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