Beat the Heat (and other Boston Celtics playoff thoughts)

“So, we meet again.”

This is straight out of a movie script. The Boston Celtics face the Miami Heat in the NBA Playoffs once again. It is giving me several conflicting feelings.

On one hand, this is a perfect opportunity for revenge. They knocked us out last year and we can (and should) return the favor this year. Perhaps that motivation for revenge will prevent this team from getting overconfident and looking past the opponent the way they might have in facing the Chicago Bulls.

On the other hand, this Heat team is just not very good and without Jimmy Butler, they should barely register as a speed bump to this year’s version of the Celtics. Boston has much greater goals in this year’s playoffs and they simply have to do their job to advance to the next round. If anything, they should be focused on making quick work of this series so they can rest and prepare for the next one.

On a metaphorical other hand, if the past has taught us anything, it is to respect Erik Spoelstra. He’s going to throw everything at the Celtics that he can think of. He’s going to keep them on their toes and make things interesting. They might even steal a game if the Celtics get unfocused or have a bad shooting night. And oh boy will the hot takes flow like lava over scorched earth. But this Celtics team is ready for it and if anything, they could get some good “clutch time” reps early in the playoffs.

Then on General Grievous’ other metallic hand, the playoffs are finally starting. The best Celtics team since 2009 has been coasting for over a month now. They lapped the field and treated the last portion of the season as an extended practice. The long list of stats that prove how special this team was this season is fun and all, but ultimately, none of that matters now. That was all prologue for what this season will be remembered for. The Celtics can finally lock in and extend the X-wings into attack mode.

Win the title and so many narratives change forever. That’s the only thing that matters at this point. There’s so much experience on this roster, too. The core of this team knows how hard it is to get close to that goal and fall short. Jrue Holiday knows how hard it is to finish the job. Porzingis knows how hard it is to win in this league so he’s ready play any role to help this team win. Mazzulla would do anything (and I mean anything) to win a title.

This team is ready. They have one goal. The Heat are just step one towards that goal.

Let’s go, Celtics!