Inside The Heat

Jayson Tatum Holding Larry O'Brien Trophy In Miami Will Only Add To Heat-Celtics Rivalry

Shandel Richardson

Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

If you didn't think the Miami Heat-Boston Celtics rivalry could get any better, it just did.

The Celtics turned a lot of heads when they revealed they were going to party in Miami to celebrate the championship they won earlier this week against the Dallas Mavericks. It will only add fuel next season for one of the NBA's best matchups, especially once photos of Jayson Tatum holding the Larry O'Brien surfaced Thursday afternoon.

Taylor Snow, the Celtics' team reporter shared an image of a smiling Taylor posing with the hardware. Naturally, it drew a reactions from Heat fans.

It seems the Celtics have taken more aim at the Heat than the Mavericks after their victory. It started with Boston fans trolling Heat forward Jimmy Butler. They were still triggered from Butler saying the Heat would have knocked out the Celtics in the first round if he were playing. Butler missed the series because of a knee injury. The Heat lost 4-1, with none of the games being close.

Even Derrick White's father got into the Butler roast. Richard White posted a photo along with his son and the championship trophy. The caption read: "Holding the next one was even better. Did I do it right Jimmy?"

The reason for the jabs are simple: these teams really enjoy competing against each other. There is no hate or dislike. There is just nothing better than the Celtics besting the Heat and vice versa.

The Heat and Celtics have met in the playoffs in four of the last five years. They are 2-2 in those matchups. Each one had iconic moments. There was Heat center Bam Adebayo blocking Jayson Tatum's dunk in 2020. There was Jimmy Butler missing a 3-pointer at the buzzer in Game 7 in 2022. There was the No. 8 seeded Heat knocking off No. 1 Boston in 2023.

The rivalry of the past five years may have surpassed the one from the early 2010s when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh met Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce twice. The Heat won both series, with moments including Wade dislocating Celtics guard Rajon Rondo's elbow in 2011 and James' epic 45-point effort in Game 6 while facing elimination in Boston.

And the best thing about all of this staying fresh is this: there's always next season. There is no telling what will happen.

Can't wait.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Inside The Heat. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here