Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat: 3 initial thoughts ahead of their ECF clash

Potential defensive matchups

One of the most interesting aspects of this matchup will revolve around the potential defensive matchups. There could be a number of cross matchups to start and throughout this series. The expectation is that both teams will start pretty vanilla – neither Erik Spoelstra nor Brad Stevens will want to show their hand too soon.

That means we could see Goran Dragic on Kemba Walker – a matchup that could very well end up shaping the start of this series. Whoever wins this matchup on the offensive side of the ball could give their team the start they need. Jaylen Brown will likely get the Jimmy Butler assignment, especially with the way he handled Pascal Siakam in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Jae Crowder will likely get the initial Jayson Tatum assignment with Bam Adebayo helping of Daniel Theis when he can. That leaves Marcus Smart getting to chase Duncan Robinson over and through screens, trying to limit his open looks from 3-point range.

Each of these matchups could be the way the series begins, but there will almost certainly be changes after the start. Which coach will make the first adjustment? Well, that very well could be determined by the winner of Game 1.