Haven't looked carefully at Saturday's games, but this one stands out for Game Ones:
Boston -4
Boston 1H -2
I like the 1st half a bit more than the game play. Even through all the injuries, and in games where multiple players were out, the Celtics usually came out playing well in the first half. Now they're at home in the playoffs, and for a team thats plays exceptionally well as a team, especially on defense, I think this line is generous. To me these teams are opposites in some ways. Milwaukee has some really talented parts, but is less than the sum of their parts. Brad Stevens has the young players and the veterans bought in, and play better than the sum of their parts. Without Kyrie, they likely won't get past Toronto, and maybe not even Cleveland or Philly.
The Bucks have an 11-13 record since late February. And many of those wins are against the bums of the East. Their beat down in Philly this week was beyond ugly, and it was a meaningful game. GA has been a stud this year, but teams have figured out that he is far less effective shooting outside of 3 feet, and have let him clunk bricks on the outside, jamming the paint. The Bucks D is inconsistent, while the Celts are consistently focused on D. I trust that Brad Stevens will have a solid game plan here, and his team ready. With their seeding set long ago, I have been impressed at how he does them ready even in meaningless games.
In the Bucks win @Milwaukee vs. Boston a couple of weeks ago, the Celts had Kadeem Allen at PG, and no one else really to back him up.
Boston -4
Boston 1H -2
I like the 1st half a bit more than the game play. Even through all the injuries, and in games where multiple players were out, the Celtics usually came out playing well in the first half. Now they're at home in the playoffs, and for a team thats plays exceptionally well as a team, especially on defense, I think this line is generous. To me these teams are opposites in some ways. Milwaukee has some really talented parts, but is less than the sum of their parts. Brad Stevens has the young players and the veterans bought in, and play better than the sum of their parts. Without Kyrie, they likely won't get past Toronto, and maybe not even Cleveland or Philly.
The Bucks have an 11-13 record since late February. And many of those wins are against the bums of the East. Their beat down in Philly this week was beyond ugly, and it was a meaningful game. GA has been a stud this year, but teams have figured out that he is far less effective shooting outside of 3 feet, and have let him clunk bricks on the outside, jamming the paint. The Bucks D is inconsistent, while the Celts are consistently focused on D. I trust that Brad Stevens will have a solid game plan here, and his team ready. With their seeding set long ago, I have been impressed at how he does them ready even in meaningless games.
In the Bucks win @Milwaukee vs. Boston a couple of weeks ago, the Celts had Kadeem Allen at PG, and no one else really to back him up.
