Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat: 3 initial thoughts ahead of their ECF clash

Which “others” will step up?

In Boston’s series against the Raptors, Daniel Theis and Robert Williams played a big role in their victory. In fact, you can make the case that the Celtics dominated at the center position. Marc Gasol looked off his game and a big part of that was the versatility of both Theis and Williams. Will they be able to outperform Bam Adebayo? Unlikely. However, who else will step up in this series?

It’s going to be interesting to see how deep Brad Stevens goes in his initial rotation; in Game 7 against Toronto, Stevens only nine players but the only player off the bench that played more than 10 minutes was Williams.

As far as the Heat are concerned, Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Herro, and Andre Iguodala played huge roles off the bench in the team’s series win over the Bucks. Iguodala will likely be needed again for his versatile defense in handling Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown. Olynyk could stretch the defense, playing as a small-ball center, and Herro will likely play another big role offensively.

Which “other” will be the story in the Eastern Conference Finals?