2011 Eastern Conference Semifinals — Heat defeat Celtics, 4-1

The Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 4–1 in the 2011 Eastern Conference Semifinals, according to postseason records [8]. The series featured Miami as an ascending team and Boston as an experienced playoff club; the result gave Miami momentum against Boston heading into the subsequent seasons [8]. The 2011 meeting is documented as a stepping-stone in the rivalry: it was one of several postseason matchups between the franchises in the 2010s that intensified familiarity and competition and set up the more charged 2012 Eastern Conference Finals rematch [8]. Specific game scores, individual game dates and box-score details for the five-game series are recorded in playoff logs and series archives [8].

The 2011 series matters because it represents Miami's establishing of postseason dominance over Boston in the early 2010s and because it increased the number of high-stakes playoff encounters between the teams, contributing to the rivalry's escalation into the 2012 season [8]. The result also foreshadowed the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals rematch between the franchises with more at stake.

Following the 2011 semifinals, Miami carried momentum into subsequent seasons and the franchises met again in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, where stakes and intensity rose further [8]. The 2011 series remains part of the documented sequence of playoff matchups that built the franchises' postseason history against one another.