 and Game 6 in 2020 (inside the bubble) — but many experts and even the oddsmakers are expecting a different outcome this time around.
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Despite the Heat being the No. 1 seed and having home court advantage, the Celtics are clear betting favorites to win the series and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.
Here’s a look at the updated series betting lines and championship odds, via PointsBet:
ECF Series Moneyline
NBA title odds
The Celtics won two of three matchups versus the Heat during the regular season. They’ve also had a tougher road to the conference finals. Boston eliminated the star-studded Brooklyn Nets in a stunning Round 1 sweep before beating the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks in a seven-game Round 2 series.
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The Heat defeated an awful Atlanta Hawks team in the first round before eliminating the Philadelphia 76ers in a six-game second-round series. Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid didn’t play in the first two games against the Heat.
Miami also has plenty of issues entering the conference finals. Veteran point guard Kyle Lowry has missed several postseason games with a hamstring issue. When he’s been able to play, his performance has been awful. Duncan Robinson has been benched for many of these games as well. The Heat also rank 13th in 3-point shooting percentage, ninth in rebounds per game and ninth in points scored per game among the 16 playoff teams.
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The Celtics are a much more talented and deeper team than they were in 2020 when the Heat defeated them in six games inside the bubble. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have improved quite a bit at both ends of the floor. Marcus Smart is in a role that better suits him. Al Horford looks like the All-Star player from his Atlanta Hawks days. Grant Williams, Payton Pritchard and Derrick White are giving the C’s a mix of scoring and defense as role players.
Barring some sort of injury, the Celtics should not lose to the Heat. It might not be a short series, but Boston has more advantages up and down the roster.
