Believe us when we tell you – if Brad Stevens gets the Boston Celtics even as far as the Eastern Conference finals, he deserves credit as a miracle worker. Well, not exactly. But the general consensus is that Boston, which looked like a juggernaut in the early part of the season but came limping down the stretch, is going to be hard-pressed to get out of the first round against Milwaukee Bucks.
VietBet customers, who can place wagers on all the games in this first-round playoff series after the opening tip with Live Betting Ultra and get reduced juice for better odds before the games start, are well aware that the Celts are without two major off-season acquisitions who are of All-Star caliber. Gordon Hayward, who played for Stevens in college at Butler, was expected to be the missing piece of a puzzle that would see Boston possibly overtaking Cleveland as the new conference king. But he played only a few minutes of the season opener before getting hurt. Kyrie Irving, who was acquired from the Cavs, was the other major “get,” and he wound up the Celtic’s leading scorer, only to suffer a season-ending injury as well.
Ordinarily one would look for Stevens to move toward a more defensive approach to things, but this is less possible than before, since Marcus Smart if out with a thumb injury. He was one of the team’s top defenders, and could be counted on, when in the game, to make up for Irving’s defensive deficiencies. Avery Bradley, who was one of the top defensive guards in the league, was traded to the Detroit Pistons. So this brings up a situation where the Celts are suffering on both ends of the floor.
Still, there are plenty of supporters for the Boston side, specifically in this first round, as there is not much faith in the Bucks, despite the presence of superstar talent Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the NBA playoff odds posted on the series at VietBet, the Celtics opened up as a favorite:
2018 NBA Playoff Betting – Celtics / Bucks:
Boston Celtics -165
Milwaukee Bucks +145
Join Vietbet NOW for 2018 NBA Playoff Betting online! Enter promo code VIET35 good for a 35% Welcome Bonus up to $1,000.
2018 NBA Playoff Betting: CJ’s Take on Boston:
The expectation on the part of some is that Stevens, with the #1-rated defensive team in the league, will figure out some scheme to neutralize what Milwaukee has. But that would mean tough assignments for the likes of Terry Rozier, journeyman center Aron Baynes and maybe even guard Shane Larkin, who moves up on the depth chart after Irving’s injury.
Boston has had ample draft picks in recent seasons – the residual effect of that deal with Brooklyn which sent Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and others over to the Nets – and two of them will have very prominent roles in the series – Jaylen Brown, a 21-year-old who was a top three draft pick, and Jayson Tatum, who was the team’s first-round selection this past year and shot a very sharp 43.4% from beyond the three-point arc as a rookie. With Irving on the sidelines, these guys will have to do a little more.
It is nice to have a reliable guy up front. Al Horford, at age 31, didn’t get to the free throw line all that much, but he did pull down 7.4 rebounds a game and has show the ability to step outside and shoot as well. But the question is, without Irving, who wanted to go to Beantown to be “the guy” as Isaiah Thomas was sent back the other way for him, they have a big vacuum to fill.
VietBet is the best place to go for your NBA playoff betting, as not only can you get reduced juice, which gives you a lot of value, but you can continue the action even after the opening tip, with Live Betting Ultra……… Open an account in a number of ways, including your Visa card, person-to-person transfers (like Western Union) and the virtual currency of Bitcoin, which is fast and easy with their automated system, and NEVER incurs a transaction fee!
