The Boston Celtics are fresh off a Game 7 victory against their oldest rivals in the Philadelphia 76ers, but now they'll face off with a more recent rival in the Eastern Conference Finals: the Miami Heat.

The Heat are a familiar foe for the Celtics, as they've played each other three times in the Conference Finals in the last four seasons. Miami won in the 2020 NBA Bubble, but Boston won last year, meaning this postseason is somewhat of a tiebreaker.

Although the Heat limped into the 2023 NBA Playoffs, they've since come to life. They became the fifth eight seed to beat the one seed in a playoff series, embarrassing the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in their first-round meeting. Next, Miami took care of business and sent the New York Knicks packing in six games. Behind six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, the Heat are much better than their regular season record might suggest.

As for the C's, they defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games and then finished the Sixers in seven games. While both of those series probably should've been shorter, the Celtics are tough to beat when they're at their best.

Even though the Heat are underdogs, the Green Team is taking them seriously. They've seen what Butler can do and understand that they have a talented roster and staff:

If the C's play to their full potential and don't underestimate their opponents, there aren't many teams that can hang with them. So, here are three reasons why the Celtics will beat the Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

3. The Celtics are way healthier than the Heat

The Celtics had their fair share of injuries in the regular season, but so far they've been relatively healthy in the playoffs. Conversely, the Heat have been dealing with several injury issues early on in the postseason. In Game 1 of the first round, Miami guard Tyler Herro broke his right hand and hasn't played since. He'll likely be sidelined for the majority of the series barring an unforeseen recovery:

Tw0-time All-Star Victor Oladipo then came in to make up for Herro's absence, however, he unfortunately was injured as well. He suffered a torn patellar tendon in Game 3 of the first round that'll undoubtedly sideline him for the rest of the playoffs.

Last, but certainly not least, Butler hurt his ankle in Game 1 of the second round versus the Knicks. The injury didn't keep him down for long, as he only sat for Game 2 before returning in Game 3.

Regardless, the Heat simply aren't as healthy as the Celtics. If Butler continues to play through his ankle pain, Miami will be alright, but one more serious injury could devastate the Heat.

2. The Celtics have tons of star power

The Heat have their star duo of Butler and Bam Adebayo, while the Celtics have their terrific tandem of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Tatum had his playoff struggles last season and didn't always have it going against the Sixers, but he ultimately brought his game to another level when it mattered the most. In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Tatum dropped an astounding 51 points on 17-28 shooting from the field while never turning the ball over:

The four-time All-Star isn't going to play like that every game, yet the C's will be in a great spot if he can perform even somewhat similarly against Miami. His 28.2 points per game in the 2023 playoffs is the third-highest among all players remaining in the postseason, as only Butler and Nikola Jokic are averaging more.

Next to Tatum is Brown, another talented two-way player who helps run Boston's offense. He hasn't been as productive as Tatum, but he's still putting up an impressive 24.6 points per game in the playoffs. If he's clicking alongside Tatum, there isn't much opposing teams can do.

1. The Celtics are an elite 3-point shooting team

Hot shooting comes and goes, but the C's have been able to connect from deep efficiently so far in the postseason. They lead all playoff teams with a 39.5 percent conversion rate from deep and they had the fifth-best three-point percentage during the regular season.

Meanwhile, the Heat had the 24th-best 3-point percentage (34.6 percent) over the course of the regular season, although they have bumped that up to 36.8 percent in the postseason. Winning the battle from beyond the arc will be huge in this series and the Celtics have proven they can do just that so far.

However, Miami is solid defensively and has a coaching edge over Boston, meaning that the C's have to be ready for whatever schemes are thrown at them. All in all, the next chapter of this playoff rivalry should be an intense one, as Game 1 tips off in Boston on Wednesday night.