So the matter of which team might end up on the other side of the bracket against Boston in the first round of postseason play is a topic of interest for Bleacher Report league analyst Greg Swartz, who already has a team in mind for the Celtics to take on early in the playoffs. And that ball club might make more than a few Boston fans groan when they hear which team it is. “The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have met four times in the past five postseasons and could collide in the first round for the second successive year,” Swartz writes.

“There’s no reason to believe Boston won’t claim the No. 1 seed again, considering they finished 14 games ahead of the No. 2-seeded New York Knicks last season” he adds. “Even some missed time by Kristaps Porzingis to begin the year won’t hurt too much, as the Celtics went 21-4 without him in ’23-24.”

“The Celtics will be the No. 1 seed in the East, win 60 plus-games and be the favorites to win the title once again,” continues the B/R analyst. “Miami is still extremely talented and should have a motivated Jimmy Butler playing for a new contract, although the 6-time All-Star is now 35 and missed the 2024 playoffs because of injury.”