Eastern Conference Finals Game Seven Best Bets and Top Picks

Finally the Conference Final portion of the NBA playoffs lived up to the hype. After a bunch of blowouts, the last game delivered. In game six in Boston, Jimmy Butler dropped 47 points and carried Miami to a game seven. Now, the Heat will head back to Miami for a chance to go to the NBA Finals. These are both historic programs and the intensity will be extremely high. Boston probably have the more talented team but Miami refuses to quit. It may be cliche, but the Heat have a culture of toughness and in game seven, that can be the difference. Regardless, Sunday night’s game is going to be must watch and the Golden St Warriors will be awaiting the winner. It’s going to be awesome, so here are some picks. All odds courtesy of Bovada.

Boston Celtics at Miami Heat Top Pick

Game six was a huge win for Miami but it also showed how many things have to break their way in order for them to win. Miami have an anemic offense at times but Jimmy Butler carried them to victory. If he can do that again, then Miami have a shot. But we aren’t counting on it. The three previous games in this series, Butler had 8, 6 and 13 points, respectively. In order for Miami to win, Butler has to drop 40 plus due to their lack of scoring options. Given the majority of this series, Butler will have a tough time replicating his game six performance. If that happens, Boston can coast to a hard fought series win.

Each game Miami have won, everything has broken Miami’s way and even then, Boston have had opportunities to win. In game six, it was missed free throws in clutch time that killed Boston. They are a polished team that is making uncharacteristic mistakes but in a game seven, they should be focused. They won a game seven against Milwaukee in the previous series and that game wasn’t particularly close. While Miami will scratch and claw to win this game, Boston is simply a better team and should be heading to the NBA Finals.

---

Jimmy Butler Under 28.5 Points

This pick is piggybacking off of the previous write-up. Butler would’ve covered this number easily in two games during this series but the other four, he would’ve been way under. Boston should adjust to him, like they did after Butler lit them up in game one. Ultimately, Jimmy Butler is a very intense player and will fight for everything Boston is willing to give him but Boston have the best defense in the league. The Celtics will know how important Jimmy is and will do everything they can to stop him. They will do this because they know Miami can’t win without Jimmy scoring. Miami simply don’t have a lot of creative players on offense and Boston knows this. They will put a lot of attention on Jimmy and make the role players beat them.

---

Jaylen Brown Over 23.5 Points

Of the six games in this series, Jaylen would’ve covered this number four times. It comes down to Miami’s defensive strategy. The Heat will put their best defender on Jayson Tatum and have less attention on Jaylen. It makes sense, also, as Tatum is Boston’s most dangerous offensive weapon. Miami have a great defense that is capable of slowing multiple players down but Jaylen has proven he can beat them. Brown is a very good offensive player who can score in many different ways. He can drive to the hoop or get hot from three. Ultimately, that will put a ton of pressure on whoever Miami throws on him and will tire that defender out. In the process, Jaylen will score at will and cover this number. It won’t be easy but Jaylen is a big game performer and this game seven will be a display of his talent and intensity.

---