Online bookmaker odds have been adjusted just a little bit for Tuesday’s game between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. The Celtics will be without forward Kevin Garnett as the league suspended him for his actions in Game 1. The Celtics were the offshore betting winner in Game 1 as they defeated the Heat by a score of 85-76.
Online bookmaker odds still list the Celtics as the favorite over the Heat in Game 2 but the number is small. Instead of a 4.5 point favorite at the online bookmaker like they were in Game 1, the Celtics are just a 1.5 point choice for Game 2. Garnett was suspended for landing an elbow to the face of Miami’s Quentin Richardson. Garnett got a double technical and was ejected from the game. “I saw Paul (Pierce) grab his shoulder, as a stinger or whatever, so I just tried to immediately call [Celtics trainer] Ed [Lacerte] over,” Garnett said, “I tried to give him some room and I just saw [Quentin Richardson] standing over him talking nonsense. I asked [Richardson] to give him some room and, before you knew it, mayhem started.”
The Celtics will now have to play without Garnett on Tuesday in the offshore betting contest. “I apologized because, like Doc said, sometimes even when you’re right you’re wrong,” said Garnett. Boston will now be giving more time to Glen Davis in Game 2. They seemed confident they can hold their own for a game without Garnett. “We know we can hold down the fort,” Pierce said, “We’re not one of those teams that, when the star player goes down, you find excuses to not play hard, to not win.”
Boston controlled Game 1 for the most part. It was a very physical game that should have played into Miami’s hands. It did not work out that way. The question at the online bookmaker now becomes whether the Heat actually woke Boston up. For much of this season the Celtics have looked old and tired. Now that Garnett is out of the lineup for Game 2, the entire Boston team seems energized. It would not be the first time where a team has played hard in a single game to make up for a player being injured or suspended. The odds at the online bookmaker have gone down but it could be that Boston is a better bet now. What is definitely clear is that the intensity level will be high in Game 2 on Tuesday night in Boston.