Miami vs. Boston, preview for 7 game Boston is the 2.5-poi | MVP Sports Consulting

Miami vs. Boston, preview for 7 game

Boston is the 2.5-point favorite, total 195.5

Injuries: According to rotowire, there are a lot of questions - Smart, Rob Williams, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Tyler Hirro, Kyle Lauri and PJ Tucker - all may miss the match. But these are rather formal injuries, most of these people will be out for the 7th match.

Of the really discussed injuries are Hirro and Williams. Tyler has missed the last 3 matches, it's not a fact that he will return. Robert is constantly bothered by his knee, he sometimes plays, then does not, then goes out, and then leaves the match ahead of time. And these are important people.

Without Hirro, Miami doesn't always have enough creativity ahead. In the 6th game, Butler and Lauri gave out an excellent attacking basketball, and it turned out to snag a victory there. But in general, of course, they need another person capable of coming up with something on offense, especially - such as Hirro with his jumpers from the lead (Boston often gives such attempts).

Without Robert Williams, Boston cannot block the approaches to the ring, they simply do not have enough "big ones" in the rotation, often they have to leave only one major player, and then the Heat can attack paint. And also have to increase White's minutes, and Butler successfully hits him. And even without Robert, it is more difficult to punish Boston "zone", in which the team gets up on minutes with so-so defensive lineups.

At some minutes, Rob also created problems for the Miami team with match-ups, Bam took one of the "big ones", Tucker defended against Tatum, and then the second "big" of Boston played against someone inferior in size. When this second "big" Rob - he went to the ring and caught passes there, which the player taking care of him simply could not reach. But in the 6th game against Tatum, Lauri was often defended, which allowed him to leave the "big ones" against the "big ones", this partially solved the problem.

Game drawing

In the sixth game, both teams were quite focused on hitting vulnerable opponents. Boston was looking for Max Strus, Miami was attacking White. This turned out to create unequal exchanges or movement in the attack.

And I must say that Strus or Hirro, or Robinson, or Vincent, will be on the floor at Miami, and Boston will find a weak link here. But the same White may well be seated by the Boston in favor of Grant Williams, for example (in the last match he had problems with fouls, Grant did not play much). And then it will be harder for Miami to find a hole in Boston's defense.

Both teams also actively insured. Miami put Lauri at the entrance to the paint, which helped to meet rivals, but left White open. Boston traditionally relied on Rob's ability to work under the ring and bounce to his corner. And it worked with Rob, but when Williams sat down, Horford didn't have time to run like that, and the three were more open.

Here I must say that Miami will be able to play in its own defense in any case - White can be replaced by someone more useful in defense, but all these Williams and Smarts either do not throw at all, or they throw bad in recent matches. That is, it will be at the expense of whom to help. But Boston needs Rob Williams to protect them and needs him for big minutes (and he, as already mentioned, is not the fact that he is healthy).