What to know about the Boston Celtics, who face Bucks in NBA playoffs

The Boston Celtics, a franchise that has received 17 NBA championships, might be up subsequent for the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. Boston and Milwaukee each completed 51-31 this season, with the Celtics incomes the No. 2 seed and home-court benefit over No. 3-seeded Milwaukee on account of tiebreakers.

This is what to find out about Milwaukee’s opponent within the Jap Convention semifinals.

Potential starters for Celtics

• Jayson Tatum (26.9 factors per sport, 8.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists)
• Jaylen Brown (23.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.5 apg) 
• Marcus Good (12.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.9 apg)
• Al Horford (10.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 3.4 apg)
• Daniel Theis  (7.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.0 apg)

High reserves

• Robert Williams (10.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.0 apg)
• Grant Williams (7.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.0 apg)
• Payton Pritchard (6.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.0 apg)
• Derrick White (11.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.5 apg)

Schedule

Recreation 1 – Sunday, Could 1 at Boston, 1 p.m. (ABC)

Recreation 2 – Tuesday, Could 3 at Boston, TBA (TNT)

Recreation 3 – Saturday, Could 7 at Milwaukee, TBA (ABC)

Recreation 4 – Monday, Could 9 at Milwaukee, TBA (TNT)

*Recreation 5 – Wednesday, Could 11 at Boston, TBA (TNT)

*Recreation 6 – Friday, Could 13 at Milwaukee, TBA (ESPN)

*Recreation 7 – Sunday, Could 15 at Boston, TBA (TBA)

*if mandatory

They only swept the Brooklyn Nets

Evidently, the Celtics are enjoying good basketball proper now after sweeping a Brooklyn Nets group that figured to be a tricky first-round matchup for anybody (and a title contender within the eyes of many), provided that Brooklyn boasted the abilities of star gamers Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and perhaps even midseason acquisition Ben Simmons.

However Simmons by no means noticed the ground and the disappointing Nets could not even get a sport in the one sweep of the NBA playoffs’ first spherical this 12 months. It is the primary time Durant has been swept in any playoff collection and the primary time Irving has gone out within the first spherical. Granted, the Celtics received the 4 video games solely by a mixed 18 factors, nevertheless it nonetheless felt triumphant. Oddly, the Celtics had a poor file in shut video games through the common season, however not thus far on this postseason.

How did Boston do it? The Celtics strengthened their fame because the league’s greatest defensive group, led by the league’s defensive participant of the 12 months in Marcus Good, however star Jayson Tatum was very good in limiting Durant to 38.6% taking pictures.

They have been the very best group within the league since January

Over the ultimate 32 video games of the season, Boston crushed groups, outscoring opponents by 14.8 factors per 100 possessions.

A group that was as soon as 23-24 closed the 12 months by going 28-7, with a 4-0 begin to the postseason thereafter. Maybe it was jelling below first-year coach Ime Udoka, nevertheless it’s not as if Boston has merely squeaked by in shut video games. 

Robert Williams is returning, and that is solely going to make Boston higher

Massive man Robert Williams returned to the court docket within the playoffs after a four-week absence due to a meniscus damage in late March. He performed solely half-hour over two video games, however he’d been a serious a part of the Celtics’ turnaround and figures to see elevated enjoying time, particularly with the prolonged relaxation following the tip of Boston’s first-round collection.

As soon as he is again to full well being, he’ll little doubt return to the beginning lineup. He is averaged near a double-double this 12 months with 2.2 blocked photographs per sport.

Jayson Tatum has taken a star flip

Tatum averaged almost 30 factors per sport within the collection with the Nets after averaging near 27 within the common season, and he is shot 42% from 3-point vary within the playoffs up to now. He simply turned 24 years previous in March and is enjoying the very best basketball of his profession, outplaying Durant for the most recent feather in his cap. His buzzer-beater in Recreation 1 definitely bought Boston out on the best foot.

The Celtics depend on the 1-2 punch of Tatum and Brown, providing a problem to a Milwaukee protection that will not have Khris Middleton accessible to begin (or perhaps at any level) in the collection. 

If there is a weak point, it is perhaps three-point taking pictures

As a lot success as Boston has had, it is nonetheless taking pictures simply 35.6% from three-point vary (35.5% within the playoffs), which is not horrid however ranks a pair proportion factors under a number of the greatest groups within the league. It is also honest to notice that Milwaukee will current challenges on protection that Brooklyn didn’t. 

Marcus Good will little doubt be as much as no good

Good grew to become the primary guard to win the league’s defensive participant of the 12 months award since Gary Payton with the Sonics in 1996. He is a giant cause the Celtics led the league in defensive ranking and factors allowed per sport, however extra importantly in a protracted collection, he has the power to annoy opponents.

Acquainted faces aplenty on Boston

Former Marquette College star and Stevens Level native Sam Hauser, who didn’t play within the collection towards Brooklyn, comes off the bench. Boston caught solely to its eight-man rotation (increasing to 9 when Williams returned), so it would not appear notably doubtless Hauser would play.

The identical might be stated for reserve middle Luke Kornet, who briefly hung out with Milwaukee this 12 months and is the son of former Bucks participant Frank Kornet.

How did the Bucks fare towards the Celtics through the common season?

The groups break up the 4 video games, nevertheless it’s onerous to attract many conclusions from the them. The squads met solely as soon as after Christmas (earlier than the reborn Celtics started their rampage), and several other gamers had been lacking from that April 7 assembly.

Nov. 12: Boston, 122, Milwaukee 113 (OT). Giannis Antetokounmpo was unavailable with an ankle damage and Middleton additionally was sidelined, and but Milwaukee was nonetheless capable of drive additional time earlier than falling at TD Backyard. Boston’s greatest risk that night time was level guard Dennis Schröder, who’s not with the group.

Dec. 13: Boston 117, Milwaukee 103. Tatum scored 42 factors in Boston, and the Bucks incurred a uncommon loss with their Massive Three of Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Jrue Vacation collectively on the court docket, although Middleton left within the third quarter with a hyperextended knee.

Dec. 25: Milwaukee 117, Boston 113. In his first sport again from a five-game absence within the well being and security protocol, Antetokounmpo scored 36 factors, and the Bucks roared again from 19 factors all the way down to win on Christmas. Boston was enjoying short-handed, with sufficient gamers within the well being and security protocol themselves that it wasn’t clear whether or not the sport would even be performed.

April 7: Milwaukee 127, Boston 121. That Milwaukee needed to wrestle right here is doubtlessly a foul signal; the sport was at residence, Boston was on the second sport of a back-to-back and did not have Tatum, Williams or Al Horford. With seeding implications on the road, the Bucks nonetheless rallied behind the work of Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.

Who’s Celtics coach Ime Udoka?

Ime Udoka, the primary Nigerian-American head coach in NBA historical past, is in his first 12 months as coach of the Celtics, employed by predecessor Brad Stevens, who left the sideline to turn into the Celtics’ director of basketball operations.

Udoka was an assistant with San Antonio (2012-19), Philadelphia (2019-20) and Brooklyn final 12 months, which grew to become particularly notable when he met his former group within the first spherical. None of his 10 groups has ever missed the playoffs.

The Oregon-born Udoka represented Nigeria in worldwide competitors as a participant and likewise has coached with Gregg Popovich as an assistant with the Crew USA males’s nationwide group.

The 44-year-old, whose enjoying profession within the NBA and abroad ran from 2003-12, is engaged to actress Nia Lengthy. They have a son, born in 2011, and he’s stepfather to Lengthy’s older son.

The Bucks and Celtics have a wealthy playoff historical past

There have been some nice battles, together with in latest historical past. When Milwaukee beat Boston in 5 video games through the 2019 Jap Convention semifinals, it marked the primary journey to the convention finals for the Bucks since 2001. That Boston group additionally had youthful variations of Brown and Tatum, plus Horford, Williams, Theis and Good, with the latter three in smaller roles than they play now. Irving, the participant not too long ago despatched residence by the Celtics, performed his closing sport in a Boston uniform in that collection.

In 2018, the seventh-seeded Bucks pushed Boston to the brink within the opening spherical however fell, 4-3. Boston additionally bought the very best of Milwaukee in 1987 (4-3 in convention semifinals), 1986 (4-0 in convention finals) and 1984 (4-1 in convention finals) after Milwaukee swept the Bucks in 1983 (convention semifinals). 

Boston additionally beat the Bucks in a heartbreaking 4-3 collection within the 1974 NBA Finals, a sport remembered for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s buzzer-beating skyhook in Recreation 6. General, Boston holds a 21-18 lead in playoff video games on Milwaukee.