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Miami Heat is struggling big so far this season. They are 13th in the Eastern Conference and only winning once in every three games. On the other side, Boston Celtics is surprising everyone with their great basketball this year and will come to Miami with only one thing on their mind - how to win this game. One fact will help - Boston already did that a few weeks ago, so that will only bring some tension to this game. <

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Miami Heat

The Miami Heat started the season poorly. They are currently 13th in the Eastern Conference and the play-offs are starting to look like a distant dream. A Few more losses and we might see some tanking in Miami. However, it is only my opinion and Heat is not yet backing up. They have won their last 2 out of 3 games, and had a great chance against one of the league favorites Los Angel Clippers as well. Yes, Heat is the team with some really talented players and they can beat anyone in Miami on any given day.

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Leaders of the Heat:

No more big 3 means that there must be a new leader in this Miami team. People like Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, and Dion Waiters are really important players for scoring reasons, but I still believe that this team belongs to 3 other players.

Goran Dragic

This guy from Slovenia proves himself as one of the best players from Europe. He is scoring over 17 points, dishing 6 passes, and adds 4 rebounds per game. Also, he is a very sticky defender, making life for opponents a little harder. Anyway, Goaran is the main guy when it comes to creating offense in Miami, and his game will be influential for the match against the Celtics.

Justise Winslow

This guy is the future of Miami Heat, and he is already providing big. 12 points, and over 4 assists and rebounds per game is pretty impressive for a 20-year-old. The only problem is his shooting beyond the arc, which is a staggering 20 percent. The kid will have to work on this aspect of the game, if he wants to be an all-star (who doesn't?) in this type of NBA.

Hassan Whiteside

No doubts that this man is the most influential in Miami's team. 17 points and 15 boards per game is sick numbers. Whiteside is the best rebounder of the league this year and Miami Heat must be thankful to this guy for those 7 victories so far. He could improve his free-throw shooting, but being such a monster in the paint, he is still fine. I highly predict that he will play in NBA all-stars game this year.

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Source
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami.The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. They play their home games at the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami. The team owner is Micky Arison, who also owns cruise-ship giant Carnival Corporation. The team president and de facto general manager is Pat Riley, and the head coach is Erik Spoelstra. The mascot of the team is Burnie, an anthropomorphic fireball.

Formed in 1988 as an expansion team, the Heat have won three league championships (in 2006, 2012 and 2013), five conference titles and 11 division titles. From February 3 to March 27, 2013, the Heat won 27 games in a row, the third-longest streak in NBA history (after the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors' 28 wins and the 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers' 33 wins). In 2016, Forbes valued the Heat at $1.3 billion as the tenth most valuable among NBA franchises.

The Heat are not related to the Miami Floridians, an American Basketball Association (ABA) team in the early 1970s, although the Heat have occasionally paid tribute to the older franchise by wearing a replica version of the Floridians' uniforms for the NBA's "Hardwood Classics Nights" during the 2005–06 and 2011–12 seasons.

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Boston Celtics

After Isaiah Thomas got injured, Boston Celtics lost their 3 games. Yes it was against Raptors, Thunder, and Spurs, but if this team wants to fight for the highest results, they have to start winning against the best teams in the league. That only showed us how important Isaiah to this Boston team. He got back few days ago and the result was instant - an easy win against the really beautifully playing Charlotte Hornets team. Isaiah was the best player of Celtics once again, and I will keep repeating myself, but I see him as one of the candidates to receive the award for the most improved player of the year.

So, Boston is currently 3rd in the East Conference, but they have to keep winning, because this year's Eastern Conference is as tight as ever. Indiana Pacers are standing 10th in this Conference with 13 victories, while Celtics has 14. That only means that a couple of losses against underdogs like Heat might put Celtics outside of the play-offs and that would be catastrophic.

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Leaders of Boston Celtics:

This year, Celtics are showing great team basketball, and every member of the team gets a chance to show his talents, and it is so important in a long run, because the leaders get a chance to rest. However, when we are talking about clutch moments, we have to distinguish 3 players, who are the true leaders of this team.

Avery Bradley

This guy was a 19th pick by Celtics in 2010 drafts. Since then, he is loyal to Boston and the results are starting to show. Man oh man, how Avery improved in those years. He is one of the main options at the offensive end for the last 3 years; however, this season is his best yet. Avery averages 18 points per game with impressive 40 percent shooting beyond the arc. Also, being a guard, he adds 7.8 rebounds per game and that is the best result in the team. Impressive.

Al Horford

Al joined Boston this off-season. Earlier, while representing Atlanta, he proved himself to be one of the best centers in the league. Nothing has changed this year as well. He is currently averaging 15 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. It is pretty good numbers for a center; especially those 5 assists. It shows that he is not only good to fight in the paint, but he also has a great vision of the court and can timely pass the ball to open guys. That is why it is not wise to put a double defense on him, but without that - only a few players in the league can defend Al.

Isaiah Thomas

It is the second season for Isaiah with Boston Celtics, and someone please tell me what the hell happened. He just went from being really good to a beast mode. Isaiah is the main guy of this Boston team, averaging 26 points per game. His crossovers are simply stunning and there are only a few players in the league that can keep up with his pace. In my opinion, he is one of the most improved players from last year, and I am pretty sure that we will see Isaiah in this year's NBA all-star game.

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Source

The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 and one of eight NBA teams (out of 23 total teams) to survive the league's first decade, the team is owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Boston Bruins. The franchise's 17 championships are the most of any NBA franchise, and account for 24.6 percent of all NBA championships since the league's founding in 1946. As a percentage of championships won, the Celtics are the most successful franchise to date in the major four traditional North American professional sports leagues.

The Celtics have played the Lakers a record 12 times in the Finals, including their most recent appearances in 2008 and 2010, where the Celtics have won nine meetings (but only two since 1980). Four Celtics players (Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens and Larry Bird) have won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for an NBA record total of 10 MVP awards.Their mascot 'Lucky the Leprechaun' is a nod to the team's Irish heritage and to Boston's historically large Irish population.

The Celtics rose again after struggling through the 1990s to win a championship in 2008 with the help of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen in what was known as the new "Big 3" era, following the original "Big 3" era of the 1980s that featured Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish.

After the end of the Big 3, general manager Danny Ainge began a rebuilding process with the help of new head coach Brad Stevens, who led the Celtics to a return to the playoffs in 2015.

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Editor: @cryptoiskey ∙ Presenter: @writingamigo

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December 18th, 3PM/6PM ETPT

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