SUMMARY
- The Miami Heat eliminated the Boston Celtics in the ECF last season.
- Fans wonder if the Heat will be able to pull off the same feat once again.
With the Boston Celtics proving to be the best team in the entire NBA record-wise, several fans believe that Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are the only team in the Eastern Conference who can stop the Celtics from making it to the NBA Finals once again.
Members of the basketball community should be aware that the Celtics made the NBA Finals in 2021, but ended up losing to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. The team has always managed to go deep into the postseason in recent times and is certainly a force to be reckoned with. That said, one must wonder if the Heat should be considered the only team in the East with a fair chance at stopping the Celtics.
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat almost blew a 3-0 lead to the Celtics
The Heat’s playoff push to the NBA Finals last season was something that the majority of NBA experts and fans had no way to predict. Despite going through the play-in tournament to secure the 8th position, Miami defeated the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The team went on to eliminate the New York Knicks in the Conference semi-finals.
Miami was then matched up against the Boston Celtics, who defeated the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers in order to make the ECF. Since the Celtics made it all during the previous postseason, they were favored to do the same once again by defeating the Miami Heat.
While there are several reasons that the Heat managed to pull this off such as Jimmy Butler’s elite play, the Heat won the first 3 games by playing physical defense and team basketball while forcing Boston to mostly attempt long-distance shots.
The Celtics attempted a comeback by winning the next 3 games in a row and forcing a Game 7 in Boston. Despite having the odds stacked against them heading into that pivotal series concluding match, Miami went on the road and defeated Boston in Game 7 and won the series.
Which teams in the East can eliminate the Celtics this postseason?
Another team with a fairly good chance to defeat the Boston Celtics in the playoffs could be the Milwaukee Bucks. After all, the Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on their roster. The team also holds the second-best record in the East and is 7 wins behind the Celtics at the moment.
Keeping the Bucks and Heat to the side, it is quite unlikely that any other team such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, or Orlando Magic can get past Boston. However, the winner of a playoff series is usually determined by injuries and momentum. Thus, all these teams also possess a puncher’s chance of defeating the Boston Celtics. Only time will tell if Boston will be able to make the NBA Finals once again this season.