In Photos: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez & other celebrities spotted courtside for Heat vs Celtics showdown in Miami
The Heat vs Celtics rivalry has once again risen to prominence and is attracting massive attention from NBA fans. Not only does each team's respective fanbase show up in full force to support their respective side, it is also attracting household names from other sports.
Game 4 of the Heat vs. Celtics rivalry is taking place today in Florida and they have some special guests in attendance. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, who all play for Inter Miami, have shown up to support the Heat.
The quartet was filmed entering the arena and the clip was posted both on the Heat's and the NBA's official Instagram accounts. Here are some screenshots of the group as they arrived at the arena.
The group of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba were also teammates at FC Barcelona several years ago.
Also read: "Never going to go how people expect it to": Jayson Tatum concedes Heat's playoff genius after Game 2 upset
Miami is off to a slow start in Heat vs Celtics Game 4 matchup
The Miami Heat are once again underdogs in their matchup against the Boston Celtics. The Heat are the eighth-seeded team and their situation is further exacerbated by the absence of Jimmy Butler.
Currently, the Heat are trailing 2-1 in the series but they do have an opportunity to tie it with a win tonight.
However, things have not worked out well for them in the first quarter. They conceded the first points of the game on a pair of free throws from Jrue Holiday. They temporarily seized the lead after a Nikola Jovic 3-pointer but that would be their only lead of the quarter.
The Celtics were back on top soon and while the Heat tried to keep the lead from growing, Boston's well-rounded game was too much to handle.
The Celtics started to pull away midway through the first quater behind a strong performance from Derrick White, who finished the opening quarter with 16 points. Hot shooting propelled his team to a 34-24 lead to close the first quarter.
This Heat vs. Celtics matchup is not over yet, as the Miami Heat could still make a comeback in the last three quarters. However, they will need to play at their best to match the Boston Celtics.
Currently, the Heat are in a tough position but fans have seen what they can do from this position before. The question is: can they rise to the occasion and pull off another upset without Jimmy Butler?