Heat vs. Celtics: 5 Keys for Miami to Knock off Boston Tuesday Night

It was last year that the Boston Celtics put a damper on Miami's welcoming party during their respective season openers. The story was the same as Boston continued to beat the Heat, pulling off three straight wins during the regular season.

However, Miami finally figured out the contending Celtics in the last meeting of the season, blowing them out 100-77. While this was a promising game for the Heat's confidence, it really followed through after Miami ousted the defending Eastern Conference Champions in five games.

Both teams bring back the same star cores that we witnessed last year, along with a few additions and losses with role players.

With a early pivotal game in the Conference about to take place, both teams will battle to see just how well they match up against the NBA's elite.

If Miami can go win two straight games to start the season, it will show that they have put the Finals blunder behind them and have meshed together as a team.

For Boston?

Well, this could bring up a lot of questions after two straight losses to some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

Run-and-Gun

I used this same factor in my article depicting how Miami would beat the reigning champion Dallas Mavericks, but expect the Heat to come out and do the same to a less athletic team.

The Heat thrive off getting the ball out onto the open floor and pushing the pace with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.

Miami must not let Boston come down and get set on defense, as this is the best way to gain favorable matchups along with getting to the free-throw line.

However, Boston is a defensively sound team who allowed a league low 91.1 points a game last season. This is a tough task ahead, but one that will certainly keep the game in Miami's favor.

Get Back on Defense

For those of you who watched the exciting opening game between the Celtics and New York Knicks, it had to be noticed as to how many times Rajon Rondo would leak out for outlet passes leading to fast break opportunities and easy lay-ups.

In fact, Boston had 16 fast break points which mostly seemed to be due to the crafty work of Rondo.

Sure, LeBron is capable of some highlight reel blocks after chasing down a ball handler, but that's not the smartest way to get into a transition on defense.

Rondo is a guy who you have to pay attention to no matter which end of the floor he is on based on his speed and ability to create plays, but if you neglect him, he will make you pay.

Take Advatage of the Pierce-Less Celtics

The Boston Celtics received minimal production for Sasha Pavlovic on Christmas day, who started in place of Paul Pierce.

Seriously. One Rebound. One assist. Literally, that's it.

While Pierce has been the heart of the Celtics since being drafted years ago, Boston just doesn't look as competitive without him.

This is a guy who scored 18.9 points a game last year while playing solid defense and hitting big shots when called upon.

Miami must pounce on the weakened and abuse Boston accordingly.

Boston might be lucky enough to get Mickael Pietrus on the floor for the first time, but he will likely take a few games to get comfortable in the rotation.

This leads to more favorable matchups as well as a lack of dominant presence along side the Celtics' squad.

Guard the Perimeter

Ray Allen hit 16 three-pointers against the Heat in four regular season games last season, but only two of those came from Miami's lone win.

Miami is a team built to win on defense, but Boston had their way with the Heat last season hitting 45 percent of their three-point attempts.

However, if Boston's game plan against the Knicks carries over to Tuesday, they will likely try to get points inside. The Celtics has 48 points inside the paint on Christmas Day, but only five attempts from deep.

Brandon Bass had a stellar debut with 20 points on 9-13 shooting, but it's unseen if he can do that on a consistent basis.

Based on the fact that Miami was able to hold Boston to 33.6 points in the paint during the five-game playoff series in 2010-11, the Heat must try to make the Celtics score inside and limit the damage from the perimeter.

Build off of the Momentous Win Against the Mavericks

Many wondered how Miami would come out of the gate to start the 2011-12 season. It's safe to say they answered that question in BIG fashion by blowing out the NBA champions.

Not only did they destroy Dallas, but they looked like a team that has came a long way since a Finals defeat in terms of chemistry and game planning.

Momentum can be everything for an NBA team if they get hot at the right time, something Miami didn't do to start off last season, but this could be a record breaking season for the Heat.

They have the pieces to win now, but beating two contending teams in a row to begin the season would only show just how dangerous they will be over the course of the season.