The Heat have made tons of noise in this bubble, stopping TJ Warren and then Giannis Antetokounmpo. Now it’s fair to ask who can silence them. 

Boston may stop the Heat early in the series but fatigue will kick in — giving the Heat a push that they may need. The Celtics have been constantly pushed in the past few weeks, playing seven high-intensity games in 14 days. There has been almost no time to rest for a scorching Miami team that nearly swept the 1 seed Bucks in a 4-1 runaway series.

Miami will finally get something in return for playing a slow intensity and slow run offense. Slow and steady may lose the race for the exhausted Celtics, as that would just accommodate the Heat’s playing style. So maybe coach Brad Stevens has his guys play high tempo, but that would still give Miami time to pounce on a weak offensive and defensive core. To have a chance at winning, Boston will need to play all their stars together for as long as they can.

That brings us to the 1,2 KO punch from the Celtics that the Heat haven’t seen the likes of before. Jason Tatum and Kemba Walker may create a unique mismatch between the teams, depending on what Erik Spoelstra does. It may be a difficult matchup for the Heat to face with Walker possibly taking on Goran Dragic, whose defense isn’t a strong suit. As for Tatum, the Heat has both Jae Crowder and Jimmy Butler — the best defenders on Miami. It is important though that Miami doesn’t give Smart, Tatum, or anyone space beyond the perimeter. Whoever can hit more threes and hit between Marcus Smart and Duncan Robinson will win his team the game. 

I believe the Celtics will make it interesting but not enough; the Heat will come prepared in game 6 and shoot the lights out. Then things will get very noisy in the 305.