Despite losing to the New York Knicks Thursday night, the Boston Celtics will likely enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. While we know where they’ll finish, their first-round opponent is undecided as the playoffs begin next Saturday.
There are currently six potential teams the Celtics can play, and their opponent won't be known until after the seven- and eight-seeds' game ends Tuesday night. With Celtics fans hopeful that the team can return to the NBA Finals, let’s take a look at the six potential matchups, ranked from most favorable to least favorable.
6 Potential First-Round Matchups for the Celtics
1. Miami Heat
A few years back, the Miami Heat were a name Celtics fans once feared. The back-and-forth between these two rivals gave us some great games; however, it’s no longer the same. Without Jimmy Butler, along with Celtics’ killers Max Strus and Caleb Martin, the Heat aren’t nearly as good as they once were.
Although they still have Erik Spoelstra and Bam Adebayo, they don’t have the supporting cast to stop the Celtics. And Boston has dominated the Heat this season, sweeping them in the season series. This would be the matchup Boston would be praying for, but it seems unlikely considering their up-and-down season.
2. Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors got off to a hot start this season, winning 10 of their first 15 games. But since then, they haven’t necessarily stood out. They’ve got a solid core in Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, R.J. Barrett, and Immanuel Quickly, but other than that, they don’t have much.
Jakob Poeltl is another decent player they have; however, he isn’t much of an intimidator in the paint. Like the Heat, the Raptors don’t have the roster to compete with the Celtics, and Boston also swept them in the season series.
Maybe they can catch the Celtics on an off night and steal a game from them, considering Boston tends to do that, but besides that, they don’t stand a chance.
3. Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic had high expectations after acquiring Desmond Bane, but have ultimately been underwhelming this season. This is primarily due to the Magic not getting the contributions from their stars that many anticipated.
Paolo Banchero hasn’t taken the leap I projected him to; Franz Wagner has been sidelined for the majority of the season, while Bane has been solid at best. Because of this, the Magic have been plagued with inconsistency.
Although the team is fully healthy now, it just feels too late in the year for everything to come together. Despite coming away with a win against the Celtics in the season series, they, along with the Heat and Raptors, don’t stand much of a chance of beating them four times.
On the bright side, Anthony Black’s emergence this season is an encouraging takeaway.
4. Philadelphia 76ers
Before writing this, I had planned to put the Philadelphia 76ers at the five spot. However, the unfortunate Joel Embiid injury was announced, which ultimately led them to drop a spot. And yet, there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to see the 76ers in the first round.
Tyrese Maxey has taken an insane leap this season and is the engine of this team. The backcourt duo of him and V.J. Edgecombe has been great this season, and it’s scary to think just how good they’ll be a few years from now.
Alongside them, Paul George has revived his career and is a great complementary piece. Nick Nurse is a great coach, and since he’s been battling with the Celtics for years, he knows how to scheme against them.
Unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll be enough to compete with the Celtics. Sure, they split the season series, but this was before Jayson Tatum’s return. They could take a game, potentially two, from the Celtics, but they can’t win four.
5. Atlanta Hawks
Since the All-Star break, the newly transformed Atlanta Hawks have won 19 out of their last 24 games. Although this has primarily come against non-playoff teams, they did, however, beat the Celtics last week. Granted, Tatum didn’t play; they’ve just been a much better team without Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis.
Led by Jalen Johnson, who’s been playing at an All-NBA level throughout the season, the Hawks are a scary team. They’ve gotten great contributions from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and C.J. McCollum, while Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu are terrific defenders.
The Hawks have great depth and can throw some players at Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But, since they haven’t played against a playoff-caliber team, I’m not certain they can give the Celtics a hard time.
6. Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets' mid-season turnaround has been compelling to watch, and Charles Lee deserves recognition for transforming this franchise. He’s turned LaMelo Ball into a winning player, and both Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller have benefited.
The trio, along with Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabate, and Colby White, has turned this team into a wildcard entering the playoffs. They’ve been one of the best teams since entering the calendar year and continue to put up good fights against playoff teams.
However, I don’t think this team has reached the caliber to beat the Celtics. They’re a young team and don’t have the playoff experience to pull an upset. I do, however, believe they can put up a good fight and potentially take two games from the Celtics as the Hawks did in 2023.