'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2024 NBA Playoffs just got another mouthwatering clash in the first round after the Miami Heat beat the Chicago Bulls to a pulp 112-91. Erik Spoelstra gushed about the “ticket punched for the invitation to this dance.” Awaiting them for that “dance” will be the Boston Celtics, their postseason arch-rivals.
Last year, the Heat took a 3-0 nothing lead as the No. 8 seed against the C's in the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston stormed back to tie the series before Jayson Tatum’s injury in the first play of Game 7 deflated the Celtics. Another chapter will be rewritten in the storied rivalry between the two teams when Game 1 goes underway.
Basketball fans quickly reacted to what might still be the battle royale in the East 2024 NBA Playoffs:
“Celtics are gonna smoke them bums”
One fan posed the question many had been meaning to ask:
“Is Jimmy Buckets playing?”
Jayson Tatum couldn’t be too far from a shot from another fan:
“Tatum getting another stimulus bail out package”
@Nab3rs predicted how the series will play out:
“Celtics in 4 but Heat will try to take out one of our players”
The last two NBA Playoffs featured the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics engaging in an all-out war in the East finals. Boston won 4-3 in 2022 before Miami got their revenge by the same score the following year. The two antagonists also squared off in 2020 with the South Beach outfit moving on to face LeBron James and the LA Lakers in the finals.
The 2024 edition might be the most lopsided in their battles over the last few years for the right to represent the East. Jimmy Butler, who went down with an MCL injury against the Philadelphia 76ers will not be available. The Heat have not given a definite return date so he could be out for the rest of the playoffs.
But, if there’s a team that can make the C's uncomfortable in the playoffs, Erik Spoelstra’s crew might be it.
Heat are underdogs but unafraid of Celtics in 2024 NBA Playoffs
The Boston Celtics (64-18) ran rings around the Miami Heat (46-36) in the regular season, beating them three times, including twice in South Beach. But, the playoffs are a different animal and the Heat are built for the pressures of that stage.
Jimmy Butler was unavailable in the Play-In Tournament finale but the Heat were so confident that they booked their flight for Boston. They didn’t disappoint their fans by whipping the Chicago Bulls to enter the playoffs. Sans “Jimmy Buckets,” they will not be short of swagger against the team that has roosted on top of the NBA standings for almost the whole year.
Miami fans are conceding that their team is the underdog but their bravado on social media can’t be just pure show. They still like their chances against the Celtics without Jimmy Butler. The playoffs will show which fan base got it right with the predictions.
Who do you think will come out on top this time around? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
