NBA Playoffs 2011: Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat Game 3 Live Blog

A betting probably wouldn't have put money down on Game 3 being a must-win for either the Celtics or the Heat but that precisely the situation that Boston is in heading home to the Garden for what is sure to be a thriller on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, ABC).

The first two games of one of the year's most anticipated series resulted in the Celtics being exposed as a less athletic team as they struggled to slow down Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.

Miami's big three have combined for 68.3 PPG and the Celtics haven't displayed the defensive capabilities of breaking the trio's stride that they had in the first three contests of this season.

Of course, that was a different Heat team, and this is a different Celtics team.

There is no doubt that this Celtics team will bring the kind of passion that has become expected of them but whether it will be enough is a different story. 

The Celtics will Shaquille O'Neal back, playing his first real minutes since early February. Although fans shouldn't expected much more than 15 minutes from the big man, the time on the court prove vital for a team has looked weak in the post (despite the success of Jermaine O'Neal). 

Boston will need a much more consistent effort tonight in order to make this a series while Miami will need to work hard to keep up the same intensity they had in front of their home crowd.