Boston Celtics: Power ranking C’s 5 most realistic first-round matchups

Though the Boston Celtics have already clinched a playoff berth this season, their first-round opponent is certainly still an up in the air situation.

T-minus 28 days until we see the Boston Celtics take to the hardwood once again and embark on their quest for championship number 18.

Prior to the COVID-19 induced hiatus on March 11th, the shamrocks found themselves within the upper-echelon of the league’s teams, and, with a victory on March 10th, they secured their sixth straight postseason appearance.

Boasting a record of 43-21, Boston saw themselves ranked third in the Eastern Conference standings, fifth in the NBA’s standings, and, subsequently, fifth within the league’s power rankings.

With the fact that they were constantly rolling out one of the league’s most talented core groups of ballers in All-Stars Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum, arguable All-Star snub Jaylen Brown, former All-Star Gordon Hayward, and Swiss Army man Marcus Smart, it’s easy to see why the Cs were able to find so much success in 2019-20.

Now, as the season heads towards their July 30th resumption date, the Celtics, as well as the other 21 teams invited to the Disney World bubble, will have their sights set on one thing: an NBA championship.

As mentioned, Boston has been guaranteed a playoff spot for about four months now, so, unlike some teams heading to the bubble, their participation within the postseason will not be in question.

What is in question for the Celtics, however, is who might be their first-round opponent. With the fact that there will be eight seeding games prior to the start of the playoffs, there is no guarantee as to who they might be squaring off against.

At this point, we can only play the guessing game as to which team will play Beantown in the first-round.

Today, we present to you a list of five potential quarterfinals opponents for the Boston Celtics, ranking each matchup from hardest to easiest:

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.

No. 4) Philadelphia 76ers

All throughout the season, we’ve discussed how troublesome the Philadephia 76ers have proven to be for the Boston Celtics. In fact, we’ve gone as far as to say Cs fans should indefinitely be rooting against the Sixers come the eight seeding games that will take place prior to the start of the postseason, in hopes that Boston won’t have to square off against them in round one.

Sure, if they do wind up playing Philadelphia in the first-round we do strongly believe Beantown has enough firepower to win in a seven-game series. However, by no means would this feat be easy to accomplish.

As we previously brushed upon, the 76ers have given the Boston Celtics trouble all throughout the 2019-20 campaign. Winning the season series three games to one, Philly managed to best the team in multiple important statistical categories, including rebounding (205 vs 154), blocks (23 vs 12), and scoring efficiency (Philly shot 45 percent from the field & 33 percent from deep while Cs shot 43 percent & 32 percent from 3).

One of the main fears heading into this season for Boston pertained to their depleted frontcourt rotation and, more notably, their lackluster size down low. For the most part, throughout the year this hasn’t proven to be as big of a problem for the team as we originally had thought… except for when facing Philadelphia.

Rolling out a starting lineup oft consisting of no players under 6-5, two players (including their point guard) in the 6-10 range and a legitimate seven-footer in Joel Embiid, the towering Sixers have given the Celtics’ roster (average height being around 6-5) a real run for their money.

As we’ve suggested in recent publications, a team built like Philadelphia could be truly dangerous come the resumption of NBA action, as players will likely gear more towards a back to the basket/ physically dominating style of play — something they tend to excel at.

Should they be Boston’s first opponent, it would likely turn out to be a long and grueling series for the Cs.

No. 3) Orlando Magic

Similar to how the Philadelphia 76ers could excel in the Disney games, so too could the Orlando Magic.

Outside of the bubble being held in their hometown, like Philly, the Magic are one of the most physically dominating opponents the Boston Celtics could face in the first round. Our logic is quite simple: with the fact that players will have not played NBA basketball in over four months once the season resumes — some didn’t even shoot a basketball during this time — it is likely that the type of high-level, fluid play we’ve become accustomed to seeing will be non-existent, at least in the beginning of play.

Because of this, as mentioned in the previous slide, we could very likely see teams play more of a back to the basket/ low-post style of play and, in turn, use their size and strength instead of how they typically use their finesse and perimeter-oriented skills.

If this turns out to be the case, teams better watch out for the Magic.

With a lineup consisting of two players in the frontcourt registering in at 6-11 (Nikola Vucevic & Jonathan Issac) running alongside the highflying/ physically dominating Aaron Gordon as well as having the 7-0 floor spacing/ rim-protecting Mo Bamba coming off the pine, Orlando consists of quite a menacing roster in terms of both stature and talent.

With Markell Fultz finally proving to be a respectable NBA player (12.1 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.3 steals) and with Terrance Ross in the midst of yet another fantastic season (14.8 points on 41 percent shooting & 37 percent shooting from deep) the Magic, though not seen as too big of a threat heading into the Disney bubble, could prove to have more up their sleeve than some experts are anticipating.

No. 2) Indiana Pacers

Their placement within this list is highly contingent on whether or not franchise player Victor Oladipo opts into playing for the Indiana Pacers in Disney. Should he arrive in Orlando, we believe there’s an argument to be had in which they replace the Orlando Magic for third place in these power rankings.

However, with the way updates are being reported, things aren’t looking too bright for Indiana.

As recently reported by ESPN’s Eric Woodyard:

"Initially hesitant to commit right away while evaluating the risk of reinjuring his quadriceps tendon, Oladipo told reporters that his decision remains unclear… “Nah, I haven’t made a decision just yet. Just taking it one day at a time,” Oladipo said. “I feel like when the day comes, I’ll know. I appreciate my teammates and this organization for backing me and supporting me with whatever decision I make, but at the same time, I’m focused on me getting as strong as possible and getting where I’m at. “Like I said, I’m taking it one day at a time and hopefully I can make a decision soon. We’ll see.”"

After being sidelined for more than a full calendar year due to a ruptured quadriceps tendon last season, the two-time All-Star made his way back to the hardwood this past January and, slowly but surely, re-acclimated himself to the NBA game.

Though starting off slow throughout the first seven games of his return (11.1 points, 2.9 assists, two rebounds on 33 percent shooting from the field and 24 percent shooting from deep), as time went on, and he became more comfortable with the flow of things, we started to see the pre-injury Oladipo making his way back to the forefront (16.8 points, 3.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds on 46 percent shooting from the floor and 39 percent shooting from deep during the final six games leading up to the hiatus).

Even with him sidelined this year, the Pacers still managed to find themselves well within the playoff picture thanks to the exceptional coaching of Nate McMillan and the stupendous play of their core unit, especially from the likes of first-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis (18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds on 54 percent shooting) and surprise free-agent acquisition Malcolm Brogdon (16.3 points, 7.1 assists on 44 percent shooting from the floor).

Add a healthy Oladipo into the mix and you have a truly menacing team heading into the postseason. However, and I mean this with all due respect, without their star shooting guard, the Indiana Pacers likely would prove to be no real threat to the Boston Celtics come playoff time.

No. 1) Brooklyn Nets

Around this time last year, it was a widely noted fact that the Brooklyn Nets were the ultimate winners of the NBA’s offseason. Signing the likes of superstar Kevin Durant and All-Star Kyrie Irving while also bringing in solid role players like Taurean Prince, Wilson Chandler, and DeAndre Jordan, the Nets had a sense of hope and promise that had not been felt in Brooklyn — nay, New York — in quite some time, regardless of the fact that Durant was likely to sit out the entire year as he recovered from his Achilles tear from last season.

Now, with the fact that Irving had season-ending shoulder surgery in late February, Spencer Dinwiddie & DeAndre Jordan both tested positive for COVID-19, and both Jordan and Wilson Chandler have already made it clear that they will not be traveling with the team to Orlando, it appears the hope that once was has simply been shelved, as their lineup for Orlando will likely resemble something like this:

Now, clearly this is a joke, as the picture provided by Complex Sports is almost four years old and consists of no players currently rostered by the Nets, but still, the sentiment stands: who on earth will this team roll out onto the hardwood?

With Durant, Irving, Jordan, & Chandler all out, and with the fact that Dinwiddie’s status is also in doubt, Brooklyn’s pecking order will likely be as follows: Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, Jarrett Allen, and Taurean Prince.

These aforementioned players are certainly talented in their own right, and we’ve even sang high praise for LeVert in the past. That said, going up against a team consisting of Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, and Marcus Smart, it would appear this depleted Nets team would be unequivocally outmatched.

Healthy, Brooklyn has the makings of a true championship team.

Like this, however, the Boston Celtics would simply feast upon their flesh.