Obviously the bad news for Boston is that it is down 2-0 in the series and that the Celtics really never had a legitimate shot late in either game in South Florida to win. All of a sudden Boston’s Big 3 of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen looked old compared to Miami’s Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. This is the first time since Boston’s Big 3 was put together that it has been down 2-0 in a series.

But there is good news for Boston. First off, Miami has lost 10 in a row there. That’s seven straight in the regular season (including both trips this year) and three in the playoffs. The last Heat win there was April 6, 2007, when, with Wade sidelined, the Heat won with current Celtics center Shaq as the starting center. And speaking of Shaq, Boston coach Doc Rivers seems confident that O’Neal will play for the first time in these playoffs. O'Neal has played just once since Feb. 1 due to a calf injury, but Rivers says he is “expecting” him barring a setback. But certainly Shaq will only get limited minutes. In addition, Pierce, Allen and Rajon Rondo, all dealing with their own minor injuries, certainly will start.

Frankly, it won’t matter what Boston does if it doesn’t slow down LeBron, Wade and Bosh. Those three accounted for 80 of Miami’s 102 points in Game 2. Boston’s KG, Pierce and Allen managed only 36. The Heat have lost just four times in the past six weeks, winning 21 of their last 25 games. Now Boston has to beat them four times in the next five games to keep its season alive.

Take advantage of Bodog’s one-of-a-kind live betting on this game!