Poll: Celtics vs. Bucks Series Predictions

[Quetzalcoatl]

I think Boston in 5 is reasonable, Boston <p>are -180 gambling favorites after the line moved toward Milwaukee</p>.  It started at like -200.  The Celtics will put a ton of emphasis on Giannis and will try to get the rest of the team to beat them, which without Middleton is going to be a tall order.  I'm honestly mostly scared that Grayson Allen tries to injure us or something, they aren't going to beat us in a traditional sense.

[Bobshot]

The Celtics have 8 reliable guys. Red always said he needed 8 guys to win a championship.
This team can win it all this year. They have the D, and they have learned to play unselfishly with their new coach, a Pop-Auerbach disciple,
who seems to have given them roles, reminding me of the old glory teams.

I don't know who's calling the shots in the FO (maybe Stevens), but they've done an excellent job with trades for Horford, White and Theis.
Especially Horford. Another major element is the development of Rob (he's outgrown timelord) Williams. He is now a major factor in the middle.
And kudos to Danny Ainge, who drafted most of the key players. Except for Horford, Danny hasn't had much luck with other FAs.
Rozier, a great draft pick, for Walker was a mistake, and he had bad luck with others.

If these guys can stay healthy, they have the stuff to win a championship. They showed before Rob's injury that they could beat anybody.
The sledding will be a lot easier if Rob's knees can hold up.

This is the first team I've liked since the PP-KG days. I'm sure Danny is pleased.

[SHAQATTACK]

C’s in 4

[Who]

Celts in 4 or 5 is not unreasonable.

The Bucks have played very well without Middleton against Chicago but can they do likewise against Boston and our elite defense? I am not sure they can.

Out of respect for Giannis and what he did last year, my initial reaction was Boston in 6 but I believe that may be overselling the Bucks. Frankly, a short series looks much more likely to me than a long hard fought series.

Middleton is a huge loss for them.

[gouki88]

Boston in 6. Middleton missing some time is huge for them, but I still think some Giannis heroics will swing games. We're also due for Pat Connaughton to do his annual good game.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I chose Boston in 6. Giannis is way more physically imposing than anyone on the Nets, which means Boston's defense will have to work harder. I can even see Boston running into some foul trouble because of Giannis. That said, Middleton's absence should help Boston, and the Cs have the home-court advantage.

[td450]

The Celtics played Milwaukee at full strength in the 2nd to last game without Tatum, Horford or RWilliams and were very competitive, but lost. Prior to that, we played them last on Christmas day.

We really haven't played these guys with this squad. I think Giannis is going to have trouble with this defense.

[Kiorrik]

BOS in 3

[gouki88]

BOS in 3

Glad to see the 5 game series return!

[86MaxwellSmart]

Cs in 5...the one loss being the Scott Foster game.

[Kiorrik]

BOS in 3

Glad to see the 5 game series return!

Nah, it'll be just like the Nets series.

After 3, we'll know this show is OVER.

[jpotter33]

IF Middleton is out for the first 3 games or longer? I think C's in 5.

If Middleton comes back AND is actually healthy before game 3? I think that buys them another game with C's winning in 6.

We match up well with Milwaukee, and I think we should be favored against them, certainly if they're missing Middleton and we're fully healthy. Though I expect there to be lots of close games.

[jpotter33]

Boston in 6.

I'm curious what the defensive strategy will be. With the Nets, the Celtics geared everything toward stopping Durant and Kyire and let the Nets role players have their way. Obviously, that strategy worked.

But I wonder if they won't go into Milwaukee with the opposite mentality. Maybe against Milwaukee the move will be to say, Giannis is going to get his but as long as everyone else is locked down the Celtics will win.

Yeah, was wondering the same thing. I think the Nets strategy is more dangerous against Milwaukee, because (a) the supporting cast has the championship pedigree and experience to take advantage of it with their shooters, and (b) Giannis is a much better passer out of the double team than someone like KD or Kyrie.

Honestly, given our defenders that we can throw out at Giannis in Horford (traditionally successful against Giannis), Timelord, GWill, Tatum, and Brown, I bet we largely single coverage him, play WAAYYYYY back and try to force him to shoot jumpers, and don't let the others beat us. Pretty much the opposite of the Brooklyn series, and I think it can be successful.

If we retain that elite interior D with our big lineup and don't let Giannis get easy shots inside or leave their shooters for him to pass to, that's a winning strategy in my book.

[SHAQATTACK]

BOS in 3

Glad to see the 5 game series return!

Nah, it'll be just like the Nets series.

After 3, we'll know this show is OVER.

Oh va 

[colincb]

Cs are still not good at closing out good teams. Both teams are good enough to win on each other's court. Cs were the better team after January and had a better tune-up in the first round.  In the end, I just think we're the better team now even if they're the champs.

Cs in 7