The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics have postseason history -- a lot of it

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To understand the animosity between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, you have to go back to a regular-season night in March of last year.

A message from team president Pat Riley was sent to the traveling media contingent by a Heat public relations official that night in New Orleans.

Riley said that Danny Ainge needed to shut the f--- up and manage his own team.

For Riley, the animosity was not just about Ainge complaining about the refs, but also about the way he criticized then-Heat star James. Riley had a personal beef with Ainge and the Celtics organization.

While he has spent nearly three decades as the leader of the Miami Heat basketball team, lording over one of the league's most successful and stable franchises, Riley has spent many years duking it out for titles as a player and coach with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Celtics have been the team most often pitted against the Heat over the past two decades. Boston and Miami will square off in the first game of the East finals on Tuesday at FTX Arena, with Miami making its eighth trip to the East finals over the past 18 years. Sharing history helps inform what could happen in the future.

In the summer of 2007, the Celtics traded for Kevin and Ray in order to have Paul and Ray play together. The Boston Celtics won the NBA title in 2008 and returned to the NBA finals two years later. There is more to the story. The Celtics star-powered ascent to the top of the East made a big difference in the decision of Chris and James to join D- Wade in South Beach.

In 2008 and 2010, Boston defeated James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. James had one of his two worst playoff series of his career in 2010 when he was defeated by the top-seeded Cleveland Indians. In the third game of the series, Pierce hit a buzzer beater to send the Heat home for the summer.

The three young stars in their prime decided they had to team up because of the collective failures.

In the second round of the playoffs, the Heat destroyed the Celtics in five games, and then closed out the series with a 16-0 run. It was the first time James or Wade had beaten Boston.

The teams met in the conference finals the following season. Boston ripped off three straight wins after the Heat took a 2-0 lead. Following the Heat's flameout in the NBA Finals the year before, Miami's Game 5 loss had critics suggesting it was time for Miami.

All that did was set the stage for what became the signature moment in James' career : his 45 points, 15rebound game that helped Miami win in Boston, allowing the Heat to come from behind in the series and, a couple of weeks later, go on to win

James said that he wanted to have a big game in an environment like this.

The East finals 10 years ago proved to be the end of greatness for the triumvirate. The final blow came a couple weeks later, when Allen shocked the basketball world and chose to join the Heat in free agency, a move that set the stage for a decade of animosity between the former teammates.

Boston laid the groundwork for its current roster by tearing it down after Allen hit one of the greatest shots in NBA history to help deliver Miami a second straight title.

A decade later, the Celtics have four wins from the Finals and are led by a one-two punch of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

In the intervening years, the two teams mostly missed each other, as Miami and Boston both made the NBA finals.

The top-seeded Miami Heat will play the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs. You can watch the action on ABC.

The Celtics are at the Heat.

Game 2: Thu., Celtics at Heat (ESPN)

Game 3: Sat., Heat at Celtics (ABC)

Game 4: May 23, Heat at Celtics (ABC)

Game 5*: May 25, Celtics at Heat (ESPN)

Game 6*: May 27, Heat at Celtics (ESPN)

Game 7*: May 29, Celtics at Heat (ESPN)