Getty Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler looks on prior to a playoff game against the Boston Celtics.
Game No. 82 is finally upon the Miami Heat as the team will close out their 2022-23 campaign on Sunday against a tanking Orlando Magic squad. With a win, Erik Spoelstra‘s squad can finish with a 44-38 record. Regardless of what happens, though, the team is locked into a play-in spot as the East’s regular-season No. 7.
Miami figures to have a strong shot at locking up a playoff spot, too, as its first of two potential play-in games comes against the Atlanta Hawks. Those are the same Hawks that lost three out of four contests against the Heat throughout the campaign and are just weeks removed from firing one coach and hiring another.
Even if Jimmy Butler and Co. dominate the mini-tourney, however, a steep hill awaits them in the postseason proper as they would face either the Milwaukee Bucks or the Boston Celtics.
That said, one notable analyst and former Celtics champ — namely, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins — believes that his old team could be in a pickle should the Beantowners ultimately draw the South Beach crew.
Perk: Celtics Should Be Wary of Facing Jimmy Butler & the Miami Heat in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs
While discussing potential playoff concerns for the Philadelphia 76ers on First Take on Friday, Perkins steered the conversation in an entirely different direction, opining that the Celtics may actually be the club with a problem on its hands if they end up facing the Heat in Round 1.
“Here’s what I am concerned about,” Perkins said. “If the Miami Heat get the No. 7 seed, they’re going to match up with the Boston Celtics, which I believe is going to happen. We saw what happened last year when they went toe-to-toe in the conference finals. They were a Jimmy Butler three-pointer away from getting sent home, and I’m talking about the Celtics.
“If I’m the Celtics, I’m praying that I don’t see Jimmy Butler, playoff Jimmy Butler, and the Miami Heat in the first round. If I’m the Celtics, I’m praying that I don’t have to see Erik Spoelstra matched up with Joe Mazzulla in the first round, when it comes down to making adjustments.”
Although the teams’ respective seasons could not have played out more differently, the Heat-Celtics regular-season series was just as competitive as last year’s playoff matchup was.
The Heat Stole a Pair of Games From the Celtics in 2022-23
Boston and Miami played each other four times this season with each team taking two games from the other. On the whole, the former outpaced the latter by 3.5 points per 100 possessions throughout the series, however, the Heat did find success in a number of areas.
For one, the Heat were actually competent from three-point range, upping their conversion rate to a respectable 36.1%. They also acquitted themselves fairly well on the glass, collecting 75% of available defensive rebounds and 30% on the offensive glass.
Finally, Bam Adebayo played some of his best basketball against the Cs’ big men this season, averaging 25.1 points on 57.1% shooting to go along with 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals.