The Celtics had plenty of attention last year during Joe Mazzulla’s first playoff run last year. All eyes are on Boston this year as the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Spoelstra said coaching in an organization with championship expectations shortens the learning curve significantly for a head coach.

“Joe is a very thoughtful coach,” Spoelstra said. “He puts a lot of time into it. He was a very good assistant coach so he was well prepared to go into that. If you go into an organiazation where there are big expectations, you learn and do things probably five times quicker maybe than other places because you have those playoff experiences and expectations. It’s the best way to learn.”

Spoelstra said his team is entering the series with respect for what the Celtics have accomplished, but little fear. He downplayed the matchup between him and Mazzulla.

“It’s really not going to be about us,” Spoelstra said. “But he’s a very good coach and they’ve had a very productive season this year. They’ve improved all across the board. You have to respect what they’ve done.

“Their record was what their record was and the point differential and all the records they were breaking during the regular season, you have to respect that. You also can’t be fearful. You have to get into the competition and the way we view it is no matter who you are going to play, when you’re going to play it’s going to be tough in the playoffs.”

Rookie’s role

Jimmy Butler is out for at least Game 1 of the Celtics opening round series against the Heat with an MCL sprain.

Replacing Butler’s production will be a tall task for Miami. He tied with Tyler Herro for the team lead in scoring at 20.8 points per game. Butler also leads the Heat in assists (5.0) and is third on the team in rebounding (5.3).

He’s had several big playoff performances against the Celtics, include a 47-point scoring outburst at TD Garden in Game 6 of the 2022 Eastern Conference final and 35 points last year’s Game 7.

With Butler out, rookie forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. could see an expanded role in this series.

“The obviously empower him,” Mazzulla said. “He has the innate ability to just affect the game in different ways whether it’s in transition, rebounding, hustle plays and then him handling the pick and roll and making decisions has been an important factor for their team. So, he’ll definitely be a focal point of what they’re trying to do.”

Injury update

Luke Kornet was the only player listed on the Celtics’ injury report. He missed Game 1 with a calf strain. Mazzulla said he’s not sure how much time Kornet will miss.

“On the drills, he just came up a little tight,” Mazzulla said. “I think we’ll just reevaluate him every couple of days. He’s done some non-contact stuff so we’ll kind of see where he is every couple of days, week-to-week.”

Former Celtic Terry Rozier missed Game 1 with a neck injury. Spoelstra said he didn’t have any further updates on Rozier’s status and that the team will continue to treat him day to day.