The only two teams to sweep their First Round series will square off tonight as the Celtics will play the Bucks in Milwaukee. Neither team had much issue with their opponents, but this series should be a different story. Even though the Bucks were the best team in the regular season, the Celtics did go to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last year. Game 1 should be a real test of what each team is made of.
[4] Boston Celtics (0-0) @ [1] Milwaukee Bucks (0-0)
If you knew at the regular season that one of these two teams would win 60 games and be the best team in the entire league, you’d probably think it was the Celtics. Instead, the Bucks surprised most people by cruising to the 1st seed and easily dispatched of the Pistons last round, but they’re largely untested in the playoffs outside of this year. The Celtics have been a questionable team all season long, but they did manage to sweep the Pacers. Whatever happens, tonight should be a close game.
Boston
The Celtics didn’t necessarily blow out the Pacers during their First Found series, but their superior late game execution led them to 4 straight wins. Kyrie Irving had a rough time shooting in all but one game, but Jayson Tatum was stellar throughout to keep the Celtics afloat. Not many expected the Pacers to win the series against Boston, but a sweep was also fairly surprising. Milwaukee is a much better team and they aren’t missing their star player.
- Star Averages in First Round: Kyrie Irving – 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.8 assists. Jayson Tatum – 19.3 points, 5.5 rebounds. Gordon Hayward – 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists.
- Boston played solid defense all series against the Pacers, but they also didn’t score much themselves. They averaged 99.25 points in the First Round compared to 91.75 from Indiana, relying largely on clutch outplays to win each game.
- In the First Round, Boston was perfect as they covered the point spread all 4 games.
Milwaukee
Considering that Blake Griffin was playing on a bum knee, the Pistons didn’t stand much of a chance against Milwaukee. To no surprise, the Bucks were led by Giannis, who even finished with 41 points in a close out Game 4. This Milwaukee team looks quite scary, and certainly have a great shot of making the Finals. Malcolm Brogdon should also be returning at some point during this series, so the Bucks will be getting even better as the series endures.
- Star Averages in First Round: Giannis Antetokounmpo – 26.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists. Eric Bledsoe – 19.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.0 steals. Khris Middleton – 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists.
- Not a single game between the Bucks and Pistons was close, as the Bucks steamrolled to a 121.75 point average and held Detroit to just 98.
- The Bucks were also perfect in the First Round, covering the point spread all 4 games.
Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -7.5
Although the rest of the series should be close, this first game seems ripe for a blowout for either team. If the Bucks are a legitimate threat this year, they’ll easily take a 1-0 series lead. Otherwise, they’ll struggle to stop the Celtics, who seem to look fairly different in the playoffs. Your best bet is on the Bucks though, as it is far more likely they’re the better team this year. It should be a fun game and great series, but for tonight’s sake, expect Milwaukee to win.
