Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images Jimmy Butler and the Heat face off with Jayson Tatum and the Celtics in this year's Eastern Conference Finals.
The top-seeded Miami Heat and the second-seeded Boston Celtics get their Eastern Conference Finals series underway Tuesday night when they meet in Game 1 from FTX Arena in Miami.
The game (8:30 p.m. ET) will be televised nationally on ESPN. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of the Celtics vs Heat online:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Celtics vs Heat live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Fubo credentials to log in and watch.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN is included in every one, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the Celtics vs Heat live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials (may still be listed as AT&T on the list of cable providers) to log in and watch.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 30-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” package. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with ESPN, and you can get $10 off your first month:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Celtics vs Heat live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Sling credentials to log in and watch.
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 90+ other TV channels on Vidgo. This option doesn’t include a free trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch the Celtics vs Heat live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Vidgo credentials to log in and watch.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes access to ESPN+ and Disney+:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Celtics vs Heat live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Hulu credentials to log in and watch.
Celtics vs Heat Game 1 Preview
The top two teams in the Eastern Conference kick off a best-of-seven series with a spot in the NBA Finals up for grabs when the Miami Heat host the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the conference finals on Tuesday night in South Beach.
The Heat are coming off a 4-2 series win over the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round that advanced them to their second conference final in three seasons. As the Eastern Conference’s top seed, Miami owns home-court advantage, which has worked to their advantage in the postseason where they are unbeaten in six home games.
Six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler leads the Heat in scoring this postseason at 28.7 points per game and it was his 32-point performance in Game 6 that helped send the 76ers packing.
“I think he’s one of the ultimate competitors in this profession,” Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said following the series-clincher over Philadelphia. “He was brilliant all series long. The challenges only get tougher here. He saw there was an opportunity to end this tonight and he wasn’t going to let this get to seven.”
The Celtics are in the conference finals for the fourth time in the last six seasons after taking down the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks in a hard-fought seven-game series in the second round. The storied franchise will be looking to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.
The Celtics torched the nets from beyond the arc against the Bucks, connecting on 110 three-pointers in seven games – tied for third-most in any playoff series in league history. They made a record amount of three-pointers in a Game 7, 22, en route to beating the Bucks, 109-81, on Sunday.
Here’s a look at the tale of the tape heading into the opening game of this Eastern Conference Final series:
No. 1 Miami Heat
- 53-29, finished first in the Southeast Division; top seed in the Eastern Conference
- Defeated the Atlanta Hawks in the first round in five games (4-1) and the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals in six games (4-2)
- Forward Jimmy Butler leads the team in scoring and assists this postseason with 28.7 points and 5.4 assists per game in ten contests played
- Center Bam Adebayo is averaging 14.6 points and a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game in the playoffs
- Guards Tyler Herro (13.8 ppg), Max Strus (12.5 ppg) and Victor Oladipo (11.4 ppg) are all averaging double-digit points per game
No. 2 Boston Celtics
- 51-31, finished first in the Atlantic Division
- Swept the Brooklyn Nets in the first round (4-0) and got past the Milwaukee Bucks in the conference semifinals in seven games (4-3)
- Forward Jayson Tatum leads the Celtics in scoring with 28.3 points per game in 11 contests played
- Guard Jaylen Brown is averaging 22.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in the playoffs
- Guard Marcus Smart is averaging 15.0 points and 6.2 assists per game in the postseason
- Center Al Horford is averaging 13.0 points and a team-best 9.4 rebounds per game in the playoffs
Heat vs Celtics Eastern Conference Finals Schedule
- Game 1: Celtics at Heat, Tuesday, 5/17 (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
- Game 2: Celtics at Heat, Thursday, 5/19 (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
- Game 3: Heat at Celtics, Saturday, May 21 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
- Game 4: Heat at Celtics, Monday, May 23 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
- Game 5: Celtics at Heat, Wednesday, May 25 (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) *if necessary
- Game 6: Heat at Celtics, Friday, May 27 (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) *if necessary
- Game 7: Celtics at Heat, Sunday, May 29 (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) *if necessary