Miami Heat: Taking A Look At Potential First Round Playoff Opponents

The next potential matchup just got some awful news. They’ll be missing one of their young stars, Jaylen Brown, for the foreseeable future.

Boston Celtics

Before a critical 130-124 win and a dominating first half on Sunday, the Heat hadn’t shared the floor with Boston since January 6th. Miami will have to recreate that performance against the Celtics in their final regular season matchup on Tuesday.

After being sent home by the Heat in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals and if they were to face each other this postseason, the Celtics would, indeed, seek redemption against the team that kept them from a potential return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.

This series was highlighted by exceptional two-way play from the Heat and was led by a dominant interior presence from Bam Adebayo, ultimately leading to him making one of the greatest defensive highlights in postseason history — a huge rejection on a one-handed dunk attempt from Jayson Tatum.

Much like the Heat, the Celtics have also failed to find consistency throughout the year, as they’ve lost five of their last eight games. To play a team in the first-round that is, consequently, dealing with the same struggles as the Miami Heat are and have been, the challenge should be accepted.

Regardless of where Miami finish in the standings, the Eastern Conference is set for an exciting finish to determine the eight seeds and the new play-in system makes it all the more intriguing. With the Heat slowly returning to full strength, they’re a team no one should want to play in the first-round.

These are the likely matchup candidates though, especially with the way things are trending. It should all be interesting to watch unfold.