3 Reasons why the Boston Celtics shouldn’t worry about facing the Bucks
The Boston Celtics continued their dominance against the Bucks on March 30 with a 140-99 thrashing on the road despite coming in as betting underdogs.
Boston improved to 2-1 against Milwaukee this season — and 5-1 against Milwaukee and Philadelphia combined — yet some Celtics fans are still concerned about a potential matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals.
I am not worried about a potential matchup because the Celtics are clearly the better team.
Here are 3 reasons why the Boston Celtics should not worry about facing the Bucks
milwaukee reeling from a b2b is probably a fair assertion but can we also acknowledge there being a lot of things for boston to exploit in this matchup?
— david (@bombogoon) March 31, 2023
No. 1: The Boston Celtics have owned the Bucks over the last two seasons
The Celtics have had the Bucks’ number since the playoffs a year ago. Although the Bucks were without Kris Middelton, the Celtics still went into Milwaukee and won two games, including a crucial game six when they were down 3-2.
Boston continued this momentum into this season as when at full strength, the Celtics have beaten the Bucks twice by a combined margin of victory of 62 points. The only defeat the Celtics had was an overtime loss when none of their top players played.
The Celtics regulars played the Bucks regulars on Christmas and the Celtics won by 21 at home
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) March 31, 2023
The Celtics bench played the Bucks regulars and took them to OT on the road
The Celtics regulars played the Bucks regulars, this time with Khris Middleton, and won by 41 on the road
This is why the Celtics should have no fear against the Bucks because they have shown they can beat them whenever they want. Reggie Miller of TNT mentioned this on Thursday night as he said that the Celtics are sending a message that they can come into this building and win whenever they want. I agree with Miller, and I think the message was definitely received by the Bucks.
No. 2: The Boston Celtics know how to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Celtics have shown over the last two seasons that they can limit Giannis Antetokounmpo when needed. On Thursday night, the Cs held Antetokounmpo to 24 points on 11-27 shooting from the field and 0-5 from the 3-point line. Antetokounmpo was also a -32 for the game. The Celtics did an excellent job of building a wall around Giannis and forcing him to make quick decisions.
Miller also mentioned this on the broadcast as he marveled at the Celtics’ execution against Antetokounmpo. The Celtics have many good defenders they can throw at Giannis and I think that should give them confidence in the playoffs.
No. 3: The Jays play great against the Bucks
A big reason why the Celtics should not be concerned about playing the Bucks is that the Jays love playing them. Tatum and Brown once again dominated the Bucks with over 30 points each, including an impressive 40 in three quarters from Tatum. Tatum has been super impressive in his last two matchups against the Bucks.
Jayson Tatum's last 2 games in Milwaukee:
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) March 31, 2023
86 PTS
29-50 FG (58.0%)
15-25 3P (60.0%)
13-15 FT (86.7%)
17 REB pic.twitter.com/hNN1glqCyF
The Jays are key in a potential matchup with the Bucks because star players are what wins championships. If the Jays continue to play at a high level, the Boston Celtics should have no concerns about playing the Bucks.