Jaylen Brown didn’t need to watch Friday night's game.
He already knew that the Miami Heat would be visiting on Sunday, and he wanted to see how they coped without Jimmy Butler. He expected the Heat or the Bulls to be coming to visit.
Brown already had that information.
The three-time All-Star said on Saturday that he knew it would be Miami, and it made sense based on the previous year.
Brown's prediction turned out to be correct.
The Celtics will start the series against the Heat on Sunday at 1 p.m. in TD Garden. Last year, the Heat defeated the Celtics in the Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but since then the Heat have lost all three regular season games against the Celtics. The Celtics are considered 13.5-point favorites for Sunday's first-round game.
The memories of last year's defeat will linger until the Celtics prove they can overcome them. Brown stated that the team will focus on the present and move forward.
Brown mentioned that although they don't forget about the past, they try to live in the moment and learn from their past experiences, as they now have a new team.
Kristaps Porzingis is a key addition to the new Celtics team and is expected to challenge the Heat in various ways, including by stretching and penetrating their defense. However, Porzingis cautioned that the series will be tough both physically and tactically.
Porzingis anticipates that Miami will play aggressively and use various tactics to gain an advantage, so the Celtics need to be prepared for a tough matchup.
Heat center Bam Adebayo also emphasized that the series will be highly competitive and gritty.
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Adebayo described the series as intense, highlighting the competitive nature of their matchups against the Celtics.
Brown believes that facing the Heat again will bring back memories of their previous loss in the Eastern Conference Finals, particularly in terms of physicality and turnovers. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stressed the importance of winning in smaller areas, focusing on turnovers and rebounding, which could give the Butler-less Heat team more opportunities and a chance to extend the series.
This may be crucial, as Miami struggled offensively without Butler during the regular season, but their defense remained strong. They managed to maintain a top-5 efficient defense.. According to Mazzulla, the Celtics feel well-prepared for whatever the Heat will bring, although he wouldn't predict exactly how the teams' fourth meeting in the last five postseasons will unfold.
"They're prepared. But that doesn't mean that things are going to go our way. So we have been prepared all week and all year. … We discussed how the series takes on a life of its own," Mazzulla said. "There are no expectations here of how it's supposed to go. We're just going to be prepared to do what it takes.“
"The level of competition is much higher," Porzingis added. "Each game has adjustments, and it's like a chess game, right? To play against an experienced team like Miami and coach Spoelstra, who always has some tricks, will be very, very interesting. And we look forward to that challenge."
Game on.
Series on.
One more time.
