Milwaukee Bucks Roundtable: Round 1 – Boston Celtics

What’s the greatest source of hope for you heading into this series with the Celtics?

LW: The Bucks already seem to match up decently with the Celtics as they went 2-2 against Boston this year. Now, Boston is without much scoring ability. If the Bucks can not get out-schemed to oblivion by the brilliant Brad Stevens, the Celtics should struggle to create good looks on their own.

RK: Pure talent gives me hope that the Bucks can pull out this series against the Celtics. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon, and Jabari Parker may prove to be too much for Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Greg Monroe, Marcus Morris, and Terry Rozier.

RR: Giannis Antetokounmpo. In last year’s first round series against Toronto, the Raptors proved to be the better team. But Milwaukee, and Giannis in particular made Toronto work for that series win. The memorable Game 6, which saw the Bucks nearly finish a comeback of epic proportions to force a Game 7, was a stepping stone for Antetokounmpo.

Now, the spotlight is going to be on him once again to deliver against a team that seems to be resigned to this not being their year. Antetokounmpo has gained many doubters of late due to the team’s lack of success. The opportunity to take the next step is here.

BS: Playoff Giannis can be a phenomenon not seen in Milwaukee since the Big 3 of 2001. By himself, I believe the Greek Freak can win two, if not three games off his own bat. With that being said however, it takes four wins to take out a series and that is where Milwaukee’s other key pieces like Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker and Eric Bledsoe will have to dig deep to help Milwaukee across the line.

The X-factor in this series will be former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon. Putting another capable ball handler, defender and threat from deep next to Giannis can only be a good thing and getting Brogdon back right before the playoffs is a huge plus for Milwaukee. If Brogdon can keep Milwaukee’s second units afloat while Giannis rests on the bench, it will go a long way toward Milwaukee winning their first playoff series in almost two decades.

MH: The players on the Bucks are much better at basketball than the players on the Celtics. They just might be able to overcome the fact that the Celtics are a much better basketball team than the Bucks.

WW: Shot-making. The Bucks have the best shot-maker in this series, Giannis Antetokounmpo. But perhaps more importantly, with Kyrie Irving out, the Bucks also have the second and third-best shot-makers in this series, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton.

The Celtics have a better offensive system, but ultimately they may not make enough shots to overcome the Bucks. The Bucks can take advantage of having multiple shot-creators, creating multiple pressure points that make it difficult for the Celtics to load up against Giannis only.

AM: It’s Giannis. Having a player of such game-changing quality is what can make someone like me, who’s feeling somewhat pessimistic about the series, still envision a path to success for the Bucks.

Giannis is so good that if he plays up to his very best, the Bucks could win comfortably. That’s a lot of pressure for any player, particularly for one so young and relatively inexperienced on this stage. Still, it’s impossible to rule out Milwaukee’s best player putting in a series for the ages and carrying his team on his back as they advance to the second round.