Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET a rivalry that was arguably the NBA's best for the past few seasons resumes, with a key returning face that was missing from the first meeting of the year. Watch the Boston Celtics (14-28) take on the defending champion Miami Heat (29-12) on NBA TV in Eastern Conference action that can be live streamed by clicking this link. Celtics fans can listen to the game on WEEI 93.7, while Heat fans can do the same on 560 WQAM.
Last time these teams met, the Celtics pulled off a late-game miracle involving a full-court heave and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Jeff Green. They did it without Rajon Rondo, who will suit up this time around. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses, but Miami's defeat was the more surprising of the two.
The Heat gave up 121 points to the Atlanta Hawks last night, leading LeBron James to criticize his own effort as well as his teammates. "We scored enough points to win, so obviously it was defense," James said. "Especially in the first half."
Miami's allowing 98 points per game these days, a full 10 points more than what Indiana is giving up. They also dropped to 13-9 on the road; luckily for them tonight they'll be playing in front of the home fans. Regardless of the venue, James believes they need to get back to playing complete basketball.
"I can't just pinpoint what it is," James said. "It's a little bit of everything. At some point we've got to figure it out. It's just not good basketball right now."
Another notable aspect of this game will be former Heat big man Joel Anthony playing against his old team for the first time. "The thing I already know about him is he is a great person to have on our team," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "I am thrilled that he's here. Practice-wise, in the locker room, personality. Clearly he's a person that trains and works the right way."
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