Celtics vs Heat IV Was Inevitable, And This Year We're Getting It In The First Round

Megan Briggs. Getty Images.

As if it could have happened any other way, welcome to Boston vs Miami IV.

Pretty much all season it felt like at one point or another, these two teams were going to play one another this postseason. We had to wait a little bit to see what round it would eventually be in, with any of the first three rounds being an option. Once the season ended and the Heat found themselves in the Play In, that helped narrow it down. It was either going to be with a spot in the NBA Finals on the line (again), or it was going to be in the first round. It didn't matter what side of the bracket MIA finished on, you knew that at some point, these two teams would meet. 

Of course, this is not exactly the Heat I think most of us expected. Not having Jimmy Butler does change the equation. I'm going to assume he's out for the series, but really who the hell knows. For the sake of this blog, let's assume he's out. 

The revenge factor is pretty clear. I know we try and prop up all these other rivalries in the East, but with these two teams, there really is one. You only get that through multiple playoff battles with huge stakes where both sides have won. Each side has gone into the other's building and won a Game 7 on their floor to punch a ticket to the NBA Finals. Both have won on the road, both have won at home, weird shit happens. 

This will be their 3rd meeting since 2020, and while there's a pretty drastic difference between going up against this Bulls team and then what the Heat are about to see starting Sunday, what tonight showed was what we've all experienced with MIA this time of year. They are going to show up, they are going to unleash their dark magic, and if you can't find a way to take advantage of their cold spells offensively, they have the power of randomness on their side. 

Beating MIA in a playoff game is 95% mental warfare. When you don't allow them to put you in a position to make mistakes, you can overpower them. But when you're careless and you feed into their transition offense and points off turnovers, it's like giving them strength. Once that starts, then someone hits a big 3 off a Bam moving screen. Being ready for their switches, understanding and being ready to handle the zone, these are all things Brad Stevens knew he had to build a roster to be ready for.

You know how we know this? He told us himself

The Celts won all 3 of their meetings against the Heat this season, averaging 124 points on 53/45% shooting. In terms of the player production and efficiency in this matchup, you can see for yourself. I'm not typing all this shit out

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As long as they play the way we've seen all year, they should be fine.

What's interesting about this matchup is that despite those numbers, the three games only included 1 blowout. 

Game 1: 119-111

Game 2: 143-110 (in MIA)

Game 3: 110-106

While Butler being out changes things, he wasn't there for the closest game of the series, and the one guy that has actually had success in this matchup has been Tyler Herro. He's now going to have to shoulder the scoring load, and in his 3 games averaged 23.7/4.7/5.3 on 49/41% splits. If the Heat are going to be able to steal a game to start this series and eventually win it, it's likely going to require Herro to be effective.

On paper, things are lopsided. But when has BOS/MIA ever mattered with what things look like on paper? The one thing that gets the Celts in trouble is assuming they can just win and show up. You do that shit against this Heat team who has momentum in Game 1 and that's how you get the start of the 2022 ECF. Then a bad shooting night shows up and you're suddenly down 0-2 going on the road. We know this because we lived it. 

The good news is this team has taken this matchup seriously every single possession regardless of who has been in the lineup. We all know the deal, this isn't just your typical series. There's more juice behind it than that.

Given what took place between these two teams last year, I think it's in everyone's best interest to treat this opponent with the respect they deserve. The Zombie Heat are real. If anyone knows that and what that means in terms of what they're capable of, it's the Celtics. 

This is their chance at revenge for Gabe Vincent's conveniently placed foot in the first 20 seconds of Game 7. This is for the bullshit in the bubble. 

We all knew this matchup was bound to happen at some point in these playoffs, and fortunately for us, we don't have to wait.