Bucks @ Celtics: Can the TD Garden be the difference in Game 7? | NBA News

The final day of the regular season determined the seedings for these teams in the playoffs and thus the reason the Boston Celtics have home court advantage tonight.

The Milwaukee Bucks sat their stars, Boston didn’t. The Celtics thumped Memphis, the Bucks got thumped by Cleveland.

Now, the Celtics host the Bucks in the first of two Game 7 clashes live on Sky Sports Arena & Main Event tonight, as well as for free on the Sky Sports YouTube channel, at 8.15pm on Sunday night.

With a crowd like Boston’s and it being a win-or-go-home game, that decision to rest players could come back to haunt the defending champions.

“It was a pretty short conversation,” Boston head coach Ime Udoka said, about Boston’s choice to end the regular season with their best players on the floor. “All of us agreed that we want to play our best basketball and not try to manipulate anything.

“They had a choice to play their last game and we did against Memphis, they didn’t, and it gave up the home court advantage. That’s our benefit, obviously, going into a seven-game series that we’ll have our final game at home but that’s just the decision we had as a team.

“The message I want to send to our team is ‘let’s play it out, take on whatever opponent comes’ and let [things] fall where they may. That was the approach we had. I mentioned to our guys and it was a short conversation.

“We weren’t going to try to avoid anybody or pick our own matchup, we’ll do what we do. We’ll do what we’ve done all year. They made their choice with that and this is where we’re at right now, with home court advantage.”

Home court advantage hasn’t been the differentiator in this series, with both teams claiming a game on the road, but this has been the most closely contested of all so far in this season’s playoffs.

Every game has been compelling and this is set up to be the tastiest of all.

“It means everything,” Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said of getting Game 7 in Boston. “The best atmosphere in the NBA. Game 7s are the biggest and best games. Looking forward to it, truly.

“It’s basketball – biggest moments, biggest stage. What it boils down to is now go out there and just have fun.”

The Celtics and Bucks have alternated victories throughout their series. By that pattern, it should be the Bucks’ turn to get the win. But there’s little doubt Boston’s home court will be loud and hostile on Sunday.

“The Garden is going to be rocking,” said Udoka. “It’s been that since late in the season. When the playoffs started to come around, you could feel the vibe and the energy and excitement with what we were doing.

“The Brooklyn series was its own thing, had some personal aspects there so that was a crazy series, but Milwaukee has probably been louder. I try to tune it out as a coach, I don’t hear it, the volume everybody else talks about. But people said it’s the loudest it’s been in there, earlier in this series, obviously Game 7 going into it with everything that’s on the line, we expect no less than that [on Sunday].”

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s performances have been nothing short of spectacular in this series and he has the capacity to lift the Bucks over the hump by himself by helping to shut down Boston’s offense and continue to put outrageous numbers on the box score.

“For me, I’ve just got to go play,” Bucks forward Antetokounmpo said. “I want my teammates to enjoy the moment.”

If anyone can enjoy the moment, regardless of where he’s playing, it’s the reigning NBA Finals MVP. Will the Bucks come to regret their decision to sit bodies though?

We will find out this evening and make no doubt about it, this game promises to be absolutely box office entertainment.

Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics – Game 7 (live on Sky Sports Arena & Main Event, from 8.15pm)

Key notes: These teams have alternated victories throughout the series, with the Bucks winning the odd-numbered games and the Celtics taking the even-numbered ones. The road teams are 4-2 and have won each of the last three games.

Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo have both taken on the leadership mantle for their teams in the series. Antetokounmpo is averaging 35.3 points, 13.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists in this series, while Tatum is averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5 assists. Tatum had 46 points and Antetokounmpo 44 in the Celtics’ 108-95 Game 6 victory in Milwaukee, marking just the fifth time opponents have scored at least 44 points in the same playoff game. The Celtics are 24-9 all-time in Game 7s, compared to 3-8 for the Bucks.

Keep an eye on: The 3-point comparison. In Boston’s three victories, the Celtics have shot 41.5 per cent from 3-point range and have outscored the Bucks 153-57 from beyond the arc. In the Celtics’ three losses, they have a much narrower 111-102 advantage from 3-point range and have made just 32.5 per cent of their attempts.

Injury watch: Bucks forward Khris Middleton has missed nine straight playoff game with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Celtics big man Robert Williams III has missed three straight games with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee and is questionable for Game 7. “It’s a pain-tolerance thing,” Boston coach Ime Udoka said. “Soreness, swelling is down. It’s just a matter of extension, inflexion and if the pain is gone basically with the bone bruise. Nothing structural. It’s legitimately day to day.”

Pressure is on: Bucks guard Grayson Allen: After delivering a 22-point outburst and a 27-point performance in back-to-back games when the Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls in the first round, Allen hasn’t been nearly as effective in this series despite moving into a starting role in Game 3. He has scored a total of 23 points over his last five games and has shot 2 of 14 from 3-point range during that stretch. Allen shot 1 of 7 overall and scored three points in Game 6.

The rush of live NBA Playoffs games continues on Sky Sports this weekend – see the list of games here and subscribe to watch the live action.