Boston Celtics would win series against NBA Play-in favorite ‘without any doubt’: NBA legend

Boston Celtics legend Cedric Maxwell is scared in certain respects regarding a potential postseason series against the NBA Play-in favorite in the east, the Miami Heat — but ultimately, he thinks the Cs will overcome that and win such a playoff series “without any doubt.”

“I think the Celtics definitely are the better team, and they will beat Miami probably in five,” Maxwell said on Arbella Early Edition (h/t NBC Sports Boston). “But still, there’s a little, just a slight hint of fear in my heart sometimes when I think about the Miami Heat and what they can do. Jimmy Butler’s scoring, Tyler Herro getting hot from the outside and knocking down shots. They have some scorers,” Maxwell said. “Bam (Adebayo) has done a terrific job again this year of playing the game. So they have some players. But overall, at the end of the day, if you start adding up the pieces, the Celtics have more pieces consistently than Miami and they should win this series without any doubt.”

Miami is currently favored by five points against Atlanta in the Eastern Conference’s first NBA Play-in game.

Erik Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler ‘put twinge’ in Boston Celtics legend’s heart

The 1981 Boston Celtics Finals MVP specifically shouted out Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler for “putting a twinge” in Maxwell’s heart and making the 67-year-old nervous about a potential series.

“Erik Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler put a little twinge in my heart when I start thinking about how they play and what he brings to the table,” Maxwell said. “There’s a certain way that you see these guys play, and they up to another level when they play against the C’s.”

Boston was taken to seven games during the 2022 Eastern Conference finals by Miami, so Maxwell’s twinge is justified — especially given the stakes of what it could mean should the Celtics bow out of the postseason early with Jaylen Brown’s future hanging in the balance.