Eastern Conference Semi Finals

  Going into the semi-finals of the playoffs, the east side of the bracket moved quickly as the Celtics, Raptors, and Heat took quick care of their respective matchups with clean sweeps across the board. The Milwaukee Bucks were not far behind in that department as they took care of their matchup as well in 5 games. Now we get to watch more competitive basketball from the eastern conference side as we have Celtics vs Raptors and Bucks vs Heat and its safe to say there will be no sweeps of any kind. 

(3)Celtics vs (2)Raptors

Boston won game one of this series handsomely, 112-94, as we saw a massive collective effort from the Celtics. Six out of 11 players that touched the floor for the Celtics scored double digits with bright spots being Tatum and Marcus Smart both scoring 21. With the Raptors playing their well documented 2-3 zone we saw the Celtics focus on making and taking three-pointers as they shot 39 threes making 43% of them in game one. A bright spot from that area of the floor was Marcus Smart. Smart has improved over the years as a three-point shooter from barely cracking 30% from that range to 36% and 34% the past two regular seasons. He will be a key part of breaking down the Raptors zone as he will be left to fill the void in scoring as a reliable fourth option after the injury to Gordon Hayward. In Game 1 he shot 5-9 from deep and I predict him to maintain this hot shooting as the series continues. Also, look for the Celtics to exploit Marc Gasol in the pick and roll as he isn’t shifty enough to keep up with the scoring threats that Boston presents. 

Toronto after their first-round series was not properly tested which will prove detrimental as they face a Boston team that has scorers who move the basketball. The raptors thrive on turning their defense into offense but in this series, it will be hard getting those easy baskets because of the scoring ability of Boston. Which now forces the raptors to score in the half-court but that also may not work out in their favor as the Celtics are the number one team in the playoffs in points allowed at 99.2 points per game. So where do the raptors get their consistent scoring from? Possibly Pascal Siakam, he was in foul trouble early in game 1 look for him to be more aggressive in game 2 and beyond. Besides Pascal Siakam, I do not see anyone on this roster that can consistently get their own shot in a half court setting. 

According to NBA.com not one Raptors starter scored double digits until 1:26 remaining in the third quarter. This series is a big test for the defending champs, it could be over quick if they don’t find their offense.

My Prediction- Celtics in 6

 (1)Bucks vs (5)Heat

                                           

Game one between the Bucks and the Heat was a disappointment for reigning MVP and this year’s Defensive Player Of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo as the Heat put the league on notice as they grabbed a 115-104 win. Butler looked like the true leader he is as he finished with a playoff career-high 40 points with 14 of those points coming in a tightly contested fourth quarter. It was jump-shot after jump-shot for Butler as he elevated his game as a superstar should. Heat also got a good contribution from Tragic who finished with 27. Antetokounmpo looked like the man we saw in this position last year against Kawhi Leonard and company the way he couldn’t get past the wall the Heat created. The Heat as a collective is a dark horse team in the Eastern Conference because they seem to have the blueprint defensively for beating Giannis. When you can hold him to only 12 shots from the field I believe you have the recipe to guard Giannis.

The blueprint seems to be making everyone other than Giannis beat you. In Game one Middleton had 28 points on 24 shots even though it was on 50% shooting, and Brook Lopez had 24 points. The heat are the second-best defensive team in these playoffs in points allowed at 101.4 points and this was on full display as they held the reigning MVP to 3 points in the fourth quarter on 1-4 shooting. The Heat have a zone of their own but the difference in this series compared to the Celtics/Raptors series is that the opposing team facing the zone may not be properly equipped to shoot the zone out the game. The Bucks offense thrives off of drives and kick-outs to their own three-point shooters. When I look at this roster compared to Miami’s I don’t see three-point shooters that jump off the page and I also don’t see three-point shooters that can also create for themselves if the three isn’t there off the first look. 

This is the series where Giannis will have to enforce his physical dominance while also finding his shooting touch specifically from the mid-range. He is too one dimensional in my opinion for this team to go far in these playoffs as currently constructed. 

My Prediction - Heat in 7 

*all stats and anayltics by 

basketballreference.com

nba.com

espn.com