Can Boston beat the Miami Heat banged up?

Any NBA postseason series is about matchups and adjustments, and in the case of the Boston Celtics' 2022 Eastern Conference semifinals series with the No. 1 seeded Miami Heat, they will likely prove critical elements to the team that finds a way to advance to the finals. The Celtics own the best defense in the league in the 2021-22 regular season, but the Heat are not far behind at No. 4 in that department, and both teams have an adaptable style of play and solid coaching staff to guide their respective teams on both ends.

We also knew coming into the series that health was going to be a factor with each team's lead point guard dealing with injuries sustained earlier in the postseason -- Marcus Smart with a sprained foot he hurt in Game 7 against the Brooklyn Nets in the East semis, and Kyle Lowry with lingering hamstring issues.

We did not, however, know that veteran big man Al Horford was going to end up back in the NBA's health and safety protocols, or that center Robert Williams III is reportedly likely and able to play significant minutes against Miami.

On this episode of the CLNS Media "Celtics Lab" podcast, your hosts Cameron Tabatabaie, Alex Goldberg, and Justin Quinn do their best to predict the East finals matchup between Boston and Miami, even as they learn about Boston's injury woes mid-recording.

Buckle up, this is going to be a rough ride for the Celtics.

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