BetAnySports patrons know that as long as Brad Stevens is the coach of the Boston Celtics, chances are they are going to be a very formidable bunch. And they might have as good a chance as anyone to upend the Milwaukee Bucks for the Eastern Conference title. But they really have to demonstrate that they can get over the hump.

Right now they are the #3 seed, somewhat solidly so, but they will lose ground if they don't come up with a victory over the Miami Heat in a game being held on Tuesday night at the HP Field House at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Boston (44-22 SU, 38-24-4 ATS) is just 2.5 games ahead of the Heat (42-25 SU, 35-30-2 ATS) in the East, but obviously that gap will tighten up in the event of a Celtic loss.

For the Heat, this is, in effect, a back-to-back situation, as they played on Monday afternoon and lost 107-103 to Toronto. In the bubble, the NBA is trying to stay away from those situations. So the Celts have something of an advantage when it comes to rest.

The Celtics are coming off a 128-124 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. They were off to a 19-point halftime lead, which increased to 24, but Damian Lillard led a furious Portland comeback that erased that deficit, and it took Jaylen Brown to drain four triples in the final period to secure the victory.

In the NBA betting odds on this game as they have been posted by the folks at BetAnySports, the Celtics are favored:

Boston Celtics -3.5
Miami Heat +3.5

Over 220.5 points -110
Under 220.5 points -110

When the Celtics had Kyrie Irving in the lineup, it appeared to be an addition that could put this team over the top. But what wasn't taken into consideration was the possible effect this might have on the kind of culture Stevens promotes with his club. The team did better in the playoffs with Irving injured that they probably would have done with him.

But that presented something of a dilemma for Stevens last season, because many of the players who had proven themselves during that playoff run thought they merited increased minutes, but the presence of Irving back and healthy precluded it. The fact is, the former #1 overall pick needs the ball a little too much, and Stevens wants an ensemble production. On top of that, he bitched and moaned a little too much, which included matters of his pending free agency.

Sometimes a team is better off without that "superstar." In this case, the Celtics (+710 to win the East at BetAnySports) essentially traded out Irving for Kemba Walker, who was an All-Star with the Charlotte Hornets. Time will tell whether Walker is going to have the same effect Irving did, and that time is fast approaching.

With his bad knee taking him out of six of the last ten games before the COVID-19 break, and a little aggravation in the bubble, it was understandable that Stevens wanted to bring him along slowly, and in two games Walker has played 41 minutes. But he's done well, and at the very least he is a dynamic presence off the bench.

Meanwhile, the Heat (a +1100 choice to win the Eastern Conference) probably shouldn't expect such a dry spell too often from their undrafted backcourt of Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn, which missed eleven of 12 shots from the field against the Raptors. The more Boston uses the offensively-capable Enes Kanter in the middle, the more vulnerable they might be to what Miami can do inside with folks like Bam Adebayo.

If less rest has any effect, it's likely to be on the defense. We're moving OVER this total of 220.5 points.

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