National Pundits Still Favoring The Celtics Against The Heat
Miami Heat’s Game 3 victory impressed a lot of viewers but there are still some critics who doubt them.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and J.J. Redick are two of them.
On Monday, the two “First Take” analysts said they still believe Boston will come out on top.
“I picked the Celtics to win in seven games and I expect them to win the series in seven games,” Smith said. “That’s not to throw shade on Miami. Miami’s been very impressive. We gotta look at them and respect the hell out of them and what they bring to the table.”
Smith then pointed out the contributions made by the Heat’s stars.
“Jimmy Butler is a star in this league," Smith said. "It was sad to see him go down and not play in the second half, but props to the Miami Heat, their culture, their coach. Bam Adebayo stepping up the way that he did, P.J. Tucker stepped up the way that he did. Strus with that big-time three at the end of the game. Kyle Lowry giving you nearly 30 minutes when he had a hamstring injury. But Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are who they are. Marcus Smart is who he is, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. I think the Boston Celtics are going to win. It’s going to take seven games but Boston is going to go back to South Beach and they’re going to win in a Game 7.”
Redick then chimed in.
“I still believe the Boston Celtics are going to win this series, as well, and a lot of this depends on Marcus Smart," Reddick said. "I’m not saying Marcus Smart is the best player on the Celtics but to me, he’s their most important player.”
Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson
