Everything you need to know for Celtics vs. Heat in Eastern Conference Finals of 2023 NBA playoffs

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will square off in the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2023 NBA playoffs. These teams met a year ago at the same stage, with Boston winning the series 4-3 in a tightly contested Game 7. Here’s a look at how the two teams shape up entering this year’s clash.

The Celtics once again overcame a 3-2 deficit in the second round of the playoffs to make the conference finals, taking out the 76ers this time. Boston was led by Jayson Tatum, who exploded for 51 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the decisive contest. Tatum had a relatively quiet series before breaking out in Games 6 and 7, so we’ll see if he can keep that momentum going in this round. Jaylen Brown will also look to maintain his stellar play. The Celtics are more reliant on the three-point shot this year, so Al Horford, Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart will be important pieces in this series.

The Heat are being propelled by Jimmy Butler, who is showing he’s a true superstar in this league. Miami entered this postseason as the No. 8 seed after barely winning the final play-in game, then promptly ran through the No. 1 Bucks and No. 5 Knicks in the first two rounds. Now, the Heat get a rematch with the Celtics in the midst of Butler’s best stretch of basketball in his career. Bam Adebayo, Max Strus and Kyle Lowry are providing just enough support for the Heat to win games, and we’ll see if Boston’s depth can eventually overpower Miami’s thinned out rotation.