NBA Eastern Conference Finals - Keys and tips for betting Celtics-Heat

Two clichés primed for deployment when the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics commence their rematch of the 2020 Eastern Conference Bubble Finals on Tuesday.

The 2022 iteration of the Eastern Conference Finals features the first- and fourth-ranked squads in terms of defensive efficiency, with the Celtics leading the way at a rating of 106.2 and Miami close behind at 108.4. Sandwiched in between the two are the current favorites to hoist the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy in the Golden State Warriors (second, 106.6) and the recently eliminated while humiliated Phoenix Suns (third, 106.8).

Elite defense is expected from these two combatants. After all, we just watched the Celtics limit Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks to a mere 81 points in Sunday's Game 7 win, while the Heat currently rank first in the NBA in postseason scoring defense at 97.5 points per game. However, the question we want to answer is whether these two defenses will set the tone for a run of unders in the Eastern Conference Finals… or have the bookmakers over-adjusted the total, offering value in backing the over?

After blowing a 14-point fourth quarter lead to the Bucks in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semi-final showdown, Boston faced elimination entering a Game 6 road date at Milwaukee. What happened next is rather simple to explain but extremely difficult to execute. The Celtics went nuclear from long range in Games 6 and 7, connecting on a wild 39 of 98 3-point attempts (39.7%), while the Bucks went Neptune-frigid from beyond the arc in knocking down only 11 of 62 3-point shots (17.7%).

Yes, you read that correctly. The Celtics attempted 36 more 3-pointers than the Bucks over the final two games of the series,