J-Speaks: The 2019 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview

The 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals will feature the Top 4 teams record wise in the conference this season. While the teams that finished 5-8 in the East had great seasons, the best-of-the-best of the East are finally going to tangle. The unexpected No. 1 Seed in East will go against the supposed favorite coming at No. 4. While the No. 2 and No. 3 Seeded teams meet for the first time since the Semis 18 years ago. After this round, two franchises will be one step closer to The Finals, while two others will see their season end in disappointment and possibly be changed for a number of years. Here is the J-Speaks 2019 East Semifinals Preview.

(1)   Milwaukee Bucks versus (4) Boston Celtics
                (60-22)                                 (49-33)

Season Series: Bucks won 2-1.

Postseason History: Celtics lead all-time 5-1.

The No. 1 versus the No. 4 Seed features the boys from “Beantown” who were expected to be the best in the East against a team that not only was the best in the conference and beat them during the regular-season but had the best record in the entire NBA. 

Last season the Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in the First-Round of the 2018 Playoffs in seven games, with each team winning on their respective home courts. This time around it is the Bucks who will have home court advantage to start this series but unlike last season, the Celtics will have their two All-Stars in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. 

The Bucks will be different entering this series as well with the possible Kia MVP to be in Giannis Antetekounmpo and the leading candidate for Kia Coach of the Year in first-year head coach Mike Budenholzer. 

Behind Antetokounmpo’s averages of 26.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks on 52.1 percent shooting, the Bucks swept the No. 8 Seeded Detroit Pistons in the opening-round 4-0 to win their first postseason series since 2001. 

“The Greek Freak” was especially brilliant in the close out game at the Pistons on Monday night with a playoff career-high of 41 points with nine rebounds and four block shots on 12 for 23 from the field and 15 for 20 from the free throw line. 

“I remember our first playoff series (in 2015),” Antetokounmpo said about the team’s six-game opening-round loss in his first playoff appearance against the Chicago Bulls four postseasons back. “Chicago, the last game, Game 6, they beat us by 50 or something insane. But where we were and where we are right now, it’s been an unbelievable journey.” 

He added about facing the Celtics again in the playoffs, "We lost Game 7. Hopefully we still have that in our minds. Focus on what we got to do now and try to win this series and not repeat what we did last year." 

First-year head coach Mike Budenholzer has not brought out the best in Antetokounmpo, he coached up the supporting cast. 

First-time All-Star Khris Middleton, who averaged 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists against the Pistons has become that secondary scorer to compliment Antetokounmpo. Eric Bledsoe had turned into that solid point guard who can score and run the team where he is getting the ball to his teammates like Middleton and Antetokounmpo to score. Those three will need to bring their A+ game and more against the Celtics and they know it. 

“It’s going to be a dogfight,” Bledsoe, who will be the primary defender on Irving this upcoming series said. “It’s not a one man, who-versus-who. It’s a team game. So, we definitely got to come here locked in.”  

The Bucks will also need to get even more brilliant play out of the likes of Brook Lopez, who has given the Bucks veteran leadership, a serious three-point threat and a shot blocker and rim protector at the defensive end. 

Veterans in George Hill, Ersan Ilyasova, Pat Connaughton, Sterling Brown, who went 11 for 19 shooting in the First-Round against the Pistons, Nikola Mirotic and D.J. Wilson have been great all season long and they brought that as well in the opening-round against the Pistons, which more than made up for the absence of Tony Snell, veteran big man Pau Gasol, and starting guard Malcolm Brogdon who were out with injuries but are expected to play at some point in the Semis against the Celtics. 

"For the most part Giannis is going to do his thing. I'm going to do my thing. Bled is going to do his thing, but the supporting cast is much more ready I think this year to step up and provide big minutes for us," Middleton, who averaged 24.7 points on 60 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range against the Celtics in the 2018 postseason.   

The return of Brogdon, who has been out since sustaining a plantar fascia tear in his foot on Mar. 15 when he does return gives the Bucks another ball handler, three-point shooter (42.6 percent-8^th NBA) but an offensive threat who can make plays off the dribble to score himself or make plays for his teammates. 

Coach Budenholzer said that Brogdon will not be available the first two games against the Celtics. His status will be reassessed after that. 

“When he’s we’ll welcome him back with open arms,” Budenholzer said about Brogdon. “Until then the group needs to continue to do what they’ve been doing…Looking forward to when he comes but we’ll figure that out when it happens.”  

In their three-game season series where they won two of those tilts, the Bucks averaged 110.3 points on 47 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Bucks by an average of nine (51.7 to 42.7). They will need to have the kind of production against a Celtics teams that comes in on a high note after their four-game sweep in the opening-round.

After a season which featured more twist and turns for the Celtics, they got it together and sweeping the Indiana Pacers 4-0 in the opening round, displaying that togetherness, depth and defensive focus that was lacking at times during the regular-season.

Irving, who averaged 22.5 points and 7.8 assists, hitting 42.3 percent of his threes against the Pacers was able to find a very solid balance from scoring himself and making plays for his teammates in Jayson Tatum, Marcus Morris, Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward. 

Hayward, who spent much of this season trying to regain the form he had during his days with the Utah Jazz before the serious leg injury he sustained minutes into last season played like he was nearly back to the form that made him an All-Star. 

In the team’s 110-106 victory last Sunday afternoon on ABC, Hayward had 20 points off the bench going 3 for 3 from three-point range. Also, in that win Tatum and Morris had 18 points and eight boards each and Horford had 14 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. 

To bring home the point of what Hayward did on Sunday, he scored 20 points for just the seventh time this season, his first of this postseason. The Celtics have not lost in those seven chances. 

In their 104-96 victory in Game 3 last week, Brown, who had eight total points on 4 for 11 shooting, including 0 for 5 from three-point range in the Celtics two home wins in the series had 23 points on 8 for 9 shooting in the 104-96 win, including making 4 for 5 from three-point range. 

“Different nights it might be somebody different based off a matchup. Based off somebody’s potentially a little banged up. Based off somebody’s just having a good night and somebody’s not,” Hayward said after the win in Game 4. “I think that’s where we can be dangerous.” 

Irving, who had 14 points and seven assists in the Game 4 clincher added by saying, “We have a great diet of plays that we want to run that work and we have guys that want to make plays. And when you put the ball in their hands, and they’re able to do that then we’re pretty successful.” 

What has made the Celtics successful the last couple of seasons as the East runner-up has been their ability to play consistent defense, which they did against the Pacers, who went from averaging 107 points during the regular-season to 91.8 in the four-game sweep. 

What made that even more impressive is they did it without their best defender in Marcus Smart, who was on the shelf due to a serious oblique injury that he sustained late in the regular-season and is out indefinitely. 

A key loss like that would cripple most teams but because of the Celtics depth and their display of focus and maturity that was lacking at times during said regular-season have shown well so far in the Playoffs and will have to continue if they want to beat the best team in NBA in the Bucks, who not only can strike a match from three-point range but put a lot of pressure on you defensively with their ability to score in the open floor led by Antetokounmpo. 

“We talked about it as a positive,” Coach Stevens said about the team’s depth. “We knew coming into the year it was going to be a challenge. But if it all comes together it can be a positive. We’re still hopefully trending upward. We want to be playing better each time we take the court.” 

The Celtics will have to play at an even higher level especially defensively because the Bucks do have a star player that will require their undivided attention in Antetokounmpo, who averaged 31.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 blocks against them during the regular-season. 

Horford like in last season’s playoffs got the assignment of checking “The Greek Freak” and in two of the three games of the season series did a decent job against him. 

The Bucks might also use reserve forward Semi Ojeleye, who barely played in the First-Round as another defender on Antetokounmpo. 

The main key for the Celtics to win this series against the Bucks is they have to keep them from scoring in the paint and at the charity stripe. In the three-game season series, the Bucks outscored them combined with free throws made and points in the restricted area 174-117.

The Celtics enter this series as the more experience team in the postseason, who has shown that they can execute a game plan when they can focus their attention on a single opponent. This time around against the Bucks they have Irving and Hayward in the battle with them and they have won already two games on the road in the postseason after going just 1-7 away from TD Garden last year. The Bucks however are a different team. Antetokounmpo, who averaged 25.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists against the Celtics last postseason has gotten better individually and the supporting cast around him is even better. 

Prediction: Bucks in seven games.   

(2)   Toronto Raptors versus (3) Philadelphia 76ers

                       (60-22)                                  (49-33)

Season Series: Raptors won 3-1

Postseason History: 76ers defeated the Raptors in 2001 East Semis 4-3.

Both the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers made major roster moves either this past off-season, during the season and at the February trade deadline with the intention of representing the East and competing for the Larry O’Brien trophy. While continuity has been very foreign to these two teams, who went the distance in their East Semis tilt in 2001, their talent and how they responded to challenges in their respective opening-round matchups has them primed to move one step closer to The Finals. 

The All-Star tandem of Kyle Lowry and blockbuster acquisition in two-time Kia Defensive Player of the Year and 2014 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard played just 43 games together in the regular-season for the Raptors, which included just 19 total games after acquiring All-Star and former Kia Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies for the Raptors. 

Their opponent the Philadelphia 76ers, had played, including the postseason a total of 14 games with their starting quintet of All-Stars Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, who they acquired back in November 2018 and Ben Simmons; Tobias Harris, who was acquired on Feb. 6 and veteran sharp shooter JJ Redick. 

Both squads stumbled to open the First-Round against their respective opponents dropping Game 1. Both squads quickly got back on track as the 76ers and Raptors took down the Brooklyn Nets and the Orlando Magic in five games respectably. 

The Sixers ousted the Nets 4-1 by outscoring them by a plus-52 points in the paint (292-240). Their 68 points in the paint in their 122-100 victory in the closeout Game 5 versus the Nets on Tuesday night on TNT were the most by a team in a postseason game the last five years. The 76ers average of 122.4 points against the Nets was the most through five playoff games since 1989. 

The biggest reason the Sixers were able to dominate the Nets down low was Embiid made it his business to dominate, averaging 24.8 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in the five games on 51 percent from the field. 

Head Coach Brett Brown will need Embiid, who has been dealing with a sore left knee that shelved him for 14 of the final 24 games of the regular-season as well as in the team’s 131-115 win in Game 3 at the Nets to be healthy and focused if they want to not only to get past the Raptors but win a championship. 

They will also need to have better production in the paint, where the Raptors in winning three of the four games during the regular-season outscored them on average of 54.5 to 45.5 in the paint. 

“We think we can win it all,” Embiid, who averaged 26.3 points and 11.8 rebounds against the Raptors this season said to the media after the Game 5 win, “Obviously it’s going to take a lot. You got some great teams in the league. We about to play one of them.” 

“We just got to take one game at a time. But we understand that we got all the talent we need, especially to win it all.” 

That talent around Embiid includes Simmons, Harris, and Redick, who got themselves right in the final four games of the series after a clunker of a performance in Game 1, where they combined for a total of just 18 points in the 111-102 loss versus the Nets two Saturday ago. The trio combined for 54 points in the 76ers 145-123 win in Game 2 and 86 combined points in the 131-115 win in Game 3. 

“We have a team that is slowly coming together,” Coach Brown, whose starting five counting this past series has played a total of 14 games together. “Like they don’t have the luxury of lots of games and lots go context to share upon. And so, you know, you have Jo [Embiid], you don’t. You have Jimmy Butler, you don’t. These guys have been great on Trying to form a team and so, this is good Beating Brooklyn and advancing to the Second-Round, this is good. So, when you say lofty goals versus reaching the Second-Round, we have more to do.”

After dropping Game 1 versus the Magic on Apr. 13 104-101 thanks to a game-winning triple by guard D.J. Augustin, the Atlantic Division champion Raptors never allowed their opponent from Walt Disney World to hit the century mark again in the series allowing an average of just 91.4 points in the series. 

First-year head coach Nick Nurse’s team forced an average of 16.8 Magic turnovers and held them to 38 for 145 from three-point range for the rest of the series after the went 14 for 29 from three-point range in Game 1. 

While the 76ers have perhaps the best starting quintet outside the back-to-back defending champion Golden State Warriors, the Raptors boast one of the best two-way players in “The Association” in Leonard, who was sensational against the Magic with averages 27.8 points and 6.6 rebounds on 55.6 percent from the floor and 53.8 percent from three-point range in the opening-round. 

He was exceptionally impressive against the Raptors during the regular-season with averages of 30.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, four steals on 48.1 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from three-point range. 

As good as he was offensively, he was just as exceptional defensively, especially against Simmons forcing him into 24 total turnovers in the three games he played he played against the 76ers during the regular-season.

In the 76ers lone victory versus the Raptors 126-101 on Dec. 22, 2018, Leonard did not play as the 76ers outscored the Raptors 61-42 in the second half. The Sixers out-rebounded the Raptors in that win 61-47; had 33 assists to just 13 turnovers; forced the Raptors into 17 turnovers, 10 of which on steals; scored 33 fast break points and outscored them in the paint 60-44. 

In the four-game series against the 76ers, the Raptors forced them into an average of 18.8 turnovers per game, while only committing 13.8 themselves.  

Along with the play of Leonard, the Raptors have gotten great play from leading Kia Most Improved Player candidate in Pascal Siakam, who averaged 22.6 points and 8.4 rebounds against the Magic. 

For the Raptors to go get past the 76ers and be one step as mentioned closer to The Finals, Kyle Lowry, who in his postseason career has had his high and low points and that continued in the opening-round. He did not score in Game 1 going 0 for 7 from the floor but played well with outputs of 22, 12, nine and 14 points the next four games. That said he cannot shoot 39.8 percent from the floor if the Raptors are going to beat his hometown squad.  

“It’s going to be a good matchup,” Lowry, who went 6 for 10 shooting in Game 5 clincher said to TNT’s Jared Greenberg. “It’s going to be fun but we got to go out there. Do our job. Try to impose our will on them and stay the course.”

He added about playing against his hometown squad, “Just another stepping stone for our big goal. We know what type of team they are. What they represent. What they bring and we got to go out and play our brand of basketball.”  

They will also need the supporting cast which includes the likes of former Spur and NBA champion Danny Green, who came in the off-season trade with Leonard along with Gasol to perform as they have in the past postseasons. 

In his two prior tilts while with the Memphis Grizzlies, Gasol had some success guarding Embiid, who went 8 for 28 shooting. Gasol will also need to make shots from the perimeter to drag Embiid and his backup Bojan Marjanovic away from the basket, which will give his teammates driving lanes. 

“Obviously it’s a team with tremendous size, right? Starting right off the bat with Embiid inside, but there big all over,” Coach Nurse, whose team counting the playoffs is 11-2 their last 13 games said. “They got the biggest center in the league and maybe the biggest point guard in the league in Simmons.” 

“So, it presents some matchup issues. I know it’s a lot of talent on the floor on both teams. So, it should be a great series.” 

Perhaps the biggest key in this series is the play of the benches. On paper, the Raptors have the advantage with the likes of Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, Jeremy Lin and Jodie Meeks over the 76ers reserves in the previously mentioned Marjanovic, James Ennis III, Jonathon Simmons, T.J. McConnell, Greg Monroe and Mike Scott, who may not be available to start this series after sustaining a contusion to his right heel in the aforementioned Game 5 clincher versus the Nets. 

Given all that both teams invested giving the trades they made for players, who will be unrestricted free agents this summer, both teams come into this series motivated to win and get one step closer to The Finals, with the loser having potentially having to really revamp their respective roster. 

The 76ers have a matchup advantage in the middle with Embiid and he looked very healthy the final two games of the First-Round than at the start. However, the defensive savviness of Gasol along with lengthy and athleticism at the wings and at power forward, the Raptors matchup well with the 76ers. The Raptors will have home court advantage, a deeper team and are have no injuries to any of their key personnel. However, they are just 2-14 all-time in Game 1s coming into this series, including just a 1-8 mark at home. 

In 2001, the series went seven games, won by the 76ers on their home floor with former Raptor and future Hall of Famer Vince Carter missing the potential series-winning jumper at the buzzer and Hall of Famer and 2001 Kia MVP Allen Iverson led 76ers eventually went on to The NBA Finals falling to the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles Lakers in The Finals in five games. The Raptors hope with having home court advantage history does not repeat itself. 

Prediction: Raptors in seven games.

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 4/19/19 1 a.m. edition of “Inside the NBA,” presented by Kia on TNT with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal; 4/23/19 East Semifinals Preview: Milwaukee Bucks versus Boston Celtics and 4/24/19 East Series Preview: Toronto Raptors versus Philadelphia 76ers by John Schuhmann via www.nba.com ; 4/24/19 1 a.m. edition “Inside the NBA,” presented by Kia on TNT with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal; 4/24/19 3 a.m. edition of ESPN's "Sportscenter;" www.espn.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/3032977/type/nba/seasontype/3; www.espn.com/nba/player/splits/_/id/3032977/giannis-antetokounmpo; www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/mil; 4/27/19 2 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by State Farm with Casey Stern, Steve Smith and Billy King; 4/28/19 12:30 a.m. edition of "Inside the NBA," presented by Kia on TNT with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O'Neal; www.espn.com/nba/matchup?gameid=404071162; www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/tor; www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6450/kawhi-leonard; and www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/3012/kyle-lowry.