The Miami Heat may be up 2-0 heading back to South Beach, but ESPN still has the Celtics as the heavy favorites in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
According to ESPN Analytics, Boston holds a 72.7% chance of making the series 2-1 and gives Miami just a 27.3% chance of pulling within a game of the NBA Finals.
Jimmy Butler helped will his team to a Game 2 victory after some tough talk from Celtics role player Grant Williams lit an extra fire underneath him.
The Celtics have had a hard time as double-digit favorites this year 😶 pic.twitter.com/7M3jKg8yTu
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 20, 2023
The exchange between Williams and Butler led to 24-9 Heat run to completely steal homecourt advantage from the two-seeded C’s.
“I’ve said it all year long,” Butler said of Miami’s doubters, via ESPN.com. “We are going to ride with one another until the wheels fall off.”
The six-time All-Star is averaging 31.1 PPG this postseason as he continues to show that there are few better in these high-leverage situations.
Game 3 tips off at 8:30 ET on TNT.