Celtics vs. Heat: Keys to Victory for Boston Tonight Against Miami

The Boston Celtics travel to Miami to meet the team that knocked them out of the playoffs just seven months ago. The Celtics were able to win the regular season series against the Heat, but when they met in the playoffs, the Heat were clearly the superior team.

And with the Celtics at 0-1 after suffering a tough loss to the Knicks and the Heat at 1-0 after blowing out the defending champion Mavs, the Celtics are definitely the underdogs in this one. But that is not to say that they can't win because they certainly can. Here is what the Celtics must do in order to win.

Rondo Must Continue His Dominance

Rajon Rondo led the charge for the Celtics in the first game of the season with 31 points, 13 assists, five rebounds and five steals. If the Celtics are to win against the Heat, they need a repeat performance from Rondo.

The one position that the Celtics have a clear advantage at is the point guard position and this advantage must be exploited to the fullest. Rondo should be able to have similar success with Mario Chalmers covering him. And Rondo usually performs best in the biggest games.

This is a big game for the beginning of the season, and Rondo must be the best player on the floor for the Celtics.

Production from the Small Forward Position

It seems that Paul Pierce will be out tonight again and that leaves a void in the worst possible spot against the Heat: the small forward position. Pierce could have defended LeBron James and even scored on him at the other end. But alas, LeBron will now be getting a healthy dosage of Sasha Pavlovic and Marquis Daniels.

After Sasha pulled a disappearing act after getting the start against the Knicks, Daniels should get the start and play the majority of the minutes at the small forward position. His job will be simple: defend LeBron. Granted that is easier said than done, but if the Celtics want to have any chance of winning, Marquis and Sasha will need to keep LeBron under 30 points.

Don't Make Any More Heroes for the Heat

The Heat already have three superstars that can handle the majority of the scoring for the whole team. You know that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will all score in double digits and carry the team. But what can't happen is other, lesser role players stepping up and having big games.

The easiest way to lose is to let someone like James Jones or Mario Chalmers put up big numbers. Worrying about LeBron, Wade and Bosh is enough. If the Celtics can keep all of the role players for the Heat in check, then they will have a good chance of winning because games usually can't be won with only three players.

Control the Tempo

The Heat are younger, faster and more athletic than the Celtics so it is imperative that the Celtics don't allow the Heat to use this to their advantage throughout the game. The Heat want to run the fast break and get easy transition baskets while running their opponent out of the gym.

The Celtics can combat this by slowing the game down and forcing the Heat to beat them by playing half-court offense. That being said, when Rondo sees an opening to push the ball for an easy basket he should take it.

Crash the Boards

Rebounding will end up being one of the final indicators of the Celtics' chances of winning. A sure way to increase their chances of victory is to limit the Heat to one shot per possession and be able to grab offensive rebounds to get extra shots.

It will require a team effort with everyone crashing the boards to achieve this goal, but it is certainly possible. Brandon Bass had five offensive rebounds against the Knicks and he will also need to have a repeat performance against the Heat.

Force the Heat To Hit Jumpers

Don't get me wrong, LeBron, Wade and Bosh are all good shooters, but they are much better at driving the lane and getting points in the paint than they are at hitting jump shots. To prevent the Heat from dominating the points in the paint, the Celtics must pack in the middle and always keep LeBron, Wade and Bosh in front of them.

The Celtics can live with the Heat shooting jumpers all game long, even if they are hitting them. What they can't live with, though, is the Heat getting points in the paint.

Ray Allen Needs To Play Well

Ray Allen quietly scored 20 points against the Knicks, but his shot selection towards the end was poor. Tonight, he will have a more daunting task in covering Dwyane Wade. He must not only keep Wade from taking over, but also produce on the offensive end.

One thing he will need to do is tire Wade out by cutting around the baseline. This shouldn't be an issue for Allen because this is one of his specialties. But more important than playing defense or tiring out Wade is hitting threes. He needs to be hot in this game in order to help the Celtics put points on the board and silence the crowd in Miami.

Conclusion

All of the pieces must line up for the Celtics in this one in order for them to win, but it certainly can be done.

If Rondo can exploit his advantage at the point guard position, 'Quis and Sasha can keep LeBron in check, the Celtics can keep the role players from making an impact, control the tempo, crash the boards and get production from Ray Allen, they will be victorious against the Heat tonight.