NBA
The Celtics will face the Heat in the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years.
Bam Adebayo and the Heat are preparing to face the Celtics again in the playoffs. Erin Clark/Globe Staff
The Celtics and Heat are set to face off again in the playoffs for the third straight year, and Miami is preparing for it to be an intense battle.
With their 112-91 victory over the Bulls in Friday’s play-in game, the Heat locked up the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, setting up a first-round date with the one-seeded Celtics. The last two matchups between the two teams went the distance, with the Heat winning the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games last year and the Celtics winning the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games the year before.
This will also be the fourth playoff meeting between the two teams in five years, as they also met in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, which the Heat won in six.
But one of the main characters from those three previous battles likely won’t participate in this year’s series between the teams. Heat star Jimmy Butler is expected to be out for at least two weeks with an MCL injury he suffered on Wednesday. He averaged 24.7 points per game in last year’s series.
Still, Heat star Bam Adebayo expects another intense duel between the two teams.
“It’s going to be a dogfight,” Adebayo told reporters Friday. “It’s going to be a battle. It’s going to be in the mud. It’s not going to be pretty basketball. It’s usually like that when we play this team.
While the Heat will likely be without Butler for the series, they will have Tyler Herro this time around. The standout guard missed the entirety of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals due to a hand injury.
If Friday was any sign, the Celtics will need to prepare for Herro to be the focal point of the Heat’s offense. He nearly had a triple-double, scoring 24 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Even with Butler out and the 18 win difference between Boston and Miami, Herro is also preparing to face the Celtics.
“They’re obviously the best team, statistically, numbers-wise, in the league,” Herro said. “It will be a huge challenge for us, but we are built for it, we are excited. We have to replace Jimmy (Butler), so we’re going to go to Boston with a great mentality and mindset, and we’ll be ready to roll.
One of the surprise characters from last year’s battle is also back. Caleb Martin broke out in last year’s series, scoring 19.3 points per game on 60.2 percent shooting from the field and 48.9 percent shooting from deep.
Martin doesn’t expect his performance to surprise Boston if he plays well again this time.
“I guess so,” Martin said when asked if he would be on the Celtics scouting report. “You never know. I’ll try to prepare mentally. It’s a new game, a new series.
“Part of (my success) is making sure I’m not on the scouting report. By leaving guys open you take things like that as disrespect and some people use it to fuel the fire. Also, you just have to seize the risks and opportunities. You can’t be afraid of these moments. They fell into my lap and I was able to get in a few shots.
The Celtics have managed to contain Martin in the two games he has played against them this year, scoring 23 points on 8 of 24 shooting.
This is just one of the many reasons why the Celtics are heavy favorites in the series. Boston added Kristpas Porzingis after having some struggles against Miami’s zone defense and getting buckets at the rim in previous years. In the three regular season matchups, Porzingis proved to be the difference maker, scoring 20.1 points per game on 50.1 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from deep.
Even though the Celtics swept the regular season series and own one of the best point differentials in NBA history, the Heat remember what happened last year.
“It’s a great underdog story, David versus Goliath, we’ve been seeded eighth before,” Kevin Love said. “That’s why you have to roll the ball and play. You have to understand that anything can happen in this game. A team like Boston is an incredibly tough battle. They’ve played like the best team in the league all year, but I know some teams will have something to say about that. But they definitely made some moves with Jrue (Holiday) and Porzingis that made them a lot better, and their entire roster has guys stepping up as well.
“We know what they are capable of, but again, coach (Erik) Spoelstra will prepare us to compete on Sunday.”
Sign up for Celtics updates🏀
Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox during the basketball season.
Boston
