Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat: 3 big questions and a prediction

Which player will have the biggest impact on this series? 

Boston and Miami both have rosters full of players who can give their respective teams the spark they need to play at another level. One player who stands out is the 2022 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Tyler Herro.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra has a unique roster in Miami. Tyler Herro is a player who could easily start on a bunch of other NBA teams, yet he comes off the bench for Miami and makes a huge impact. His numbers are not as high as they were in the regular season. Herro could still explode and go on a scoring outburst.

Someone who provides that spark of energy for his team is Grant Williams. He played the best game of his life in Game 7 vs Milwaukee. Williams had 27 points, six rebounds, and two steals. In 39 minutes played, he shot a career-high 7-18 from the three-point line. Milwaukee played awful defense all game long, letting Boston go 22-55 from deep.

This is more of an obvious answer, but I think Jayson Tatum will have a big impact on this series. He is Boston’s best player for a reason, averaging 41.2 minutes and 28.3 points per game in the playoffs. Tatum has scored 30 points or more in five of the eleven Boston postseason games.

Another obvious answer seems to be Jimmy Butler. Like Tatum, Butler is the best player for his team. He averages 28.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.1 steals. Safe to say that Butler plays a huge role in Miami’s playoff success this year.