Who Should Celtics Be Rooting For In NBA Play-In Tournament?

The Celtics don’t know exactly who they will play in the opening round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, but Boston’s potential matchups were determined prior to the conclusion of Sunday’s regular-season slate.

The Celtics, who claimed the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, will host either the Miami Heat or Atlanta Hawks in the first round. Boston will learn of its opponent after the seventh-seeded Heat and eighth-seeded Hawks face off in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday.

Following their regular-season finale against the Hawks, the Green might hope they see them again in the near future. They should be of that mindset, at least. Because while the Heat have taken a step back this season, Jimmy Butler and company always give the Celtics trouble. The Celtics and Heat have met in the Eastern Conference Finals in two of the last three campaigns with Boston winning in seven games last season.

They matched up better against the Hawks than they did against the Heat during the regular season, too. Then again, Miami also matched up well against Atlanta with three wins in four regular-season games. FanDuel Sportsbook views the Heat as a 5.5-point home favorite against the Hawks in the winner-take-all play-in game.

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As it relates to the Celtics, though, Boston won each of its first two matchups against the Hawks this season. Their third head-to-head of the season Sunday, a 120-114 win for Boston, was played without any key contributors given both teams had their seedings decided. Boston previously earned a 134-125 win over Atlanta without starting center Robert Williams on March 11 and a 25-point victory against Trae Young’s team in mid-November. Boston shot 54.7% from the field and made 20 of its 42 3-point attempts in mid-March, and shot 54.5% from the floor with another 21 3-pointers in mid-November.

Atlanta has struggled defensively throughout the season, ranking 22nd in defensive rating entering Sunday’s contest. The Hawks have relied on their offense behind Young, ranking eighth in offensive rating. But Boston has the ability to counteract both, as it has shown in the regular-season matchups.

Miami is built on its hard-nosed defense, which ranks ninth in defensive rating and allows the third-fewest points in the paint and third-fewest second-chance points. The offense in Miami hasn’t been as notable this season as it ranks 25th in offensive rating. However, as they’ve shown in the past, Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Butler certainly have the ability to put it together when it matters. The Celtics went 2-2 against the Heat this season though their most recent loss to Miami on Jan. 24 was without Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Al Horford. Payton Pritchard played 42-plus minutes in that late-January contest.

The Celtics have the talent to get past either the Heat or Hawks, to be sure. It would be a failure should Boston come up short in its first-round matchup against either team. But extensive postseason runs tend to benefit from easier early-round matchups, which is exactly what the Celtics and Green Teamers should hopw for.

Boston, which certainly will be favored in its first-round matchup regardless of the opponent, will kick off its postseason Saturday at TD Garden.