Celtics not surprised by the Heat beating the Bucks: 'I wouldn't call it an upset'
BOSTON -- The Heat sent shockwaves through the NBA on Wednesday night when they completed a gentleman's sweep over the top-seeded Bucks. Miami is just the sixth 8-seed to upset a No.1 in NBA playoff history.
Miami's dominant 4-1 series win over Milwaukee was a bit surprising in that the Heat struggled throughout most of the regular season, lost a play-in game to the Hawks, and were down one of their top scoring options in Tyler Herro.
But the outcome wasn't very surprising to the Boston Celtics. They know how Miami turns up the temperature in the postseason, and they know how dangerous Jimmy Butler is when he shifts into playoff mode.
So when Jimmy Buckets put in 42 points to erase a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit -- including a game-tying layup with a split second left in regulation -- and lead the Heat to an overtime win Wednesday night to clinch the series, the Celtics barely batted an eye.
So what if the Bucks were huge favorites to win the series? So what if the Bucks were favorites to win it all? When it involves the Heat, anything can happen.
In fact, Jayson Tatum doesn't even think Miami's series win is that much of an "upset."
"Miami is a really good team with a great coach and they have great players. They just made plays," Tatum said Thursday in Atlanta, ahead of Boston's Game 6 against the Hawks. "I guess people weren't expecting them to win, but I wouldn't call it an upset."
"I wasn't too surprised. The Heat are a dangerous team and we all know that," added guard Marcus Smart. "The Heat play different in the playoffs and they play the Bucks really well. Not as surprised as others, but I am surprised they went down the way they went down.
"It just goes to show you that it's the playoffs and anything could happen and you have to be ready at all times," said Smart.
The Celtics are pretty familiar with what an underdog Heat team can do in the playoffs. The 3-seeded Celtics lost to the 5-seeded Heat in the 2020 playoffs inside the NBA bubble in Orlando, after that same Heat team swept the top-seed Bucks in the East semis.
The Heat did the Celtics a pretty big solid Wednesday night, giving Boston home-court advantage the rest of the way by ousting the top-seeded Bucks. But in order to take advantage of that assist from Miami, the Celtics need to take care of business against the Hawks.