The Miami Heat are currently locked into the top slot in the Eastern Conference. With the teams at the bottom, play-in territory if you will, still jousting for final position, the Miami Heat can begin to dial things in for the playoffs.
While that means navigating their final games of the season strategically, the playoffs are surely still at the top of their minds. With the first-round matchups nearly set, aside from the way they’ll be slotted in after the play-in games, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Toronto Raptors have already clinched guaranteed berths.
That means that the Miami Heat won’t see any of those teams in the first round, however, they will surely see a couple of them along the way to a potential NBA Finals berth.
With that in mind, there is one particular team that presents a very interesting matchup.
While multiple teams would provide an interesting scenario for the Miami Heat in the playoffs, there is one team that presents an extra little bit of intrigue. Based on their last game a few days ago, a Heat win might it be added in one of the best games of the year across the entire league, what would a Boston Celtics matchup look light across multiple games in a playoff series?
Only one word can truly describe it—fireworks! With that being said though, who’s up for a light show?
That brings us to this question. How would you feel about a Celtics/Heat playoff series?
Would you want it and why or why not? That’s the question today in the latest AllUCanHeat Roundtable.
Miami Heat Roundtable: Boston Celtics Playoff Matchup – Kenneth’s Take
There are two specific angles that must be covered here. That would be the basketball angle and the entertainment angle.
Kenneth’s Take (@K_Said_Que)
From a basketball perspective, the Boston Celtics are one of the worst matchups for the Miami Heat. They do it in a similar fashion as the Miami Heat.
They are tough. They are gritty.
They play both sides of the floor. They are well-coached.
They have athletes, multipleness, and a bunch of guys who are capable of slotting in anywhere and guarding anyone on the floor. It’s a real-life Spiderman.GIF scenario.
Then, there is the entertainment angle.
This would be one heck of a series. As stated, their last contest a few days back may have just been the Game Of The Year in the NBA.
That speaks to the basketball of it all though, as when two teams play as hard, can go shot for shot, or stop for stop—it’s going to make for a great contest. Here is the thing though, well, two things.
The Miami Heat run from no one, for starters. Secondly, this matchup would be bigger than this year.
With a longstanding rivalry, it was renewed to a new level in the NBA Bubble. Though the Miami Heat were swept last year by the Bucks early, before any potential matchup between the two teams in question, the passion hasn’t subsided this season.
For that reason and even though it would, likely, be the toughest series in the East for the Miami Heat, you have to say yes. I’d like to see a Boston/Miami matchup because, hey, why cheat the fans, myself, or the game?
Bring it on. Jimmy Butler And Co. will be ready for anything and accepting of all challengers.
Promise.
Miami Heat Roundtable: Boston Celtics Playoff Matchup – Eric’s Take
During the Celtics Heat matchup last Wednesday there was a great moment during the game. It was extremely nuanced and probably not of much relevance to those that aren’t total basketball nerds.
Eric’s Take (@FrittsWrites)
The broadcast had a split-screen of the two coaches, Erik Spoelstra and Ime Udoka, which is pretty normal of an NBA broadcast. What caught my attention was that both were constantly—well, coaching.
Meaning they were both intently analyzing the floor, giving direction, pointing, calling plays, and they both just didn’t stop. These are two front runners for Coach Of The Year in my eyes, which speaks to more about this overall matchup than there is on the surface.
This was a close game. Both teams performed well, stars showed up, and the coaches were busy all night.
The Heat ended up winning, 106-98, but the result could have gone either way. The game was conflicting for me, personally, as I grew up a Boston fan but now cover the Miami Heat.
Where does that put me in this question: Do we want to see this matchup in the playoffs? There is only one answer here and that is “absolutely”.
Any athlete will tell you, you play to win the game. You want the best opponent on the other side of the court.
In this talk of “if Eastern Conference contenders are going to try and manipulate seeding to get the best matchup”, I think it’s clear that both the Heat and Celtics just want to win. They both believe they are the best in the conference and want to prove it to everyone.
They’ve had similar stories that mirror each other in a way. As mentioned, both coaches are doing a great job, but they’ve also had their struggles.
The Celtics had issues early this year and there were talks of Udoka being fired after only a few months.
The Heat have had internal issues late this year, with Spoelstra and Professor Udonis Haslem getting into an altercation with Jimmy Butler on the sidelines.
The East is a difficult conference this year, but I think these teams want each other along the way to trying to win it. The 2020 Bubble playoffs started something with these teams and another series could really develop it into a full-blown rivalry, which would only get the best out of both teams.
As a fan, it would be stressful and antagonizing, but this series could be the most fun of the whole playoffs. Expect it to go seven games and to get all the drama a proper seven-game series generates.
Miami Heat Roundtable: Boston Celtics Playoff Matchup – Noah’s Take
The Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics have had two different kinds of seasons. Although the Heat have had to deal with inconsistencies in their lineups all year, one thing that has been consistent is their success.
Noah’s Take (@ndeckerbuckets)
They have earned win after win, leading them to the top spot in the East. The Celtics, on the other hand, got off to a shaky start to the season.
Some even questioned the chemistry of the team when Marcus Smart challenged the ability of Celtics costars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, to lead the team in the fourth quarter. That challenge by Marcus Smart ended up being a wake-up call, as the team has turned their season around since that time.
The Celtics are getting hot at the right time. The NBA playoffs are just weeks away and they look to be one of the top teams competing in the East.
If they are going to win it all, they will, most likely, have to go through the Miami Heat. The Heat and the Celtics have had some classic matchups in the playoffs.
One of the best series was in 2012. On the road to their second franchise title, the Heat and their Big 3 defeated the Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen Celtics squad in a competitive battle. The series was headlined by a captivating 45 point performance in Game 6 by LeBron James.
More recently, the Heat faced the Celtics on their way to the NBA Finals in 2020. This was also a great series.
Both teams had young sprouting stars who had started making a huge impact in the league. Tatum and Brown had become certified stars, while Bam Adebayo displayed All-Star growth and Tyler Herro showed signs of great potential.
Everyone competed in this series. The defining moment was Bam’s late-game block on Jayson Tatum.
It will go down as one of the greatest blocks in NBA postseason history. This year, the Heat have the chance to have another legendary battle with the Cs.
Who doesn’t love a great Heat-Celtics rivalry series? The Celtics look tough to beat right now, especially with their improved defense, but the Heat would be a tough opponent for them.
This would certainly be a series to look forward to. The biggest concern for the Celtics right now is the loss of their center, Robert Williams.
He was the defensive anchor for them. His absence is a tough blow for the team.
However, the Celtics are still a good team without him. Although the loss of Robert Williams increases Miami’s chances of winning the series, the Heat still would need to play at their best.
There are several ways that the Celtics could outlast the Heat. Miami needs to prioritize taking care of the ball and shutting down their opponents.
The Celtics have the best scorer on both teams in Jayson Tatum. The Heat need to limit his ability to score and prevent him from getting hot.
Additionally, the Heat turn the ball over too much. They are currently the third-worst team in terms of turnovers per game.
The Celtics are a great defensive team and have several players who can force turnovers, especially the pesky Marcus Smart. The Heat need to make sure they are locked in against the Celtics if they end up facing them this year.
The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics rivalry has led to some entertaining moments throughout the years. It would be great to see them face off this year, especially considering how both teams are seen as legitimate title contenders.
This matchup would definitely lead to some more great playoff moments. For me, that would be a resounding yes for these reasons.
Miami Heat Roundtable: Boston Celtics Playoff Matchup – Max’s Take
Let’s talk about a team that has been a rival to Miami since the late 2000s. The Boston Celtics have always had good games against the Miami Heat, no matter who is on either team.
Max’s Take (@maxmarshall136)
Just like in past years, Miami vs Boston in the postseason might happen. If you are a real Miami Heat fan, you want to face them in the postseason.
Miami has had Boston’s number in the postseason dating back to the bubble and during the Big 3 era.
Miami and Boston matchup pretty well this season, even though Boston has the upper hand this year going against Miami. You can argue a little that Miami only had Kyle Lowry for one of those games, with everyone seeing what happened in that game when they played on March 30th.
Just by breaking down the matchups, head-to-head wise, there isn’t a bad matchup on the court. Looking at the point guard matchup, Lowry versus Marcus Smart, that is a gritty matchup.
The same with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, where you will get guys like Jimmy Butler and P.J. Tucker defending them. Those matchups will be fun to watch, no doubt.
But, coming from a Miami Heat fan’s side of the matchup, the thing you would look forward to the most is Bam Adebayo against Boston’s bigs. That would be against Al Horford, Daniel Theis, and Robert Willams if he can return from injury by any potential matchup.
In the bubble, Adebayo was one of the reasons that Miami went to the NBA Finals. If he can lock in and give Boston’s big men issues, then that will be the difference in that series.
Boston had a great second half of the season, really changing their whole year around. You give that credit to them.
Yes, I want to face the Boston Celtics in the postseason, to be clear. However, as you know about the playoffs, the power of matchups is a real thing, meaning, the Miami Heat need to take things one game at a time—no matter who the matchup actually is at any given moment.