Celtics face Heat in first round after recent conference finals duels [Video]

As the Boston Celtics prepare for what they hope will be their latest NBA title run, coach Joe Mazzulla had his team look to past NBA champions for inspiration.The list included sworn adversaries, like the Los Angeles Lakers and their 2010 run, as well as the last Boston team to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2008.“Every path is different,” Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum said. “The ’08 team, they went to two Game 7s in the first and second round. He’s just getting us prepared. It’s not always going to go maybe how we expect it or want it to go. And we have to be ready for that.”It’s a lesson Boston learned last season when the Miami Heat jumped on the Celtics 3-0 in the Eastern conference finals, before blowing out Boston at TD Garden in Game 7 to end its title hopes.The teams are set to meet again …