The Milwaukee Bucks might have been considered the favorite heading into the Eastern Conference semi-final series against the Boston Celtics, but the #4 seed took the first game of the series in a blowout win on Sunday.

Boston beat the Bucks 112-90 in Game 1 of the series at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee to take a 1-0 early advantage in the high-octane matchup.

The Celtics’ win was their fifth consecutive victory to open the playoffs after they swept the Indiana Pacers 4-0 in the first round.

Milwaukee had a rough day shooting, making only 31 of 89 shot attempts from the field, one of their worst performances of the season. The Celtics were able to slow down the Bucks’ offense and MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo to the tune of a 7-21 shooting performance and only 24 points.

Point guard Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with a stellar 26 point and 11 assist game. Al Horford and Jayson Tatum each chipped in with solid performances of their own, adding 20 and 19 points, respectively.

Boston was considered to be an underdog going into this matchup, but their win in Game 1 gives them an advantage going forward.

Game 2 of the series will be played on Tuesday night.

The post Celtics Dominate Bucks in Game 1 of Eastern Conference Semifinals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 5 of the first round series against the Boston Celtics, and are now facing elimination ahead of Game 6, trailing 2-3. Bucks’ star player Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t about to let that happen and vowed that he will be “more aggressive” in the Thursday’s game.

“It’s on me,”- said Antetokounmpo. “As I said, I had open shots, but they wasn’t my shots, so I didn’t feel comfortable to take them. I think my teammates did a great job finding me, but come the next game, in Game 6, I got to be more aggressive, make more plays because definitely my teammates need me.“

Giannis Antetokounmpo only attempted 10 shots in Game 5 and ended with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. He scored five field goals and had only two drives to the basket. For comparison, Antetokounmpo averaged 27.5 points and 17.5 shot attempts in the first four games of the series.

Milwaukee Bucks interim coach Joe Prunty acknowledged that his team’s success depends on the production of their best player and intends to find better-shot opportunities for Antetokounmpo in Game 6.

“We all have to take responsibility in that — finding different spots to put him in,” Bucks interim head coach Joe Prunty said. “I think Giannis is one of the most aggressive drivers in the game, trying to get downhill. I think he gets bodied quite a bit. What I’m concerned about [is] how much they’re pushing. I want him to keep attacking regardless of how physical the game may be. But in the grand scheme of things, I would just say it’s on all of us. I’ve got to help find him better opportunities for shots. We have to make sure he’s getting the ball, but I want to make sure for us we got a quality possession every time. We’ve got multiple guys that are capable of knocking shots down. I don’t want it to turn into, ‘Hey, we have to do this for Giannis.’“

The post Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Says He Has to Be “More Aggressive” in Game 6 against the Celtics appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NBA Playoffs 2018 are finally here. Regular season wrapped up on Wednesday and now we know who made it to the postseason, and who will spend their time planning vacations.

We decided to use this small window between the end of the regular season and start of the first round of the playoffs on April 14th to think hard about everything we have seen in the past 82 games and enter the “predictions business.” We made our picks for the winners of all the NBA Playoffs 2018 first-round series and we shall stick with them until the very end. This time we are predicting Eastern Conference. (You can check out our Western Conference predictions here.)

Although Eastern Conference is often considered weak and not quite interesting as the West, this year’s first round of the playoffs might be something else. Due to various injuries and other factors, we have some big matchups in the first round that no one expected before the season started. So who will make it out?

(1) Toronto Raptors vs. (8) Washington Wizards

Prediction:
Toronto Raptors win 4-1

Why:
It’s fairly simple. Toronto Raptors entered the NBA Playoffs 2018 with a second-best record in the league, have a great coach in Dwane Casey, and have an awesome depth on the roster. Washington Wizards, on the other hands, entered this season with great expectations but eventually had a disappointing season so far. That won’t change against the Raptors, especially since we don’t even know how healthy John Wall is. Presume some games will be close, but Raptors will own this series.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Milwaukee Bucks

Prediction:
Milwaukee Bucks win 3-4

Why:
This one was really tough. While Boston Celtics’ roster is destroyed by injuries, Brad Stevens has shown us that he can keep winning just with a couple of promising youngsters and handful of veterans. But, Milwaukee Bucks have too much talent to throw away this opportunity. It will be a close series, but Giannis Antetokounmpo will take over the last game and will the Buck into the second round.

(3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) Miami Heat

Prediction:
Philadelphia 76ers win 4-2

Why:
Miami Heat will give Philadelphia 76ers run for their money that’s for sure. There will be multiple games that will come down to last possession, where Miami Heat will see the opportunity to use their experience and steal a game they usually wouldn’t win. But the young 76ers team will never lose control over the series and won’t allow an elimination game.

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Indiana Pacers

Prediction:
Cleveland Cavaliers win 4-0

Why:
LeBron James, that’s why. Don’t get us wrong, we respect what Indiana Pacers and Victor Oladipo did this season. After Paul George left Indiana, Oladipo became a new hero and brought hope to a desperate team. But, despite their problems, Cleveland Cavaliers will still have the best player on the planet who will create havoc even with an average supporting cast.

The post Opinion: NBA Playoffs 2018 First Round Predictions – Eastern Conference appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Milwaukee Bucks might have been considered the favorite heading into the Eastern Conference semi-final series against the Boston Celtics, but the #4 seed took the first game of the series in a blowout win on Sunday.

Boston beat the Bucks 112-90 in Game 1 of the series at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee to take a 1-0 early advantage in the high-octane matchup.

The Celtics’ win was their fifth consecutive victory to open the playoffs after they swept the Indiana Pacers 4-0 in the first round.

Milwaukee had a rough day shooting, making only 31 of 89 shot attempts from the field, one of their worst performances of the season. The Celtics were able to slow down the Bucks’ offense and MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo to the tune of a 7-21 shooting performance and only 24 points.

Point guard Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with a stellar 26 point and 11 assist game. Al Horford and Jayson Tatum each chipped in with solid performances of their own, adding 20 and 19 points, respectively.

Boston was considered to be an underdog going into this matchup, but their win in Game 1 gives them an advantage going forward.

Game 2 of the series will be played on Tuesday night.

The post Celtics Dominate Bucks in Game 1 of Eastern Conference Semifinals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 5 of the first round series against the Boston Celtics, and are now facing elimination ahead of Game 6, trailing 2-3. Bucks’ star player Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t about to let that happen and vowed that he will be “more aggressive” in the Thursday’s game.

“It’s on me,”- said Antetokounmpo. “As I said, I had open shots, but they wasn’t my shots, so I didn’t feel comfortable to take them. I think my teammates did a great job finding me, but come the next game, in Game 6, I got to be more aggressive, make more plays because definitely my teammates need me.“

Giannis Antetokounmpo only attempted 10 shots in Game 5 and ended with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. He scored five field goals and had only two drives to the basket. For comparison, Antetokounmpo averaged 27.5 points and 17.5 shot attempts in the first four games of the series.

Milwaukee Bucks interim coach Joe Prunty acknowledged that his team’s success depends on the production of their best player and intends to find better-shot opportunities for Antetokounmpo in Game 6.

“We all have to take responsibility in that — finding different spots to put him in,” Bucks interim head coach Joe Prunty said. “I think Giannis is one of the most aggressive drivers in the game, trying to get downhill. I think he gets bodied quite a bit. What I’m concerned about [is] how much they’re pushing. I want him to keep attacking regardless of how physical the game may be. But in the grand scheme of things, I would just say it’s on all of us. I’ve got to help find him better opportunities for shots. We have to make sure he’s getting the ball, but I want to make sure for us we got a quality possession every time. We’ve got multiple guys that are capable of knocking shots down. I don’t want it to turn into, ‘Hey, we have to do this for Giannis.’“

The post Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Says He Has to Be “More Aggressive” in Game 6 against the Celtics appeared first on SportzBonanza.

NBA Playoffs 2018 are finally here. Regular season wrapped up on Wednesday and now we know who made it to the postseason, and who will spend their time planning vacations.

We decided to use this small window between the end of the regular season and start of the first round of the playoffs on April 14th to think hard about everything we have seen in the past 82 games and enter the “predictions business.” We made our picks for the winners of all the NBA Playoffs 2018 first-round series and we shall stick with them until the very end. This time we are predicting Eastern Conference. (You can check out our Western Conference predictions here.)

Although Eastern Conference is often considered weak and not quite interesting as the West, this year’s first round of the playoffs might be something else. Due to various injuries and other factors, we have some big matchups in the first round that no one expected before the season started. So who will make it out?

(1) Toronto Raptors vs. (8) Washington Wizards

Prediction:
Toronto Raptors win 4-1

Why:
It’s fairly simple. Toronto Raptors entered the NBA Playoffs 2018 with a second-best record in the league, have a great coach in Dwane Casey, and have an awesome depth on the roster. Washington Wizards, on the other hands, entered this season with great expectations but eventually had a disappointing season so far. That won’t change against the Raptors, especially since we don’t even know how healthy John Wall is. Presume some games will be close, but Raptors will own this series.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Milwaukee Bucks

Prediction:
Milwaukee Bucks win 3-4

Why:
This one was really tough. While Boston Celtics’ roster is destroyed by injuries, Brad Stevens has shown us that he can keep winning just with a couple of promising youngsters and handful of veterans. But, Milwaukee Bucks have too much talent to throw away this opportunity. It will be a close series, but Giannis Antetokounmpo will take over the last game and will the Buck into the second round.

(3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) Miami Heat

Prediction:
Philadelphia 76ers win 4-2

Why:
Miami Heat will give Philadelphia 76ers run for their money that’s for sure. There will be multiple games that will come down to last possession, where Miami Heat will see the opportunity to use their experience and steal a game they usually wouldn’t win. But the young 76ers team will never lose control over the series and won’t allow an elimination game.

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Indiana Pacers

Prediction:
Cleveland Cavaliers win 4-0

Why:
LeBron James, that’s why. Don’t get us wrong, we respect what Indiana Pacers and Victor Oladipo did this season. After Paul George left Indiana, Oladipo became a new hero and brought hope to a desperate team. But, despite their problems, Cleveland Cavaliers will still have the best player on the planet who will create havoc even with an average supporting cast.

The post Opinion: NBA Playoffs 2018 First Round Predictions – Eastern Conference appeared first on SportzBonanza.