5 Updated Miami Heat predictions for the rest of the 2023-24 season

5. The Heat and Celtics will meet again in the playoffs

Heat vs Celtics has become the biggest rivalry in the Eastern Conference and maybe the NBA. These teams have met in the conference finals in three of the last four seasons, with the Heat getting the best of the Celtics two out of three times. 

The Celtics last summer revamped the roster around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and have stormed out to the best record in the league and have beaten the Heat in all three matchups this regular season. They won’t play again unless they meet in the postseason.

Now the Heat are rounding into from, with recent additions finding their footing, Erik Spoelstra settling into a preferred rotation and Jimmy Butler playing at an All-NBA level. Miami is starting to resemble that team nobody wants to face in a playoff series.

If the Heat end up with the fourth or fifth seed and win their first-round matchup, there is a good chance they will see the top-seeded Celtics in the second round. It’s not the conference finals, but it would still have all the drama. – Wes Goldberg