The Boston Celtics will face the Miami Heat in the opening round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. Erik Spoelstra’s team navigated the play-in tournament to earn the eighth seed. During Miami’s win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday (April 19), Heat fans could be heard chanting, ‘We want Boston.’ Now, they have them.
However, this isn’t the same Celtics team Miami defeated in a seven-game series of the Eastern Conference Finals last season. This is a Celtics team that ran away with the best record in the NBA this season. It’s a team overflowing with talent, confidence and elite skill sets. The Heat face an uphill battle to make this series competitive.
Furthermore, the Heat will be without their star player, Jimmy Butler, who sustained an MCL injury in the opening game of the play-in tournament on Tuesday (April 16). As such, Miami will face a difficult task against a Celtics team with a point to prove.
New episode of the Celtics Lab Podcast on YouTube via @CelticsCLNS ☘️🧪📺
Chatting with the great @poundcoyne about what NBA expansion would even look like
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— Celtics Lab Podcast (@CelticsLab) April 20, 2024
Heat fans wanted Boston. Now they have them. The issue is Miami isn’t the team that sent the Celtics packing this time last year. Sometimes, you need to be careful what you wish for.
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