The Miami Heat are looking to go up 3-1 in their best-of-seven series against the Boston Celtics.
Injuries have been a theme throughout the series, but Miami could be facing a Celtics team that is at nearly full strength on Monday. A couple of Boston players who are nursing injuries, namely Jayson Tatum and Robert Williams, are seemingly on the mend. Marcus Smart, on the other hand, is going to receive treatment on his ankle.
All three players have been instrumental in Boston’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
Tatum has arguably been the Celtics’ most important player in the playoffs. Through 14 postseason games, he is averaging 26.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists per match. However, the Heat have held him to just 22.0 points per game in the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Williams proved in the 2021-22 regular season that he is one of the best defensive big men in the league. He was recently named to the 2022 NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
In the regular season, he almost averaged a double-double, going for 10.0 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. He also averaged 2.2 blocks per game. Unfortunately, he has missed a significant number of games in the playoffs this year.
As for Smart, the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year continues to be an irreplaceable part of Boston’s elite defense this season. The team’s defensive attack isn’t the same when he’s off the floor.
On top of his defense, the Oklahoma State University product has also been solid on the offensive end of the court. In 12 contests in the 2022 playoffs, he has posted averages of 15.8 points and 6.8 assists per match.