There may not be a tougher path to the finals than what the Boston Celtics have endured so far.
After beating one of the favorites in the east in the first round, the C’s had a tough test in round two. The Milwaukee bucks would not go away even halfway through Game 7.
It took a complete team effort for Boston to overcome Giannis Antetokounmpo. An even tougher challenge awaits any form of the top seed Miami Heat. Yes, the heat took down the Atlanta Hawks in the first round and followed that up by knocking out the Philadelphia 76ers.
Some may be looking past Miami but for Boston, they are the toughest test they faced in quite some time. The Celtics were victorious in the regular season winning the series against the Heat 2-1.
There was just one occasion in which these two teams faced off and we’re at full strength. That game is one the Celtics decimated the Heat by a large margin. This Heat team is much different than even the regular season, though. Kyle Lowry has been hampered by injuries, which has allowed for Gabe Vincent and Max Strus to step up. Duncan Robinson has seen little action in the playoffs due to his unplayable defense: a stark contrast from the days Robinson helped torch the Celtics in the bubble. Tyler Herro, the Six Man of the Year award winner should be a problem again for the Boston defense
This time around it could be different however as the Celtics are better equipped to guard Bam Adebayo. With Al Horford back on the roster, and Robert Williams a much better player, Daniel Theis won’t have to guard Adebayo for 25 minutes.
As the Celtics hit the road for Game 1, we take a look at 3 keys the Boston Celtics must hone in on to start the series off with a win.