Colin Cowherd predicted before the Eastern Conference finals that the Boston Celtics would defeat the Miami Heat.
His opinion hasn't changed despite the Heat's Game 1 win in Miami.
"I'll double down on my prediction," Cowherd said Wednesday on FS1. "I think -- I don't feel great about it, because I don't think we have a great team left. I think Boston wins the series eventually, because over six or seven games, they'll get more quality shots."
The Celtics started strong Tuesday night, jumping out to an early lead and carrying a ton of momentum into halftime despite missing both Marcus Smart (mid-foot sprain) and Al Horford (COVID protocols).
The Heat dominated the third quarter, though, as Boston got very sloppy with the basketball and began to miss a ton of shots. Miami ultimately held on for a 118-107 victory at FTX Arena.
"It was hard for me to watch (Tuesday night) and definitively say, 'Yeah, that's what the series will look like,' " Cowherd said. "It's hard. Boston was missing two valuable players -- one they found out minutes before tipoff. They had three fewer days rest. They just got through a grueling, physical series with big, strong Milwaukee with a lot of front-court guys. They were on the road. They were also missing Al Horford. (Kyle) Lowry was missing for Miami, but Horford was so good against Milwaukee. In my opinion, Boston ran out of gas."
The Celtics and Heat will return to the hardwood Thursday night for Game 2. The C's have been no strangers to adversity this season -- including during their second-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks after sweeping the Brooklyn Nets in Round 1 -- and therefore it's possible they'll bounce back with a much better showing before the action shifts to Boston for Games 3 and 4.
"Game 1s in the playoffs have always been really tricky, because Game 1 of a playoff series is the only game in a playoff series where teams aren't equally rested," Cowherd said. " ... (Tuesday night), Miami was rested, they were at home, they were ready to go, and Boston looked tired and was outscored 39-14 in the third quarter. And it was not just the way Miami played. It was that they all had energy."
The Celtics threw a haymaker in the first half of Game 1. The Heat, to their credit, avoided a knockout and delivered a flurry of their own blows to capture a 1-0 series lead.
We probably should expect these teams to continue trading punches moving forward, as they're both tough, evenly matched and highly motivated to reach the NBA Finals.
