The Celtics should be terrified of facing the Heat in the playoffs

[Eagle4]

Celtics are better than they were last year and the Heat are worse than they were last year. They should be taken seriously, but no reason to be overly concerned about them.

They lost Struss who got his minutes replaced by Duncan who is the superior player this season and Gabe who is out for the season. They gained Jaime, Jovic, Rozier, Bryant etc.
Celtics are indeed the better team talent-wise (as they were last year) but this Heat team isn't worse than their squad last year, in fact this is probably the best team Butler has had in this era. You have no clue what you're talking about.

The Heat's record against +.500 teams this season is worse this year. Previously they had a knack for stepping up when playing top teams. That has not been the case this year.

Heat have had the top 3 most injured lineups thus far. Their record against such teams in the regular season has holes since they've had multiple guys in and out the lineup for almost the entirety of the season.
And the Heat were the 8th seed that made the finals last year and were the 5th seed that made it in 2020? So in what world does regular season become some real indicator for this Spo/Butler led squad come post season? It's literally why this thread was made in the first place lol. Think man think.

Rozier alone would be the 3rd best player Heat had in the 2023 playoff run. You can't just ignore cohesion, this will be the 5th year the Butler/Bam duo play together and chemistry is always a factor especially in the playoffs. You and others have prematurely counted Heat out time in and time our and then get surprised and perplexed when the best coach in the league and a guy who elevates his game to top 5-7 status leads their team deep into the playoffs. Lol.

[Homerclease]

On the contrary, I want them early, and I want to go through them to erase any doubts. Celtics have the chance to quell all the naysayers and doubters about their postseason performance in one fell swoop this season. It would almost feel a little cheap if the Celtics managed to get a chip and didn’t have to go through Miami

If I were Boston I would rather have them late. The last thing you want is to face Butler after he's flipped his playoff switch and is still healthy. I don't know if Butler can keep up his performance throughout an entire playoffs (age factor + we saw him fall off after the ankle injury in the 2nd round). I sure as hell wouldn't want to see him in the 1st round when he is fully healthy. He's proven he's one of the few guys that can win a series on their own.

If I were an East contender I'd rather see Miami late because I'm not confident Butler can keep up his pace through 3-4 playoffs rounds. He sure can for 2 though, and that's really dangerous.

I don’t fear them and want no excuses either. Celtics are on a historic run during this regular season, up there statistically with some of the best teams of all time. It’s all for nothing if they can’t perform in the playoffs. Beating the Heat is part of that. Beating them convincingly and exorcising this demon for good is even better.

[One Last Shot]

They lost Struss who got his minutes replaced by Duncan who is the superior player this season and Gabe who is out for the season. They gained Jaime, Jovic, Rozier, Bryant etc.
Celtics are indeed the better team talent-wise (as they were last year) but this Heat team isn't worse than their squad last year, in fact this is probably the best team Butler has had in this era. You have no clue what you're talking about.

The Heat's record against +.500 teams this season is worse this year. Previously they had a knack for stepping up when playing top teams. That has not been the case this year.

And the Heat were the 8th seed that made the finals and were the 5th seed that made it in 2020? So in what world does regular season become an indicator for this Spo Butler Heat? Think man think.

Now that I think about it, Giannis got hurt both times in 2020 and 2023 playoffs during their series against the Heat. You know what happened when he didn't? Bucks swept Miami in the 1st round of 2021 Playoffs by a margin of 20.5 ppg.

[Eagle4]

The Heat's record against +.500 teams this season is worse this year. Previously they had a knack for stepping up when playing top teams. That has not been the case this year.

And the Heat were the 8th seed that made the finals and were the 5th seed that made it in 2020? So in what world does regular season become an indicator for this Spo Butler Heat? Think man think.

Now that I think about it, Giannis got hurt both times in 2020 and 2023 playoffs during their series against the Heat. You know what happened when he didn't? Bucks swept Miami in the 1st round of 2021 Playoffs by a margin of 20.5 ppg.

Uhh yea I've already answered the 2021 statement in the other page. Go read.

[Eagle4]

The Heat's record against +.500 teams this season is worse this year. Previously they had a knack for stepping up when playing top teams. That has not been the case this year.

And the Heat were the 8th seed that made the finals and were the 5th seed that made it in 2020? So in what world does regular season become an indicator for this Spo Butler Heat? Think man think.

Now that I think about it, Giannis got hurt both times in 2020 and 2023 playoffs during their series against the Heat. You know what happened when he didn't? Bucks swept Miami in the 1st round of 2021 Playoffs by a margin of 20.5 ppg.

In regards to 2023 Giannis




He posted that in game 5






So "non injured" Giannis posts 60 and 30 rebounds in game 5 and a 40, 15 and 15 triple double in game 4 huh?

[One Last Shot]

And the Heat were the 8th seed that made the finals and were the 5th seed that made it in 2020? So in what world does regular season become an indicator for this Spo Butler Heat? Think man think.

Now that I think about it, Giannis got hurt both times in 2020 and 2023 playoffs during their series against the Heat. You know what happened when he didn't? Bucks swept Miami in the 1st round of 2021 Playoffs by a margin of 20.5 ppg.

In regards to 2023 Giannis




He posted that in game 5






So "non injured" Giannis posts 60 and 30 rebounds in game 5 and a 40, 15 and 15 triple double in game 4 huh?

He was hurt dude, we've seen what happened when he's not. Sure, he put up stats even with that back injury, he even won a ring after his hyper extended knee injury against the Hawks in 2021. The point is tone it down with your arrogance. It's not like you won a ring without a Top 10 GOAT in your roster. Playoffs is less than a month, let's see what the Heat have to offer this time around if they make it. Let's just hope they face the Bucks again and enjoy the 4th act of their playoffs rivalry.

[bisme37]

I swear the GB has been such a cold shower for Celtics fans this season lol.

Last night we beat the Bulls on a road back to back without 3 starters. Wrapped up our first 5-0 week since 2005. On a 9 game winning streak while resting guys and using 8 different starting lineups.

Celtics have a mind-boggling 11.5 game lead in the East and a 6.5 game lead over the West. Historically good net rating and point differential etc. The entire roster from top to bottom is balling out.

Last night the Bulls announcers were raving about the Celtics like they were in legitimate awe. Then Sam Mitchell and Isiah Thomas raved about them on NBATV* and we C's fans went to bed thinking, "wow this is really cool, our team is so good."

...

Then we wake up to a thread about how we should be terrified of a Heat team in the Play-in that's 4-6 in their last 10 and just got blown out by the Ingram-less Pelicans after Jimmy Butler guaranteed a win.

*

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Well the best regular season team hasn’t won the title since 2017. No one expected Miami to trounce the Bucks and Celtics last year, and Miami has a massive coaching advantage against both. I get being confident, but I don’t really understand Celtics or Bucks fans “wanting” to play them. A title is a title, and no one remembers the path. Why want to play the one team who seems to have a mental edge come playoff time? Falling down 3-0 and losing game 7 at home is no joke.

I am confident about beating the Heat if we match up but that wasn't really the point of the comment you replied to. It's just funny how I went to bed thinking hey maybe someone will notice how well the Celtic are playing and make a thread about it, and instead I got this haha. Not that it keeps me up at night like magnets do but I've been slightly grumpy all year about how little positive attention the C's have gotten on the GB considering how well they've been playing and how many games they've won.

The Heat had a good win last night and now there are Heat fans in this thread, but when it was posted yesterday it really wasn't apropos of a whole lot and the timing made me scratch my head. Total wet blanket lol.

But about "wanting" to play the Heat... I'm not a fan who wants to avoid certain teams or wish for favorable matchups. The Heat would be a good challenge as they always are, but if the C's can't handle them they don't deserve to win the title this year. Winning an NBA championship isn't supposed to be easy. Bring on all comers imo.

[batterybro42]

The question isn't how much they should fear the Heat it's how much they should fear Adam Silver and his state of the art magnets

[cgf]

Oh no doubt. Even if Boston beats the Heat, they'll probably bang at least Porzingis up. And if KP is injured the Celtics are a lot easier to deal with.

[bisme37]

All season people have been waiting for KP to die like a pack of jackals lol but he's held up really well. 90+% of the games he's missed this year have been precautionary to help him avoid injury. (Knock on wood.)

[old skool]

The Celtics fumbled the first few games but the Heat playoff narrative is way out of control. They beat up an injured Bucks team last year, and as stated, the Celtics fumbled the first 3 games.

Jimmy is also WILDLY overrated as a playoff performer but that's somehow blasphemous on this forum.

It’s amazing how often it gets ignored that Giannis missed multiple games in that series last playoffs.

Pretty big deal I would have thought.

Well he played games 4 and 5 and they lost both. Had he not, you’d have more of an argument. They should have won game 5 in a blowout and put pressure on Miami in game 6 to close it out.

Antetokounmpo was gimpy in game 4, limping up and down the court. No one who saw that game felt that Antetokounmpo was close to 100%. He looked better in game 5, which Miami deserved to win with their hot shooting from 3 point in the 4th quarter.

[Rancid669]

Heat gonna make people look stupid again. They play possum during the regular season and then pounce in the playoffs. Y’all should know the drill by now.

[TroubleS0me]

The Heat's record against +.500 teams this season is worse this year. Previously they had a knack for stepping up when playing top teams. That has not been the case this year.

And the Heat were the 8th seed that made the finals and were the 5th seed that made it in 2020? So in what world does regular season become an indicator for this Spo Butler Heat? Think man think.

Now that I think about it, Giannis got hurt both times in 2020 and 2023 playoffs during their series against the Heat. You know what happened when he didn't? Bucks swept Miami in the 1st round of 2021 Playoffs by a margin of 20.5 ppg.

Being healthy is part of the game & Giannis wasn't there for his team. A win is win.

[LeBronSpaghetti]

I wonder if the Heat saw last nights matchup with the Cavs as a potential first round opponent. They showed up and dominated.

[ArksNetsSince99]

All season people have been waiting for KP to die like a pack of jackals lol but he's held up really well. 90+% of the games he's missed this year have been precautionary to help him avoid injury. (Knock on wood.)

You need to kick oak tree , knocking on wood with Porzingis doesn’t help in postseason

[JustBuzzin]

All season people have been waiting for KP to die like a pack of jackals lol but he's held up really well. 90+% of the games he's missed this year have been precautionary to help him avoid injury. (Knock on wood.)

All season people been hyping the Celtics as the best team in the East with or without KP.

Now that the playoffs are getting closer it's time to back up that hype. I been on the Bucks bandwagon from day 1.

All I ask is for the mods to let me have my moment if the Bucks beat the Celtics in the playoffs. I was pretty much laughed at all year for going against popular opinion. I'm even more confident now then I was back then.

Until then see you down the line my Bostonian friends.

[Hitachi77]

I swear the GB has been such a cold shower for Celtics fans this season lol.

Last night we beat the Bulls on a road back to back without 3 starters. Wrapped up our first 5-0 week since 2005. On a 9 game winning streak while resting guys and using 8 different starting lineups.

Celtics have a mind-boggling 11.5 game lead in the East and a 6.5 game lead over the West. Historically good net rating and point differential etc. The entire roster from top to bottom is balling out.

Last night the Bulls announcers were raving about the Celtics like they were in legitimate awe. Then Sam Mitchell and Isiah Thomas raved about them on NBATV* and we C's fans went to bed thinking, "wow this is really cool, our team is so good."

...

Then we wake up to a thread about how we should be terrified of a Heat team in the Play-in that's 4-6 in their last 10 and just got blown out by the Ingram-less Pelicans after Jimmy Butler guaranteed a win.

*

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Well the best regular season team hasn’t won the title since 2017. No one expected Miami to trounce the Bucks and Celtics last year, and Miami has a massive coaching advantage against both. I get being confident, but I don’t really understand Celtics or Bucks fans “wanting” to play them. A title is a title, and no one remembers the path. Why want to play the one team who seems to have a mental edge come playoff time? Falling down 3-0 and losing game 7 at home is no joke.

I am confident about beating the Heat if we match up but that wasn't really the point of the comment you replied to. It's just funny how I went to bed thinking hey maybe someone will notice how well the Celtic are playing and make a thread about it, and instead I got this haha. Not that it keeps me up at night like magnets do but I've been slightly grumpy all year about how little positive attention the C's have gotten on the GB considering how well they've been playing and how many games they've won.

The Heat had a good win last night and now there are Heat fans in this thread, but when it was posted yesterday it really wasn't apropos of a whole lot and the timing made me scratch my head. Total wet blanket lol.

But about "wanting" to play the Heat... I'm not a fan who wants to avoid certain teams or wish for favorable matchups. The Heat would be a good challenge as they always are, but if the C's can't handle them they don't deserve to win the title this year. Winning an NBA championship isn't supposed to be easy. Bring on all comers imo.

The Cs are a great team. There’s no question the best team so far this year by any metric. I think everyone has noticed. Honestly I think it’s just a few loud obnoxious fans that get annoying, and others like me feel compelled to mention that the playoffs are what matters. But here’s the thing. Win one chip, whether you play Miami or not, and everyone shuts up. Then you get absurdly overrated like the Nuggets are right now.

[Eagle4]

Now that I think about it, Giannis got hurt both times in 2020 and 2023 playoffs during their series against the Heat. You know what happened when he didn't? Bucks swept Miami in the 1st round of 2021 Playoffs by a margin of 20.5 ppg.

In regards to 2023 Giannis




He posted that in game 5






So "non injured" Giannis posts 60 and 30 rebounds in game 5 and a 40, 15 and 15 triple double in game 4 huh?

He was hurt dude, we've seen what happened when he's not. Sure, he put up stats even with that back injury, he even won a ring after his hyper extended knee injury against the Hawks in 2021. The point is tone it down with your arrogance. It's not like you won a ring without a Top 10 GOAT in your roster. Playoffs is less than a month, let's see what the Heat have to offer this time around if they make it. Let's just hope they face the Bucks again and enjoy the 4th act of their playoffs rivalry.

Please. He was healthy enough to post 38 and 20 so he was more than serviceable vs missing Heat missing a whole 20ppg scorer in herro and 2 way 6th man dipo. Excuses excuses, Bucks failed more than they've won vs Miami despite being favored in each of these match ups. Deal with it.

The only team that's keeping Heat up at night is Jokic, Murray, Gordon and 7ft Curry aka MPJ. No one has or will fear the Bambis nor the short man complex leprechauns that need to pout their chest because they routinely fall short

[MrBigShot]

Honestly I feel like the only team capable of beating the celtics in the East are the celtics themselves. Last year they were trash to start the heat series and paid the cost for it when caleb martin had the best game of his life.

The KP addition has been huge. If they play up to their standards they will be in the finals.

[Joshyjess]

All season people have been waiting for KP to die like a pack of jackals lol but he's held up really well. 90+% of the games he's missed this year have been precautionary to help him avoid injury. (Knock on wood.)

All season people been hyping the Celtics as the best team in the East with or without KP.

Now that the playoffs are getting closer it's time to back up that hype. I been on the Bucks bandwagon from day 1.

All I ask is for the mods to let me have my moment if the Bucks beat the Celtics in the playoffs. I was pretty much laughed at all year for going against popular opinion. I'm even more confident now then I was back then.

Until then see you down the line my Bostonian friends.

Haven't you heard, both the Celtics and Bucks have apparently already lost to the Heat this post-season before the playoffs have even started so there can't really be a series between us. Oh, and BTW, we are supposed to be terrified about it.