Celtics experiencing deja vu vs. Heat, which could be a good thing

The Celtics have shown increased inconsistency in playoff Game 1s at home in recent years. This is the fifth time in the last seven seasons that Boston has made at least the conference finals.

In 2017 under then-head coach Brad Stevens, the top-seeded Celtics were stunned in the series-opener of the first round against the eighth-seeded Chicago Bulls (before taking the series in six games) and also lost Game 1 at home against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals (the Cavs won the set in five games).

Across 2018 and 2019, Boston fared better with four straight Game 1 wins at home (exiting in the conference finals and second round though respectively), but in the NBA bubble in 2020, they fell in Game 1 of the conference finals against the Heat as the home team. The game was held in Orlando, however, so they were only the home team by default as the better seed.

After an up-and-down 2020-21 regular season in Stevens' final year as head coach, the team was the No. 7 seed two years ago, so didn't get a Game 1 at home, losing to the second-seeded Brooklyn Nets in the first round. Last season (and this spring) though, has been the most recent indication that the Celtics are capable of coming back after dropping a series opener.

Last May under Ime Udoka, Boston lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the TD Garden against the Milwaukee Bucks, before taking the series in seven games. Then one year ago Wednesday, the second-seeded Celtics lost to Jimmy Butler and the top-seeded Heat 123-116.

Last year's Game 1 was in South Beach, but other than that, the similarities were astounding. Butler dominated both games (scoring 41 points last year and 35 on Wednesday) and Miami came back from a double-digit deficit. The third quarter was also the turning point in both contests, with the Heat outscoring the Celtics 39-14 during the frame in 2022 and by a 46-25 count this time.

Boston's troubles in Game 1s at home are even fresher than in 2022, as they dropped the first contest of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers just over two weeks ago. The Celtics responded with a dominant 121-87 home win in Game 2 and despite falling behind 3-2 in the series, they won the set in seven games.

Although Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and company have shown plenty of reasons why a Game 1 home loss isn't a cause for panic, they would be wise to ensure a bounce back on Friday night and go back to Miami with the series tied at one.