Boston Passes Milwaukee As Title Favourites
Things in the NBA change quickly. One day, you’re a a clearcut championship contender. The next day, you’re not. Unfortunately for the Milwaukee Bucks, that has been the case.
For the first time since March 15th, the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Bucks are not the favourites to hold a championship parade come June. It didn’t help the league-leading Bucks that Antetokounmpo missed the second half of their series opener against the Miami Heat due to a back contusion. Milwaukee suffered a 130-117 loss on Sunday, and now trail the series 2 games to 1.
While reports indicate the former league MVP is heading in the right direction, his prolonged absence has shown what a different team Milwaukee is when he’s sidelined.
New Favourites
If the odds makers are to be believed, the Celtics could win a record-smashing 18th NBA championship this June. The Celtics are now +270 to win it all.
Of all the teams that made the 2023 NBA playoffs, the Celtics have the most “complete” roster led by their dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. In their opener against Atlanta, Brown led the way with 29 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, a steal but also had six turnovers. Tatum had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists in 40 minutes.
Aside from their high-scoring duo, the Celtics have a bevy of other weapons at their disposal. Players like Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, Al Horford, Derrick White, and Marcus Smart can impact the game at both ends of the floor.
Williams III, for one, has emerged as the Celtics’ primary force in the shaded area. In 25 games (20 starts) in the 2022-2023 regular season, the 25-year-old centre averaged eight points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 74.% field goal shooting. He had 12 points (100% field goal shooting), eight rebounds, and two blocks in Game One against the Hawks.
Then, there’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart. While Smart’s offense isn’t reliable, he makes his bones on the defensive side of the ball and that defense largely shut down Trae Young in their series opener. Young shot five for 18 in his 16-point performance while turning the ball over five times.
For his part, Smart had 11 points, seven assists, and three steals. Derrick White and Al Horford have their veteran smarts on top of White’s 38.1% three-point shooting for the season. And of course, who could forget about the Sixth Man of the Year finalist Malcolm Brogdon?
Work Still To Be Done
Despite being tagged as the new title favourites, the Celtics know the target on their end goal hasn’t changed. They’ll still face tight competition if they hope to return to the NBA Finals. And simply getting there isn’t good enough for a team who came agonizingly close to winning it all last season.
While the Bucks are still a contender, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status for Game 4 and beyond puts their status as an elite level team in doubt. The Celtics also have to contend with the Philadelphia 76ers of Joel Embiid and James Harden.
But if we look at the teams with the most depth available, a formidable one-two punch, and a good coaching staff led by Coach of the Year finalist Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics have it all. Now it’s up to them to execute on the floor.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.