Even though the Boston Celtics are the top seed in the Eastern Conference and are considered to be a team with a good chance of going the distance this year, the eighth-seeded Miami Heat pose a threat, as they have shown to be dangerous in the NBA playoffs year after year.
Coming into Game 1 on Sunday, the Celtics were well aware of what the Heat could do in the postseason, even though superstar Jimmy Butler is on the mend after suffering a knee injury in the Play-In Tournament.
Fortunately, Boston was locked in on Sunday as they were able to make easy work of Miami’s attempt to pull off the Game 1 upset, with the Celtics coming out on top by 20.
After pulling off the easy win on Sunday, Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 18 points in Game 1, talked about the team maintaining its sense of urgency, via Celtics on NBC Sports Boston.
“We set the stage for the rest of our path,” Porzingis said.
“We set the stage for the rest of our path.”
Kristaps talks about the Celtics maintaining urgency after locking up the one seed, and then having some time off before game 1 pic.twitter.com/VWKNyBgZoo
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 21, 2024
If the Celtics continue playing at a high level like this while keeping the always-dangerous Heat at bay, Boston could advance to the second round of the playoffs with relative ease while giving their star players more time to rest.
Boston will face the winner of the first-round matchup between the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers, where the Cavs have gotten out to a 1-0 series lead like the Celtics have against the Heat.
As of right now, the Celtics look as advertised, as it remains to be seen whether any team in the East can compete with them in a seven-game series.
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