As game 4 is set to tip off tonight—the injury list is growing and changing by the hour. Tyler Herro will be out, Jimmy Butler is expected to play, and Marcus Smart is questionable. 

For this Eastern Conference finals, fans should expect this every single game. Every game will be a new look on who’s on the floor. For the fans who aren’t rooting for Boston or Miami, that may bring excitement. As for the ones rooting for one of the teams—it’ll bring stress. 

Typically for most series, as long as the superstar is playing, it shouldn’t matter that much. For example, last series, all-star Khris Middleton was out, which made a huge difference. But for this series, anyone can have their moment. Which makes things scary for both teams. 

Both the Heat and Celtics have role players that can be the star for their team. Bam can drop 25 if Robert Williams isn’t playing. Kyle Lowry can drop 25 if Smart doesn’t play. We’ve seen Smart drop 24 in game 2. Expect the unexpected. 

We’re in deep waters of the postseason. So a few ankle sprains and pains should be expected. But for some reason, guys are getting hurt left and right. As for the Celtics, that’s a huge problem. Coach Ime Udoka only plays seven to eight players a night. Daniel Theis can’t be in the rotation in this series if they want to win. Erik Spoelstra may not be super excited about the injuries, but best believe, he may have the upper hand right now. 

Is COVID-Protocol still a thing? Al Horford was in the health and safety protocol which took him out of game 1. A game he was dearly missed. Derrick white missed game 2, because his lady was giving birth, luckily the C’s won. 

With these injuries, we’re seeing blowouts. We’re also seeing large leads dwindle quickly. Even though the Celtics won game 2 by a wide margin, Butler still went on a run in the second half that made some fans sweat. 

With all of these injuries and games being played within two games—guys are going to be out. The rotation is going to change on a nightly basis. My opinion, that favors the heat. But it certainly makes for some exciting playoff basketball. 

Let’s just hope the Celtics are somewhat healthy for game 4.