The Boston Celtics recently blew out the Philadelphia 76ers in game seven of the conference semi-finals, advancing them to the eastern conference finals (ECF) where they meet a familiar team—the Miami Heat. Jimmy Butler led the Heat to a 4-1 series win against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. In game four, Jimmy set a franchise playoff record by scoring 56 points to win over Milwaukee. This led to game five where he would strike again with 42 points and a clutch shot to force overtime. Jimmy Butler has his playoff mode on and is playing his absolute best for a spot in the NBA finals. Jayson Tatum, on the Celtics, scored a playoff career-high with 51 points to win over Philadelphia and put his team in the ECF.

In 2020, the Heat beat the Celtics, moving them to the NBA finals where they would take a tough 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Last year, Boston beat Miami in a seven-game series, giving them a spot in the NBA finals against the Golden State Warriors, eventually losing 4-2.

Some people say that the 2020 season shouldn’t count since it was played in the bubble. The bubble was the stadium every NBA team had to play in because of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the bubble season facilitated some of the best basketball we’ve seen in a while. It was an open gym environment with every player performing at their best ability. There was no home-court advantage; everyone was playing on an open field, while also getting a 3-month break. Every NBA team played under the same circumstance—they all had the same opportunity.

A rematch between the Heat and Celtics will be extraordinary, but let’s analyze each team and see who makes it to the NBA finals. Miami was a play-in team in the eastern conference that surprisingly survived throughout the first and second rounds. Most people argue that the only reason the Heat advanced to the second round was that the Bucks were missing their best player—Giannis Antetokounmpo. Although Giannis only played two games, Jimmy Butler was unstoppable with 40+ points for both of the games Giannis played in. He also averaged 37 points during the series, which explains his dominance. The Heat met the New York Knicks in the second round and cruised past them with a 4-2 series win. Bam Adebayo and Gabe Vincent, on the Heat, both played their best during this series and are the primary reason (besides Jimmy Butler who averaged 24 points) Miami advanced to the conference finals. The Celtics played against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round and won 4-2. Jayson Tatum averaged an amazing 27 points and 10 rebounds throughout the series to lead Boston over Atlanta. He had two 30-point games alongside Jaylen Brown, who has been a great shooter and scorer for the team. The Celtics faced the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round, where Tatum would have an astonishing 51 points in game seven to send the Sixers home. Jaylen Brown and Malcolm Brogdon were also incredible scorers and helped Boston take the win and head to the conference finals.

Miami has the better defense with Jimmy Butler, who is getting a steal almost every game. Marcus Smart, on the Celtics, has outstanding defense but hasn’t shown it too much in the playoffs and is becoming more of a playmaker. The offensive side of both teams is amazing, but Boston has better shooters that put up points quickly. Although the Celtics’ offensive game is better, their defense will not be able to stop Jimmy from scoring. Butler entered the playoffs with a killer mentality and has shown how much he wants to win a championship. He even got the nickname “Jimmy Buckets,” after eliminating the Bucks from the 1st round. Jimmy is willing to do anything to reach the finals and won’t let anyone stop him—not even the best defenders. During the Heat and Bucks series, Jimmy was guarded by Jrue Holiday and Giannas Antentokumpo, who are some of the most elite defenders in the league. As we’ve seen, Butler can run through anyone.

I don’t think the Heat are going to lose a single home game, given that they play their best in Miami and won’t let their own fans see them lose. The Celtics, on the other hand, have lost multiple games in Boston during the first and second rounds. Game one of the ECF might go to Miami and game two might be in Boston’s hands. Games three and four are both going to be in Miami, so the Heat is most likely going to win both. The Celtics always manage to force a game six, so they might win the fifth game and bring it back to Miami. Game six will be very interesting, but I think the Heat is going to be able to send the Celtics home and head to the NBA finals.

By Pranav Parlapall