With the postseason just a few weeks away, it is time to begin to look at which opponents the Boston Celtics could most likely face in the first round.
Despite a historic blowout on the home floor of the current No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics look destined to finish the season behind the Bucks in the standings. With five games left, the Cs are two games back of the top spot. Given the way they walked into Fiserv Forum on Thursday night, they should have the upmost confidence in road matchups against the top teams in the league throughout the postseason.
The NBA Play-in could shake up which opponent Boston will see in the first round, but at this point it seems to be a three-way battle for the No. 7 seed. Brooklyn more than likely locked down the No. 6 seed in the East after it edged Houston on Wednesday night. Since the All-Star break, it is quite obvious that this Celtics team is just waiting for postseason basketball. The way the top half of the East playoff picture looks right now should be the way it appears when the regular season concludes in a week. No matter what seed the Cs are, the ambition will remain the same. With the way things are shaking up in the play-in tournament picture, here is a look at the three teams Boston could face in its first hurdle on its run for the franchise’s 18th title.
The 3 most likely first round matchups for the Boston Celtics
No. 1: Miami Heat
Out of all the potential first round meetings, a clash with Jimmy Butler, Erik Spoelstra, and the Miami Heat would be at the bottom of the Celts’ list. In two out of the last three campaigns, Boston has taken on Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals.
This is not the same Heat team.
While the squad from south beach has struggled mightily on the offensive end throughout the 2022-23 season, you can’t help be think of that Heat team that took down the Cs in the bubble a few years ago. The two sides split the regular season series with the Heat securing wins in the last two games out of the four in total.
With Bam Adebayo in the middle and Butler on the perimeter, Miami does posses the ability to frustrate Boston on the defensive end. Spoelstra’s side cause the third-most giveaways in the league per game. While the Boston Celtics have a history of turning the ball over, seeing the Heat as a potential first-round matchup could create a much longer series than the team would want. Miami has just two rotational players shooting over 35% from beyond the arc. The lack of shot making on this team this season is glaring as Spoelstra has been forced to rely on a multitude of undrafted players.
Joe Mazzulla’s side should be confident it can get stops in the halfcourt in this series. With a 5-5 record in the last 10 contests, it is does seem that “Heat Culture” has flipped the switch just in time for the postseason. Butler, and Adebayo are phenomenal talents with the playoff experience to back it up, but this year’s version of the Heat is not the one that featured the free-flowing offense of the past.