At long last, the NBA playoffs are finally upon us. One extremely competitive first round series should be between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics. The Bucks entered the season with the hopes of potentially returning to the playoffs this season and managed to accomplish those expectations by finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference. Their opponents in this contest, the Celtics entered the season with hopes of dethroning the Cavaliers as Eastern Conference champions. The Celtics finished the regular season with the second best record in the conference as a result. With these teams seeded so far apart from each other, one can expect a potential blowout in game one in this series.
Milwaukee’s success was due to its star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Last season, Antetokounmpo asserted himself as a potential superstar in the NBA and he has done nothing but confirm that belief this season. This season, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks in points, rebounds and assists per game. Antetokounmpo averaged 26.9 points per game along with 10.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Due to his contributions to the Bucks, Antetokounmpo is a borderline candidate to win the MVP award and will need to have another huge game if the Bucks plan on winning this difficult road game.
Boston’s success was due to its star point guard Kyrie Irving. During the offseason, the Celtics shocked the NBA world by trading its star point guard Isaiah Thomas to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving. Since joining the Celtics, Irving was phenomenal and was also a borderline MVP candidate. This season, Irving averaged 24.4 points per game along with 5.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds. However, Irving will be sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury.
In Irving’s absence, young players like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have taken over most of the team’s scoring duties. In his second NBA season, Brown averaged 14.5 points per game and 4.9 rebounds a game while shooting a respectable 46.5% from the field. In his rookie season, Tatum averaged 13.9 points per game along with 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive 47.5% from the floor. If Boston wants to win this game and series without its best player, Brown and Tatum will need to play extremely well.
As for my prediction, I have to side with the Celtics. Although the Bucks are an extremely talented team, I personally think that Boston’s depth will be enough to overcome the Irving injury. Brown and Tatum are extremely skilled and should be able to provide enough points against this weak Milwaukee defense.
Bucks vs. Celtics: Game Time, TV Channel & Viewing Details
Event: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics
Date: Sunday, April 15, 2018
Start Time: 1:00 P.M. EST
Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA
Broadcast: TNT
How to Watch Bucks vs. Celtics On Your Tablet Or Mobile Device
You can live stream the game on the Watch TNT app.
You can download the Watch TNT app on Google Play, Amazon, iTunes, and the Windows Store. The Fox Sports Go app is also available on the following devices: Apple TV, Roku, Android TV and Fire TV.
How To Live Stream Bucks vs. Celtics Online Without Cable Subscription
You can also live stream the game through Sling TV free trial. Just click on the Sling website and click “Watch Now 7 Days Free” for the free trial. Choose the Sling Orange package, which costs $20 per month and comes with TNT, along with many other sports channels.