Eastern Conference | Round 2 | (2) Boston Celtics VS. (3) Milwaukee Bucks (TIED 2-2)

[Fencer reregistered]

Whoever wins this series IMO takes the East

I don't agree. Miami vs either Boston or Milwaukee is a tossup.

I actually think that Miami is a step below Boston and Milwaukee at their peak. issue is, Spo is terrific and Miami has shooting galore.


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Miami is an underdog if the Bucks/Celtics winner matches them in focus and intensity. And I think they would.

[skones]

Any chance that the Bucks go smaller to squeeze more offensive punch out of their lineups?

There has been a lot of talk about the sustainability of the Celtics offense, but the bucks have only scored 45, 40, and 46 the last 3 halves.

One thing I don't understand about the narrative
of Bud doesn't adjust, then why are the Bucks so dominant in games 3-5 or 6 the last 3 or 4 playoff series?

I think they see Boston scoring 46, 43, and 44 in three of the last four halves and have confidence in themselves to win ugly. We played really really dumb basketball with Giannis and Jrue taking ISO turns in the first half of G2. You'll see more motion, off ball screens, and a concerted effort to give Giannis face up opportunities attacking from the wing instead of straight on with deeper catches. It'll be up to Giannis to be decisive and make good decisions in the same way he did against Phoenix last year. Jrue getting off to a good offensive start will be paramount to Milwaukee's success. That usually seems to snowball for us and get everyone else activated.

[GSP]

Whoever wins this series IMO takes the East

I don't agree. Miami vs either Boston or Milwaukee is a tossup.

Oladipos sudden resurgence changes alot. Herro is the only weak defender in their rotation now but they got great defenders everywhere else with Robinson done.

[KIRAG]

Whoever wins this series IMO takes the East

I don't agree. Miami vs either Boston or Milwaukee is a tossup.

Oladipos sudden resurgence changes alot. Herro is the only weak defender in their rotation now but they got great defenders everywhere else with Robinson done.

and it looks like Lowry might be coming back soon too.

I keep flip flopping as to which team I think will come out of the east between the bucks-celtics series winner and the heat.

but this unpredictability is good. unlike in the past where we all know it's just going to be a Lebron-led team that goes to the finals again and again

[rilamann]

Bucks would probably miss Middleton more against Miami than they do against Boston. Although Middleton should deff be back for the ECF if the Bucks get past the Celtics.

Winner of Bucks/Celtics probably get to the Finals, but Miami won't be a pushover for either team and I wouldn't be shocked if the Heat win the east.

[Perseus1966]

Its very simple we hit 35% our 3s we win we dont we lose.

[cl2117]

Its very simple we hit 35% our 3s we win we dont we lose.

If you hit 35% of your threes in game 2 instead of 16.7% you still lose.

I think realistically it's about Boston hitting their 3's. If they go cold from deep they're f'd given how reliant they have been on taking what Bud gives them in this series. If the C's are at close to 40% I think they win, but sub 30-35% and it's tough given how well the Bucks have defended the paint.

[KGtabake]

I expect two things from MKE in the next two games.
a) Giannis.
b) a bombardment of 3s. Their role players certainly will shoot better at home. Just like all role players on any team.

If we steal one, i think it goes to 7 games and we have the upper hand because i think it will be difficult to lose a second game at home.
If we lose both, the series will probably end in 6, since i don't think we can beat them on a clinching game away from home.

[BleedGreen1989]

I want the Bucks to win another one badly, but if it's not in the cards then TBH I can think of worse things than the Cs winning it, a team that develops talent and builds over time with smart drafting, coaching and strategy. I can respect those things, what would really annoy me is if the Nets won it, they've cut literally every corner imaginable and did no work at all, they just think they're owed one just because of big budget and postcode appeal. I'd be even be *almost* ok if the Lakers won it just out of respect for Lebron (who I don't even like but I mean the guy is 37 for **** sake, I've never seen anything like that before). But not the Nets. Suns I'm ok, they've been tortured enough. Should be called the Phoenix Saints.

And oddly enough the Bucks are who I'd be rooting for the rest of the way if they beat us. We have a mutual respect.

Agreed. Pretty difficult not to like this Bucks team. Giannis has to be one of the most likable stars personality wise and I still remember what Jrue’s wife went through a few years ago. I’ll always pull for that guy.

Now yuck, enough of this mutual admiration…

Bucks suck! Celtics in five!

[smythep]

Bravo to basically everyone in these first four pages. The discussion has been delightful and thought-provoking. X's and O's instead of hot takes.

[Joshyjess]

Another factor is obviously Smart coming back. If Smart focuses soley on Defense and setting up others (like lobs to Timelord) and doesn't try to take a ton of three pointers, then that could be huge for Boston. Of course it's possible Smart could have one of his rare high-shooting percentage games, but that is not something the C's should count on. Smart also seems to thrive in hostile territory.

[bisme37]

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[jfs1000d]

Any chance that the Bucks go smaller to squeeze more offensive punch out of their lineups?

There has been a lot of talk about the sustainability of the Celtics offense, but the bucks have only scored 45, 40, and 46 the last 3 halves.

One thing I don't understand about the narrative
of Bud doesn't adjust, then why are the Bucks so dominant in games 3-5 or 6 the last 3 or 4 playoff series?

I think they see Boston scoring 46, 43, and 44 in three of the last four halves and have confidence in themselves to win ugly. We played really really dumb basketball with Giannis and Jrue taking ISO turns in the first half of G2. You'll see more motion, off ball screens, and a concerted effort to give Giannis face up opportunities attacking from the wing instead of straight on with deeper catches. It'll be up to Giannis to be decisive and make good decisions in the same way he did against Phoenix last year. Jrue getting off to a good offensive start will be paramount to Milwaukee's success. That usually seems to snowball for us and get everyone else activated.

If you are going to go with a defensive lineup vs. Boston, celtics will take it.

I don't see how the Bucks replace Middleton's 20 PPG. Allen gets 17 and POrtal 20 per game? That's probably what they need. That or Giannis and drew take more shots.

The Lopez, Portis, Giannis 3-4-5 is huge and protects the rim incredibly. But that isn't a very good offensive team.

[Tyakack]

Whoever wins this series IMO takes the East

I don't agree. Miami vs either Boston or Milwaukee is a tossup.

I actually think that Miami is a step below Boston and Milwaukee at their peak. issue is, Spo is terrific and Miami has shooting galore.


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My thoughts exactly. I think both the celtics and the bucks are better teams but the heat are damn good in their own right and when you have spo I wouldn't count them out when it comes to reaching the finals. Especially with homecourt. I'd still favor the bucks or celtics over them however.

[Cricket23]

Saw some comments when I checked in at halftime of the last game that Boston was better without Marcus Smart. This couldn't be further from the truth, and it's especially true on the offensive side of the ball given what they have on the bench.

Also saw talk about the sustainability of Boston's shooting and I think it's a waste of thought. Boston should shoot better than their norm as long as they're getting better than usual shots. But they don't have to because good teams can find other ways to win games. They shot well enough in game 1 to win. They even could have shot worse and won. They were outscored by 21 on points off of turnovers, and that has a lot to do with focus. They did not need to shoot as well as they did in game 2 to win; they only needed to shoot that well to win by 23.

I dismiss the idea that the Nets were a bad team and a cakewalk for Boston. Obviously they have issues, but I thought going in that they were as tough a matchup for them as the Bucks and I've seen nothing to change my mind. Yea I know what the results have been so far, but if Boston played the Nets again it could just as easily go 7 games. I believe the Bucks were better last year than they are now yet it went down to the wire to beat a Nets team that is comparable to the one we saw a couple of weeks ago.

I originally picked Celtics in 6 and I'll stick with it but it wouldn't surprise me at all if Boston takes the next 3 games. I think Milwaukee is outmatched almost on par with how Dallas is outmatched by Phoenix.

[KIRAG]

Either of these teams would get smoked by the Heat. Just wait till you have to come down to Miami and we lull you into sleep paralysis with our late arriving sleepwalking crowd and drowsy regular season atmosphere

Which team between the Bucks and the Celtics do you guys prefer to get in the ECF?

[KIRAG]

Bravo to basically everyone in these first four pages. The discussion has been delightful and thought-provoking. X's and O's instead of hot takes.

Celtics and Bucks fans today and Celtics and Bucks fans tomorrow:

Spoiler:

[Badlands]

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Tatum has been great, but this needs some context. Tatum is averaging .1 point and .1 assist more than Giannis, but has played 6.6 more minutes per game. Giannis has also averaged 8.2 more rebounds per game.

[Cricket23]

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Tatum has been great, but this needs some context. Tatum is averaging .1 point and .1 assist more than Giannis, but has played 6.6 more minutes per game. Giannis has also averaged 8.2 more rebounds per game.

What context does that add? The post has nothing to do with rebounds, or anything to do with the job Tatum did on KD for that matter. Tatum has played more minutes, sure, but Giannis has averaged exactly 20 shots per game, Tatum ever so slightly less. I think the post is fine as it is because it's not to disparage any other player, but rather just to illustrate that Tatum has been very good.

[Badlands]

Read on Twitter

Tatum has been great, but this needs some context. Tatum is averaging .1 point and .1 assist more than Giannis, but has played 6.6 more minutes per game. Giannis has also averaged 8.2 more rebounds per game.

What context does that add? The post has nothing to do with rebounds, or anything to do with the job Tatum did on KD for that matter. Tatum has played more minutes, sure, but Giannis has averaged exactly 20 shots per game, Tatum ever so slightly less. I think the post is fine as it is because it's not to disparage any other player, but rather just to illustrate that Tatum has been very good.

I'm not saying it's egregious or anything, but it's clearly cherry-picking the two stats where Tatum has the tiniest advantage (while playing 19% more minutes) and leaving out the stat where Giannis is far ahead (rebounding 12.7 to 4.5). That's all. It's not worth arguing about.