1st Round East : Boston Celtics (2) vs Milwaukee Bucks (7)

[zostrummer]

Et si l'équipe la plus faible de ces playoffs c'était Boston... C'est la seule qui jouera sans son franchise player

J’avoue.

Léger oubli
Comme le dit Mint, Aldrige a joué à un tel niveau pour qualifier son équipe qu'il peut être qualifié de FP intérimaire, surtout vu le peu de matchs qu'a joué Leonard.
M'enfin, je suis solidaire Véhixe, et des playoffs sans Leonard c'est un peu comme une finale avec Pachulia, c'est moche.

[Xarphios]

Nan en vrai je pense qu'à ce niveau le coaching est vraiment déterminant et là dessus y'a vraiment pas match.

Pareil que Mike, la différence au niveau du coaching va être compliquée à surmonter. Après les bucks ont une énorme marge de progression intrinsèque par rapport à leur niveau "habituel" mais ça me paraît compliqué de parier sur le fait qu'ils vont soudainement la réaliser.

[MintBerryCrunch]

Sur le terrain les Bucks ont plus de talent c'est indéniable. Mais en plus d'avoir l'occasion de faire un plan de jeu défensif spécial Giannis, on a effectivement la chance d'avoir plus d'expérience en POs et d'avoir un joueur quasiment autant valuable que Giannis dans notre camp. Une défaite ne serait pas une déception pour moi tant mieux j'aime beaucoup les Bucks, mais pour Milwaukee ça va pas être la série la plus simple ! Boston va lâcher aucun match même après 2 défaites à domicile pour commencer par exemple.

L'absence de Smart jusqu'au milieu de la série est fâcheux quand même, avec lui j'aurais parié sur Boston plutôt. Sans lui, ça va être plus serré et je vois Milwaukee pouvoir se débattre face au leprechaun ( pour cette fois hein !)

Je vote quand même 4-0 pour Boston.

[Rhea]

4-2 pour Boston pour moi. Beaucoup de blessés, mais si les remplaçants manquent d'expérience, ils ne manquent absolument pas de talent

[marmite]

4-2 pour moi aussi, Horford a bien tenu Giannis en défense cette saison.

[nunu]

Qui c'est votre coach les Bucks ? Que je sache le nom du paillasson sur lequel Stevens va s'essuyer les pieds

[Rhea]

Joe Prunty je crois

[DR50]

4-3 Celticd
Y'a trop de différence de talent mais la différence de coaching est plus importante.

[Sentenza]

4-3 pour les Celtics

[pantouflard]

4-2 pour Boston avec un triple double de Monroe

[dumarsetçarepart]

Celtics en 7. La série est dure à pronostiquer. Al horrord amènera son expérience et guidera les celtes.

[momie]

J'ai pronostiqué les Celtics en 5

Pas besoin de Kyrie

[LucAl]

J’ai mis Celtics en 6. L’effectif est très diminué mais ça reste compétitif et solide, grâce à Stevens mais aussi des cadres sérieux comme Horford ou Baynes. Tatum et Brown peuvent continuer de se révéler.

En face, les Bucks ont un grand potentiel mais semblent presque régresser récemment. Une sortie d’entrée de jeu qui pourra leur faire prendre conscience que quelque chose ne tourne vraiment pas rond.

[Sonia]

Je donne un avantage à Boston quand même. Mais suis-je la seule a trouver que ce duel est le moins alléchant de tous les playoffs ?!

[Doctor_answer]

Une équipe décimé et une équipe qui cherche encore comment faire pour jouer un pnr effectivement ça donne pas envie

[marmite]

Décimée, mais croyez-moi, loin d'être paumée sur un terrain.

[Wilson]

Désolé Gros minet, mais je ne peux pas voter autre chose que Boston (en 6).

On est décimés, on est dans les choux, on est à la ramasse, vous avez le meilleur joueur (le Greek Freak), mais il nous reste notre franchise player Brad Stevens et la Celtic Pride.

[Cracker]

L'Alphabet demande son trade cet été après avoir était fessé par les jeunots celtes !

[SylvesterTemple]

13% votent Bucks en 6 et moi je vote Bucks en 7, au moins je suis pas seul à y croire un petit peu haha !

Sinon pour réagir (tard, désolé) :

Les Bucks n'auraient pas pu mieux tomber, et s'ils ne passent pas ce premier tour faudra qu'ils pensent à se renouveler parce que c'est l'année ou jamais pour eux.

Clairement oui, mais uniquement parce que vous êtes fortement diminués, pas parce qu'on a fait de quelconques choix intéressants.. Donc, victoire ou pas, cet été faut du changement parce que cela ne peut plus durer ainsi dans le Wisconsin, sous peine de se mettre en mauvaise position vis-à-vis de Giannis...

Est ce que Milwaukee ne serait pas l'équipe la plus faible de ces playoffs ?

Niveau talent non, mais d'un point de vue de jeu affiché clairement oui je pense...

Il va nous ouvrir le cochon... d'ailleurs il s'est bien affiné depuis quelques mois/semaines.

(au sujet de Monroe) Grave ! Moose i love you, ne soit pas trop dur avec Johny stp...

En face, les Bucks ont un grand potentiel mais semblent presque régresser récemment. Une sortie d’entrée de jeu qui pourra leur faire prendre conscience que quelque chose ne tourne vraiment pas rond.

A la limite si c'était le cas ce pourrait être une satisfaction. La solution est pourtant simple : trouver un coach de talent et un pivot niveau NBA.

[SylvesterTemple]

2018 NBA Playoffs: Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks series preview


https://hoopshabit.com/2018/04/12/2018- ... s-preview/

On Saturday, the Boston Celtics will host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of their first round series of the 2018 NBA Playoffs. Here’s what you need to know about the matchup.
The Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks will face off in the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs, with both teams entering with reduced hope for advancing deep. A wild final night in the NBA kept the matchups uncertain for as long as possible, with a Bucks loss and a Miami Heat overtime win finally setting things in place.

Boston closes the regular season as wounded warriors, down four rotation players as it prepares for Milwaukee. All-Star free agent acquisition Gordon Hayward went down in the early minutes of Game 1, and more recently, the Celtics lost All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving for the season as well. Key reserves Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis are out as well.

Despite the injuries, Boston still reeled off 55 wins, good for second place in the Eastern Conference. When Irving went down for the final time the Celtics’ standing seemed in question, but the team responded with a six-game winning streak to solidify the 2-seed before coasting to the end with a 2-4 closing stretch.

Milwaukee has found mediocrity to be the title of its season, ending up with a 44-38 record despite the excellence of MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. Prior to the season, they were a popular pick to host a playoff series, but instead will go on the road as the seventh seed to face Boston.

The Bucks are the only team in the postseason with an interim coach, and Joe Prunty will have to prove himself against coaching wizard Brad Stevens. With Boston’s injury list so long, it was a preferred first round opponent, but Milwaukee will have to play at a higher level than it did this year to beat anyone, let alone upset the Celtics.

The season series is tied up 2-2, with all four games decided by 11 points or less — and just 7.5 points on average. Milwaukee won the first meeting in the hours immediately following the Hayward injury, then Boston won twice before the Bucks won an important game last week.

Individual matchups

With the losses of Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart, the Boston Celtics have had to re-do their rotation again and again. For the Bucks, a number of players returning from injury means they will need to settle back into a rotation early on. Here are the matchups to watch.

PG: Terry Rozier vs. Eric Bledsoe

For much of the season, the Celtics started an All-Star point guard who would have given them a decided advantage in the series. With Kyrie Irving out, Terry Rozier will have to step up and lead this team into the postseason. Milwaukee has a fringe All-Star who enters fully healthy and on somewhat of a roll.

Advantage: Bucks

SG: Jaylen Brown vs. Tony Snell

Boston entered the season starting sophomore wing Jaylen Brown, and the young player performed his role admirably, showing versatility and defensive verve. He will be asked to take on more of an offensive load in the absence of Irving. On the other side is Tony Snell, a low-usage gunner with the length to swallow opposing guards whole on defense.

Advantage: Celtics

SF: Jayson Tatum vs. Khris Middleton

Jayson Tatum has been one of the best rookies in the league this season, starting from the jump for a team with championship aspirations. Even if that goal has dimmed, Tatum can flex his muscles in the fight of the postseason. Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton is a capable two-way wing who averaged 20.3 points per game this season as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s wingman.

Advantage: Bucks

PF: Al Horford vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Al Horford is a legitimate candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, using his versatility and foot speed to guard inside and outside, snuffing out plays across the floor. On offense, his shooting and passing open up the floor for the rest of the team to go to work. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been every bit as good as Horford on both sides of the ball, and can absolutely take over a game offensively when necessary.

Advantage: Bucks

C: Aron Baynes vs. John Henson

In Aron Baynes the Celtics found a bruiser of a starting center, a defensive anchor who pairs perfectly with Horford in preventing opponents from scoring. In John Henson the Bucks have a thin, lanky player who has played well with Giannis Antetokounmpo but poorly with anyone else. Neither player provides much offense.

Advantage: Celtics

Bench

The Celtics have leaned on a strong bench all season, but that will be challenged as the bench is stretched thin after all of the injuries. Marcus Morris, Semi Ojeleye and Shane Larkin will all see minutes in the playoffs. In Milwaukee the bench seems deep — Malcolm Brogdon, Matthew Dellavedova, Jabari Parker, Thon Maker, Sterling Brown — but it has been below-average all season.

Advantage: Celtics

Coach

Brad Stevens is as close to a wizard as there is in the NBA, spinning gold from straw and making miracles happen. He has kept the Celtics playing at a high level all year despite the injuries. Joe Prunty, the Bucks’ interim coach, has been fine, but in comparison to his predecessor that’s not saying much.

Advantage: Celtics

1. Can Boston’s young players lead this team to a series victory?

There are two common scenarios where a player is stretched in a new way and often fails to rise to the situation. The first is when a player “scales up” — that is, they step up into a new role with more and harder responsibilities. The second is when the stakes change — i.e. playing in the playoffs instead of the regular season.

Both are going to happen to the young players on the Boston Celtics, and how they respond will dictate how far they make it through the Eastern Conference bracket. While Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown were both in the postseason last year, this season will demand new heights out of Rozier, Brown and Tatum.

Tatum has been simply incredible this season, leading all rookies in win shares and filling his role perfectly. He has shot well from outside, played surprisingly strong team defense, and looks like a future star. But how much is too much to put on his shoulders for this postseason run?

Similarly Rozier has been a fan favorite for years now, and without Kyrie Irving, without Isaiah Thomas, without Avery Bradley and any of his other backcourt teammates, Rozier will now need to make this his team. That’s not to say he is the best player, or shoots the most shots; rather, he will be the guiding force behind this team, for better or for worse.

2. Can Milwaukee score on Boston’s airtight defense?

In the wake of Gordon Hayward’s opening night injury, most wrote off the Celtics as a true contender, slotting them in as a fringe playoff team. Then they promptly ripped off a 16-game winning streak built on the back of a a smothering defense.

On the season, the Celtics allowed 103.4 points per possession in non-garbage time scenarios, per Cleaning the Glass, for the top mark in the league. The combination of Al Horford and Aron Baynes allow just 96.2 points per 100 possessions. The expected starting lineup Saturday — Horford, Baynes, Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum — have allowed just 91.8 points per 100 possessions.

Milwaukee’s offense ranks just 13th in the league, scoring 109.2 points per possession. Their offensive attack has sputtered at times, devolving into rotating isolation attacks by perimeter players. With Baynes and Horford patrolling the paint, it may get even worse.

The Bucks are at their best when they are attacking the rim, either in transition or the half-court. They will be helped by the absence of Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis, both excellent defenders off the bench who will be replaced in the rotation by Abdel Nader and Greg Monroe.

Any defense can be broken with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have the individual talent to score points, but against a defense as tenacious as the Celtics, they will need to figure out something more creative.

3. Who wins the matchup of All-Stars?

We touched on this earlier, but it is worth highlighting further. While both teams boast a combination of rising talent and established veterans, each has just one All-Star who will take the court — and they play the same position.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is having a breakout season, thrusting himself into the MVP conversation while putting up ridiculous numbers. Al Horford himself is playing some of the best basketball of his career, especially on defense, where he has seemingly been everywhere.

Everything for Milwaukee rises and falls with Antetokounmpo. With him, they have the best player on the court and a shot at beating anyone. Without him, they are a collection of ill-fitting parts who want to take turns isolating on offense. Can Horford slow the All-NBA forward down?

Boston is less reliant on Al Horford to generate offense, although it relies on his spacing and passing to open up lanes for its ball-handlers to score. If Antetokounmpo can walk the line between closing off driving lanes and recovering to Horford, the Celtics’ offense could stumble.

Predictions

The Boston Celtics are much worse than their record implies, both by nature of outperforming their point differential and of entering without four key players, three of which helped build up that record before falling to injury. The Celtics do not deserve to be overwhelming favorites against anyone.

That being said, Milwaukee has been a mediocre team all season. Despite a 44-38 record, the Bucks finished the season with a negative point differential. Giannis Antetokounmpo is truly special and could swing any single game though, and certainly could push them to a series victory.

In the end it comes down to the coaching, and the Celtics run away with this one. Prunty is still trying to figure out how to kill the bad habits that Jason Kidd instilled, and in the meantime, the Bucks have to face the most tactically sound coach in the league. Brad Stevens will have sets designed that simply blow to pieces the idea of Milwaukee stopping the Celtics.

Players still have to make shots, and these two teams are close enough that any outcome would be reasonable. But in the end the Celtics have the better infrastructure and coaching to see them through to a victory.

[MikeCorleone]

Je vois bien un peu la meme série qu'on a eu face aux Raptors l'an dernier, je nous vois assez bien démarrer et prendre un match à Boston puis un autre chez nous avant que Stevens et les Celtics prennent tranquillement le contrôle de la série.

[SylvesterTemple]

Yes c'est un peu ce que je pense aussi, sauf que là Boston a la malchance de jouer sans Hayward, Irving, et même Smart pour quelques matchs donc ça pourrait finalement tourner en notre faveur. Surtout que l'an dernier on prend 4-2 mais la série aurait pu tout autant basculer à 4-2 dans l'autre sens ! Cela dit... Je nous trouvais bien meilleurs l'an dernier, et avec une bonne dynamique...

[Cracker]

Rozier va manger Bledsoe, qui redemandera son trade !

[SylvesterTemple]

T'arrêtes de trader tous nos joueurs toi ?

[SylvesterTemple]

Mis à part le fait que Giannis choisirait ses matchs, ça reste toujours intéressant de se mettre ces commentaires sous la dent pour patienter.


Leurs pronos :
4-3 pour les Celtics (Alex)
4-3 pour les Bucks (Bastien)