The Bucks tried to manage their workload throughout the regular season. That’s what teams do after an NBA Finals run — especially one they’ve capped off with a win. The Celtics were embarrassing up until the 2022 portion of the schedule. Then they became the No. 2 seed in the East.
As much as the Heat did the work to get the conference’s top spot, the two teams below them also did quite a bit to ensure they weren’t the No. 1 seed.
As for the team they just beat, the 76ers have shown they’re nothing without Joel Embiid. Even when this year’s MVP runner up returned with his multitude of issues (hand and face) and wasn’t nearly as effective as he was before the face injury, that series still went to six games.
Celtics-Bucks should’ve been the Eastern Conference Finals. That’s not a shot at Miami; let’s look at the facts.
Any one of Milwaukee, Miami and Boston can handle whatever is thrown their way from the West. The West semifinals have shown there’s no clear favorite from that conference.
Also, when looking at the most talented players participating in the semifinals, the No. 1 talent just got knocked off by Boston (especially since Embiid wasn’t himself). The Celtics have handled two very different superstars in Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Whoever gets thrown their way next, no individual left in the postseason poses the same threat as either forward. Depth is Miami’s strength, but that’s also one of Boston’s.
Additionally, while he may not be the highest-ranked player still active in terms of 2022 NBA MVP voting, Jayson Tatum has shown he can adapt to a multitude of situations. He now needs to figure out a way to do so against another strong defensive team — one that doesn’t have the same size as Milwaukee.
This should not be a tougher test than anything the Celtics have seen thus far. This series is just a matter of the Celtics not getting in their own way.
“I think that we are prepared. I think that we are ready to take that next step,” Jaylen Brown said. “We just got to go out and take it. I know that Miami is a team that’s waited for us. They’re not going to back down, they’re not going to give up — and neither are we.”