Boston Celtics: Power ranking C’s 5 most realistic first-round matchups
By Mark Nilon
No. 5) Miami Heat
Frankly, it’s a bit shocking to see how little buzz the Miami Heat are conducting heading into the Disney bubble. Sure, one can look at their number eight slot in CBS Sports’ latest NBA power ranking and feel as though their spot is warranted and, in turn, are receiving the proper amount of praise.
However, don’t believe the hype Boston Celtics fans. Should the Heat wind up playing the shamrocks in round one, the going will assuredly get tough.
Their dynamic duo of Jimmy Butler — a should be MVP candidate — and Bam Adebayo — the most likely Most Improved Player Award recipient — alone make Miami a scary matchup for any team come the postseason. However, add in the fact that they have a combined seven players scoring in double figures per game, have the seventh-best offensive rating in the league (112.2), and rank first in 3-point percentage (38.3), and you have one of the most menacing offensive units the Cs could possibly face come playoff time.
To add insult to injury, what makes things even harder when facing the Heat is the fact that they also seem to excel on the defensive end of the court as well
Though they may find themselves outside the top 10 in defensive rating, South Beach rolls out quite an intimidating defensive core consisting of Butler, Adebayo, Jae Crowder, Meyers Leonard, and Andre Iguodala. Ranking eighth in opponents 3-point percentage (35 percent), fifth in opponent points in the paint per game (44.4), and second in opponent fast-break points per game (11.5), it’s apparent that the numbers back up the defensive stigma that these aforementioned names bring about.
Are we suggesting the Miami Heat are unbeatable? Certainly not, and Celtics fans know this to be true when considering the fact that Boston beat them in both outings they played in 2019-20.
However, of all the most realistic first-round opponents the Cs will be facing, no other has proven to be as sound on both ends of the ball as Miami has.