The good news is that the Eastern Conference isn't the gauntlet that it's been in the past. The bad news is that the only team the Miami Heat should be looking to avoid at all costs in the first round is one of the most likely scenarios that is already beginning to take shape. A date with the Boston Celtics.
After dropping a huge game against the Orlando Magic on their home floor over the weekend, the Heat are back in the 7th spot of the East standings. With less than a month left in the regular season, the Heat find themselves in a very similar position - in a spot where they'll likely have to play their way into the official playoff field.
And if the Heat can't jump back up to the 5th or 6th seed, they'll likely be the favorite to earn the 7th seed via the Play-In Tournament. That means they could be staring down a first-round playoff matchup against the Celtics.
The Heat must avoid a first-round matchup against the Celtics
Again, looking up and down the East standings, there aren't many teams that would traditionally strike "fear" into the Heat. The top-seeded Detroit Pistons are unproven, and the Heat actually hold a winning record against them this season. The Heat will never shy away from a matchup against the New York Knicks, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been hot and cold all season long.
Aside from the Celtics, there's an argument to be made that the Heat could make their first-round matchup quite interesting.
Unfortunately, it does look more and more like the Heat could draw the Celtics in the first round. And that would be an absolute nightmare for this team.
Even if they probably wouldn't ever admit that.
The Celtics would overwhelm the Heat in a first-round playoff series
Miami is 0-3 against the Celtics so far this season, and even though two of those games have been decided by single digits, the Heat simply doesn't have a roster that matches up well with Boston.
Especially with the return of Jayson Tatum, the Heat would be in an uphill battle for the majority of this series - and not necessarily just from a talent standpoint. The Celtics have too much firepower, and head coach Joe Mazzulla has proven just how elite a basketball mind he is in the postseason.
As much as the Heat like to pride themselves on competition, a series against Boston in the first round would very much resemble what we saw between the two teams two seasons ago, when the Celtics outscored Miami by a combined 78 points over the course of five games.
Clearly, the Heat shouldn't want to see the Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. They may never admit it, but they're the one team that they probably wouldn't stand much of a chance against in a seven-game series.