The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz: The J-Notes staff composite first round playoff predictions

By Jared Woodcox

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 8: The Utah Jazz bench celebrates during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 8, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 8: The Utah Jazz bench celebrates during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 8, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 03: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics is defended by Tony Snell #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks during a game at the Bradley Center on April 3, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 03: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics is defended by Tony Snell #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks during a game at the Bradley Center on April 3, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

#2 Boston Celtics vs. #7 Milwaukee Bucks

Ryan Aston: If you ask me (and you did!), this is going to be the best series of the first round from the Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics have the D, but with Kyrie Irving sidelined, the best player on the floor is going to be Giannis Antetokounmpo each and every night. That’s kind of a big deal.

A lot of people are picking the C’s to prevail in a relatively competitive series. However, I’m going to go on a limb and pick No. 7 to upset No. 2. Bucks in 7

Zack Padmore: Boston has been killed by injuries this season, and will be without both Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving this postseason. However, Brad Stevens is a phenomenal coach, and they have some young players that have stepped up all season long. Milwaukee is talented, but they’ve struggled in the second half of the season. I think this banged-up Celtics team will step up and take this series. Celtics in 6

Jared Barker: I really like Giannis but let’s face it, Brad Stevens vs. Joe Prunty is probably the biggest mismatch in this series. The Bucks have the best player but they don’t play like a team. I think Giannis is good enough to win a game or two but I just don’t know if he can overcome a very team oriented Celtics team by himself. Celtics in 6

Tyler Thorpe: The Bucks ended their season with a doozy, falling to Philadelphia by a final score of 130-95. Many believed that the Bucks took the loss on purpose to avoid the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening round and set up a date with the walking hospital that is the Boston Celtics. While it will be interesting to see how Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker fare in the playoffs, this is another series that will come down to coaching. Much like my trust in Quin Snyder with the Jazz, I feel similarly about Brad Steven’s ability to work magic in Boston.

There might not be another team as injury-plagued as the Celtics have been this season, yet Stevens has kept his squad near the East’s elite all year. While the loss of Kyrie Irving essentially eliminated them from the championship conversation, the Celtics are a good enough team and too well coached to fall to the Bucks in the opening round. Celtics in 6

John Keeffer: No team has encountered more bad luck than the Boston Celtics this season. They lost Gordon Hayward minutes into the first game of the year and recently they lost Kyrie Irving to knee surgery. Marcus Smart has also been sidelined and will not be available early in the series.

All that said, I don’t trust the Bucks to be able to pull this off. They have one of the best all-around players in the league with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and good talent with Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker and Eric Bledsoe. They are very poorly coached, though. Jason Kidd was fired mid-way through the year, and they have made no real improvements since. Boston in the meantime, has Brad Stevens, one of the best coaches in the league. Celtics in 6

Austin Leonard: Jazz fans may hate Brad Stevens for enticing Gordon Hayward to leave Utah, but he is undeniably a good coach. As such, despite missing their two best players and a handful of role players, the Celtics will not be an easy out. Can Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, both former #3 overall picks in the previous two years, be enough to stop the Bucks? The answer will come down to the Bucks depth.

Despite having a lot of talent surrounding him (Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton, etc.) Giannis Antetokounmpo still carries the load for the Bucks. If these periphery players step up even marginally more than they did in the regular season, I believe the Bucks could sneak a series win over the depleted Celtics. This is what my prediction is banking on. Bucks in 7

Tyler Crandall: The Bucks are an interesting team. They have a lot of athleticism and talent, but they’ve gone through a coaching change and have underperformed all season. Giannis is an MVP level talent, but the team is still pretty young and I’m not confident they can keep up, even with a broken and injured Celtics team. I think the Celtics will still surprise a lot of people, at least in the first round. Celtics in 7

Hayden Van de Maat: The Boston Celtics suffered a major blow to their championship hopes within five minutes of their season tipping off as Gordon Hayward suffered a gruesome leg injury in his Celtics debut. Nonetheless, Boston went on to have a successful regular season behind Kyrie Irving, who will miss out on the playoffs entirely with a knee injury. It’s been a roller-coaster season for the talented young Bucks who could take advantage of the Celtics’ injury woes.

As Giannis Antetokounmpo’s play took a slight decline following an extraordinary start to the season, the Bucks have struggled to right the ship behind poor coaching and a scattered rotation. In my eyes, the Bucks are a solid center and a good coach away from being championship contenders. They have arguably a top-five player with an even higher ceiling, a terrific, underrated second option in Khris Middleton, a quality two-way point guard and an intriguing, upside big man duo of Jabari Parker and Thon Maker.

They also have no shortage of defense or three-point shooting. But their inability to put it all together has been very disappointing. Even still, they should have enough to get over the line against this injury-shredded Celtics lineup. Bucks in 6

Jared Woodcox: If you ask me, Milwaukee should absolutely win this series. The Celtics are just so banged-up and the Bucks boast a lot of incredible talent in the likes of Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and, of course, most of all Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, even while injured, the Celtics have been formidable and the genius of Brad Stevens will give Boston an enormous coaching edge over Joe Prunty. Celtics in 6

General Consensus: Celtics in 7

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