With their position in the playoffs solidified, the Miami Heat can now take some time to make sure players are healthy and gearing up for the postseason. However, Friday night they'll take on their heated rivals the Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. ET., a matchup sure to be a preview of what to come in the upcoming playoffs.
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Via ESPN:
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are expected to play for Miami after missing time with various injuries, although Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem are out. The Celtics won't be as fortunate with their personnel, as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are not expected to suit up due to ankle issues.
Wade missed six straight games with ankle and knee problems, and his minutes will surely be limited as a result.
"I'm sure my lungs will need that," he said.
James, who sat out four of the past six with a strained right hamstring, and Bosh, out the last three due to flu-like symptoms, could have taken another night off thanks to their team's 103-98 victory at Washington on Wednesday. The Heat (62-16) set a franchise mark for wins and clinched home-court advantage through the NBA finals.
The effort put the finishing touches on a record-setting season that also saw a 27-game win streak.
"We've had an amazing year," Battier said. "We've set a lot of records and we've had a lot of storylines the whole year. Hopefully our best storyline is still ahead of us. That's what we're saving the high-fives for."
Despite the absences of its three stars, Miami hardly missed a beat thanks to its reserves, proving that the Heat have plenty of depth going into the playoffs.
"Most definitely, we would be a playoff team," forward Rashard Lewis said of Miami's bench after he scored 17 against the Wizards. "Probably not a top-three team, but I think anywhere from there we'd be fighting for a playoff spot, just because we've got a lot of veterans on the team, a lot of smart guys on the team that know how to play the game."
