Steve Starr
- Go to BetOnline or Bovada for the latest series props on the Celtics vs Heat matchup
- Jayson Tatum (-250) is heavy chalk to win his second-straight Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy
- TNT airs Game 1 from TD Bank Garden in Boston on Wednesday, May 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Jayson Tatum and the Celtics are heavily favored to defeat the Heat for the second-consecutive year, but are oddsmakers underrating Jimmy Butler’s club? After upsetting the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, can Miami bounce Boston from the postseason for the second time in four seasons?
Today, we’ll examine Celtics vs Heat Series Props and make our pick for the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP award. Here’s also where you can see the latest 2023 NBA Playoff Betting Odds and our guide to betting on NBA basketball.
Celtics vs Heat – Series Correct Score
 | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
| Miami Heat | +8.0 (-105) | +295 | Ov 210.5 (-113) |
| Boston Celtics | -8.0 (-115) | -365 | Un 210.5 (-107) |
Boston to blast Miami?
Boston is favored to win the best-of-seven series over Miami in just 5 games (+240). Oddsmakers sure are showing a lot of faith in Joe Mazzulla’s club given that the far-inferior Atlanta Hawks took them to 6 games before the Philadelphia 76ers took them the distance.
Also, don’t forget that Miami beat the Celtics in 6 in the Orlando bubble in 2020. They also lost last year’s Eastern Conference Finals in a hard-fought 7 games.
“This year is our year. We're going to go into this game 1 and do what we're supposed to do and be the first one to four.”
– Jimmy Butler
(Via @flasportsbuzz ) pic.twitter.com/IfNG4nTrFS
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 16, 2023
These two teams are 13-13 against each other over the past four years, regular season and playoffs combined.
While they will be missing key contributors such as Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo, Erik Spoelstra’s battle-tested club should make this a series. We like the Celtics in 6 (+325), but Heat in 7 (+1200) is an incredible value.
Eastern Conference MVP Trophy
| ECF MVP |  |
| Jayson Tatum | -250 |
| Jaylen Brown | +275 |
| Jimmy Butler | +400 |
| Bam Adebayo | +3000 |
| Marcus Smart | +4000 |
| Malcolm Brogdon | +6500 |
| Al Horford | +8000 |
| Derrick White | +8000 |
| Robert Williams | +8000 |
| Gabe Vincent | +20000 |
| Max Strus | +20000 |
| Kyle Lowry | +25000 |
| Kevin Love | +30000 |
Tatum seeks another one
Jayson Tatum (-250) took home the inaugural Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP last year after averaging 25 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists in a 4-3 series victory over Miami.
The 25-year-old has been even better in the 2023 postseason. After scoring the most points (51) in Game 7 history to eliminate the Sixers on Sunday, Tatum now has per game playoffs averages of 28.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
Jayson Tatum hugs his mom after his historic performance on Mother's Day ❤️ pic.twitter.com/g6TmrHWk3K
— ESPN (@espn) May 14, 2023
Other ECF MVP contenders
Jaylen Brown (+275) is averaging 24.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in the playoffs. And there have certainly been stretches where the 26-year-old outperforms his Celtics teammate.
Jimmy Butler (+400) is averaging 31.1 points per game, which leads all remaining players in the postseason. He’s also the first player in Heat franchise history to average at least 30 points through his first 10 games of the playoffs. Still, this bet doesn’t offer much value given that you can simply take Miami to win the series at +435 (BetOnline).
Bam Adebayo to Julius Randle: Get it tf outta here 😭 Knicks vs Heat #heatculture pic.twitter.com/SIV4IA7WJn
— Ball Room Service🏀 (@ballroomservice) May 9, 2023
Best Bet
Sure, the Celtics will probably defeat the Heat and it is hard to envision a scenario where Jimmy Butler doesn’t win MVP if Miami scores the upset, but… Bam Adebayo (+3000) averaged 25 points in four games against Boston this season.
The 25-year-old is averaging 18.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists with 1.1 steals this postseason. His play on both sides of the court will be a critical factor in deciding who wins the Eastern Conference Finals.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
