The Boston Celtics have a history with the Miami Heat in the postseason, so Jayson Tatum wasn't too surprised when the red-hot team from South Beach took down the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
Although the Heat barely snuck into the playoffs after losing their first Play-In Tournament game, Tatum never underestimated them.
“I wouldn’t necessarily call it an upset,” Tatum said about the Bucks-Heat matchup, per Jay King of The Athletic. “Miami is a really good team. Really great coach. Obviously, they’ve got some great players. And they just made plays. I guess people weren’t expecting them to win but I wouldn’t call it like an upset.”
One of those great players he mentioned is undoubtedly Jimmy Butler, as the six-time All-Star was on fire throughout the first-round series and averaged an insane 37.6 points through five games. If the Heat hadn't lost to Atlanta in the Play-In Tournament they would've ended up playing the Celtics, which point guard Marcus Smart is probably relieved about:
Marcus Smart seemed to agree. He said he’s not as surprised as everyone else that the Heat won. The Celtics have seen Miami in the playoffs. They know that team is dangerous regardless of the regular season.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 27, 2023
Like Milwaukee, the Celtics have to worry about an upset of their own. Boston failed to close out the seventh-seed Hawks at TD Garden in Game 5 and will have to face them again in Atlanta tonight.
Boston was in control in the fourth quarter of Game 5, yet the Hawks stormed back–even without the help of suspended guard Dejounte Murray. Luckily for the Hawks, Murray will be back for Game 6 to provide point guard Trae Young with some added star power.
If Jayson Tatum and company can learn anything from the Bucks, it's that they shouldn't take their opponents lightly.
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