Finale
After an eventful and often tumultuous season, the Bucks have finally reached the playoffs and get to start with a clean slate again.
There’s no doubt that this matchup with a depleted Boston Celtics team offers Milwaukee a great chance to win a playoff series for the first time in 17 years, but it’s not going to be as easy as many seem to believe.
The Celtics boast the NBA’s best defense, are one of the best-coached teams in the league, and through injuries they’ve been able to show a remarkable resilience and consistency.
None of those things apply to the Bucks, so instead Milwaukee will be turning to the star power of Antetokounmpo, and the supporting cast of Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe. There’s no doubt that those players are capable of leading the Bucks to an upset, but they’ve also failed to perform when they’ve had a perceived advantage at other points throughout the season.
Game 1 will be vital to this series, and it’s a tough one to call. We know what version of the Celtics will show up, but it’s which version of the Bucks that will show up that’s the most important question of all.
Next: Win In 6 Podcast #201: Final thoughts ahead of Game 1
The Bucks take on the Celtics at 12pm CT from the TD Garden in Sunday’s Game 1, and the game will be televised nationally on TNT.