The Celtics aren't at full strength, but they'll be no first-round pushover for the Bucks

The consensus around the Eastern Conference heading into the playoffs was that the second-seeded Boston Celtics could be the best matchup for an upset-minded team in the first round. Looking at what the Celtics have been through and who they've lost, it's easy to understand why.

Gordon Hayward, Boston's star free-agent signing, was lost to dislocated left ankle and fractured tibia just five minutes into the season. All-star guard Kyrie Irving, who shouldered the scoring load for the Celtics at 24.4 points per game, is also stuck on the sidelines for the duration of the season following a pair of procedures on his left knee during the past five weeks.

Add in backup center Daniel Theis being out for the season and guard Marcus Smart out until at least Game 7 and it's understandable prognosticators would peg Boston as a team whose misfortunes could be taken advantage of.

In the minds of some, the Milwaukee Bucks stumbled backward into the playoffs with their 130-95 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. Of course, in doing so while also getting help from the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic, the Bucks have found themselves in the enviable position of facing the Celtics in a series that will kick off at noon Sunday at TD Garden.

While everyone at the Bucks' practice facility knows of the Celtics' injury issues — on Saturday, in fact,  Bucks wing Khris Middleton even voiced that the Bucks wished the season could have ended that day with them locked in seventh — no one was providing any new bulletin-board material Thursday.

The Bucks know the team they're facing in the first round is still one of the most talented in the league and poses a stiff test.

“It doesn’t mean a thing," Bucks guard Jason Terry said. "If you think because they don’t have Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart that you are going to go in and walk through a Boston Celtic team, you’re crazy.”

Malcolm Brogdon added: “They’re a good team. I think everybody was trying to get into that seventh spot so they could play Boston, but they’re not a team you can take lightly. They’re talented, they’re extremely well-coached, so it’s going to be a challenge.”

As susceptible as the Celtics have looked at numerous points this season, they've found ways to just keeping winning. Following Hayward's injury in the season opener and a loss to the Bucks the next night, Boston recovered and rattled off 16 straight wins, including one in Milwaukee in the "Return to the MECCA" game. 

At the time Irving went down, the Celtics were 25 games over .500. In the 15 games without him to close the season, they had a six-game winning streak — snapped by the Bucks when the Celtics were down to their fifth-string point guard due to injuries — and went 9-6 to finish with a 55-27 record.

“They’re a tough team," Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe said. "Just because they’re missing a couple guys, they’re still in the NBA. Nothing’s going to be easy.”

Down two all-stars, the Celtics still have one in center Al Horford. At 12.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, Horford's numbers don't jump off the page, but he's as cerebral and reliable of a player as you'll find. He anchored Boston's defense all season, helping the Celtics to the best defensive efficiency rating (103.9 points allowed per 100 possessions) in the league.

Horford also torched the Bucks this season, averaging 18.8 points in the four games between the two teams while shooting 70.5%  and 60% on three-pointers.

Outside of Horford, the Celtics have gotten huge contributions from youngsters Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Brown, a 21-year-old in his second season, is second only to Irving in scoring at 14.5 points per game, and his length and athleticism make him a menace on defense. Tatum, a 19-year-old rookie, made a cool 43.4% of this three-pointers this season.

“Just as a team in general … how aggressive and assertive they are in terms of not only trying to score themselves, but (also) make plays for others," Bucks coach Joe Prunty said of Boston's potent talent outside of Irving. "Tatum’s ability to stretch the floor to shoot it, Brown’s aggressive (in) attacking the basket. Again, you can name other guys on the team, the things that they do to impact their games. We have to address those and be prepared for them.”

Smoothly navigating through all of his team's injury issues while simultaneously squeezing the most out of his talented squad has made Boston coach Brad Stevens one of the favorites for the NBA's Coach of the Year award.

The Bucks, meanwhile, are on their second coach of the season and are still trying to hit their stride and maximize a roster high on talent but short of reaching expectations. Defense has been Milwaukee's biggest issue, something the Bucks recognize they're going to need to address  to advance out of the first round for the first time since 2001.

They can't fail to play their best and expect to beat the Celtics, injuries or not.

"You know they’re a really good team, they’re going to move the ball. It doesn’t matter if they’ve got injuries, they’re going to move the ball," Bucks all-star Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "So we got to defend real well. ...

“We’re a better team than last year, more mature. We’re older and hopefully we can be focused as a team because I think that’s what sometimes lacks on our team. There’s some stages of the game that we’re not focused. I don’t know why that comes to our team, but hopefully this year when we get to the playoffs we can be focused for 48 minutes and do what we got to do and that’s getting the job done.”