The Boston Celtics are seeing a familiar pattern develop in their Eastern Conference finals series with the Miami Heat that in some ways resembles what unfolded in the last round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs with the Milwaukee Bucks, each team trading wins in the earlier part of the series.
But unlike the Bucks, the margins of victory in this series are substantial, and so far injuries — and players playing through them — have been an important factor as well. The health of Celtics like Robert Williams III and Marcus Smart, as well as Heat players like Jimmy Butler, PJ Tucker, and Kyle Lowry will be critical to winning Game 4 and beyond.
