Ranking Celtics' Potential First-Round Opponents from Easiest to Hardest

Just 20 games are left in the regular season for the Boston Celtics. In a historic win on Wednesday night against the Trail Blazers, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard combined for 84 points and 19 threes made, the most by any duo in a game in Celtics history, as well as NBA history.

Sitting at 44-18 and 8 games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first seed in the East, Boston is pretty much locked into the second seed in the NBA Playoffs, barring anything unforeseen. The Knicks are just 3.5 games behind Boston, but time is running out in the regular season.

If the East standings stay the same throughout the rest of March and April, the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics would battle with the East's 7th-seed in the first round.

As it stands in early March, there are three teams in the range of the seventh seed; those teams are the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Atlanta Hawks.

While the Magic have had a disappointing season due to injuries, the Hawks and the Heat have been in play-in territory for the last few years. The Celtics matched up with the Heat in the first round last season, and they matched up with the Hawks in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.

These three teams all present different challenges for Boston, and the reigning champs should take none of them lightly, as it's more than likely Boston will see one of Miami, Orlando, or Atlanta to begin their title defense.

Easiest First-Round Opponent: Miami Heat (29-32)

No matter the season, the Celtics and the Heat always seem to match up in the playoffs, whether it's in the first round or the Eastern Conference Finals.

Erik Spoelstra is one of the NBA's best coaches and one of the biggest reasons for the team's consistent appearances in the NBA playoffs. Miami always comes out playing hard under Spoelstra, as he always gets the most out of his group.

This rendition of the Miami Heat looks different than years prior, much due to the fact that Jimmy Butler was traded to the Warriors a month ago. In the blockbuster five-team trade, Miami received Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and Davion Mitchell for the aforementioned Butler.

Led by Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo now, this Heat team just doesn't have enough offensive punch to match up well with Boston. This season, the Celtics held Miami to 89 and 85 points in their two matchups, with Boston winning by 19 and 18-point margins.

Going 4-6 in their last 10 games, Miami is trying to find their footing with new players after trading Butler, a player who would always give Boston fits whenever they matched up in the playoffs.

Miami ranks in the bottom six in terms of points per game at 110.2, as their offensive efforts have taken a hit since trading Butler.

In a seven-game series against Boston, their lack of scoring outside of Herro and Adebayo, paired with their inability to defend the Celtics' wings, Tatum and Brown, would make for a quick first-round series. A fully healthy Celtics team, come playoff time, would dismantle the Heat in four or five games.