Miami Heat Continue to Struggle Against Possible Playoff Opponent
The Miami Heat have not prevailed against their possible first-round opponent.
The Heat fell 110-106 against the Boston Celtics on Sunday. The team has lost all three games with the Celtics this season. The Celtics have scored 124 points per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the floor and 45.8 from three in the season series.
The Heat dropped to eighth in the Eastern Conference standings after Sunday’s loss. On the other hand, the Celtics strengthened their five-game lead atop the conference. The Heat could very well find themselves playing in Boston during the first round of the playoffs.
The two teams are very familiar with each other. They have played in the Eastern Conference Finals in the past two seasons. Each series went to a winner-take-all Game 7 as well.
A regular season sweep does not indicate good things for the Heat. It’s the first time that they have failed to beat the Celtics in a year since 2016-17. The Heat failed to make the playoffs that season.
The postseason matchup would still be full of flare if it occurs. Jaylen Brown received a flagrant after a hard foul on Duncan Robinson. The two players later exchanged words about the play.
"I bet he won't do it again," Brown told reporters after the game when asked about the incident.
The Heat also expect to have a healthier roster by playoff time. Jimmy Butler missed Sunday’s game, and Josh Richardson played just seven minutes before suffering a shoulder injury.
Each team still has the rest of the regular season to finish up before worrying about a playoff series. The Heat begin a six-game road trip on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Casey Fahrer is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at caseyfahrer716@gmail.com.
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