Ranking potential Celtics first round playoff opponents

The NBA playoffs are lower than two weeks away, however first-round matchups are removed from set in stone. The Celtics, who’re pretty locked into the 2 seed (barring a Bucks collapse) have 5 life like playoff opponents: Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, or Chicago Bulls. Clearly, every of those groups have totally different likelihoods of falling into the seventh seed, however that gained’t cease me from getting ready for and changing into anxious about each attainable final result.

So, we’re going to rank these groups primarily based on who the Celtics ought to need to face within the first spherical (the primary crew being one of the best/best matchup, and the fifth crew being essentially the most daunting one).

Right here we go. Disagreements are welcomed within the feedback.

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1. Atlanta Hawks

There’s not a lot about Atlanta that worries me, to be sincere. Regardless of having a greater than common offense, the methods through which they function on that finish of the ground shouldn’t pose too many issues for the stout Celtics protection.

Trae Younger’s Atlanta Hawks run essentially the most choose and rolls within the NBA, as they’re seeking to make the most of Younger’s quickness and choice making to create straightforward floaters or dunks on the rim. The C’s, although, have the lateral quickness and flexibility on the perimeter to deal with that – they’ll swap on screens with out worrying about getting blown by on the perimeter or permitting a measurement benefit to Clint Capella and/or John Collins. Bear in mind when the Warmth bottled up Trae Younger final 12 months within the playoffs? That’ll occur once more if the Celtics get their probability.

On the offensive finish, the Celtics have quite a few potential assault factors. Swap searching actually any Celtic onto Trae Younger ought to be a strong offensive catalyst, and the Hawks’ weak transition protection ought to battle in opposition to one of the best offensive transition duo within the NBA in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (the stats communicate for themselves, so solely @ me after you’ve visited NBA.com/stats).

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2. Brooklyn Nets

Positive, Mikal Bridges is taking part in effectively. High-quality, he’s truly taking part in very well. And perhaps I’m not overreacting sufficient, however till I see him being an efficient primary offensive choice within the playoffs, I merely gained’t view this model of the Nets as a critical risk to the Celtics. They don’t have the offensive chops or chemistry required – given their lack of isolation scoring expertise – to beat the Celtics 4 occasions in a playoff sequence.

To place it plainly, the Nets’ roster of three and D assassins merely doesn’t have the offensive firepower to succeed in opposition to the Celtics juggernaut protection.

Defensively, they’ve the person expertise and switchability to trigger some actual issues for the Celtics, however I simply don’t see them coming collectively rapidly sufficient to be dominant on the defensive finish (which is what they must do to make a run).

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3. Toronto Raptors

On paper, the Raptors look form of harmful. They’ve huge, lengthy, sturdy and athletic wings who can defend and compete with the Jays, they usually have another items round these guys to fill out a reasonably logical roster roll-wise. They feed off of their athleticism and offensive rebounding, and their switchability on protection may probably trigger some chaos offensively for Boston. In a number of methods, the Raptors are constructed just like the Celtics.

There’s only one distinction, although, which is that the Celtics are barely higher in virtually each manner. They’ve higher particular person gamers (defenders, scorers, creators), however additionally they play higher and extra cohesively as a crew.

There are occasions when the Raptors get caught ball watching offensively and fall into an absence of motion and tempo. That is one thing I count on the Celtics to benefit from, and it makes me much less petrified of the Raptors offensively regardless of their strong score on that finish (ninth within the league).

Photograph by Brian Babineau/NBAE through Getty Photographs

4. Chicago Bulls

The Celtics have had some hassle with the Bulls this season, and that was and not using a wholesome and seasoned Alex Caruso, who elevates the Bulls protection to a totally totally different stage.

Chicago surprisingly has the fifth finest defensive score within the league this 12 months, and that’s with Nikola Vucevic as their rim protector (trace: he’s not good at that). Good factor for the Bulls is that the Celtics have hassle attending to the rim and typically accept fast threes, which performs proper into their playbook defensively. The Celtics should assault the rim in the event that they need to totally expose this Bulls squad.

Clearly, the Celtics ought to nonetheless deal with the Bulls, who’ve a take-turns offense that typically resembles AAU ball. Mid-range isolation one possession for DeMar DeRozan, idle put up up for Vucevic the following. They don’t make me nervous on that aspect of the ground, however we’ve additionally seen Zach LaVine and Derozan get very popular, in order that all the time retains issues fascinating.

Photograph by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE through Getty Photographs

5. Miami Warmth

It is a fairly apparent one. The identical crew that took the Celtics to seven video games final season may stand earlier than them within the first spherical this 12 months, and that’s a troublesome one to swallow.

Sure, the Warmth have struggled offensively this season and don’t have the identical ball and participant motion that made their offense more practical the previous couple of playoff runs. Nevertheless, they’ve Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and a supporting forged that all the time appears to lift their stage come playoff time, and that’ll all the time make me nervous.

Regardless of their struggles this season offensively, the Miami Warmth protection has withstood (gained’t it all the time?). They’ll nonetheless throw out janky zones that’ll trigger issues, they usually’ll nonetheless strain the ball and combat by way of screens like their lives rely upon it. And for these causes, I’m out on taking part in Miami within the first spherical.