The holiday season is upon us, a great time to be a sports fan. A steady stream of great games, time off, great food – what more could you ask for? There are five games taking place on Christmas Day this year, the best one being between two teams who could end up playing each other for a spot in next year's NBA final.
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The Celtics
The Boston Celtics came into this season after losing to the Golden State Warriors in last year's finals, they put on an incredible showing and looked like favourites for a large portion of the playoffs. Jayson Tatum was unlucky not to go home with the Larry O'Brien trophy and the MVP. During the off-season, the wheels threatened to come off the bus when Coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the season for an off-field incident involving members of his staff.
The coach that had led them to the finals was gone, there had been talk of a disgruntled Jaylen Brown due to the Celtics trade enquiries for Kevin Durant and many doubted if this team would be able to bounce back in the way they have.
They haven't been as strong on the defensive end this season, but their offense is miles and above any other team in the NBA. They added Malcom Brogdon to an already strong backcourt and they're looking extremely dangerous.
They're managing to fly below the radar now due to some of the issues going on with some of the other teams in the east, when they have been mentioned it's usually been reporters waxing lyrical about Jayson Tatum's game this season.
It seems last year's finals defeat has only strengthened the resolve of this Boston side; the ceiling is the championship for them.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks have been without some key players so far this season, Jrue Holiday has had some injury problems and Kris Middleton has been missing since the playoffs, only recently stepping up the workload and returning.
Giannis and the supporting cast have picked up the slack though, Giannis picked up 108 points in his first three games of the season - setting the pace. 21 against Philly followed by two huge performances, picking up 44 against Houston and 43 against the Nets.
The Bucks have been in the championship conversation for quite a few years now, but they always seem to fly under the radar, perhaps in part due to their lack of a 'big three.'
However, the Bucks are a well-oiled machine under Mike Budenholzer - he brought them their first championship since 1971. Working under the tutelage of Greg Popovich, Coach Bud soaked up everything he could from one of the most legendary coaches of all time before going out on his own.
This Milwaukee team has a togetherness, work ethic and a chemistry that is hard to break down and had it not been for Middleton getting injured in last year's playoffs, it could have been the Bucks facing the Warriors in the finals.
How significant is it?
There is a long way to go in the season to go but we're starting to get an idea about each team's ceiling at this point and for both teams, there isn't one. Two sides that could likely end up facing each other in the Eastern Conference finals come playoff time, this promises to be a mouth-watering affair.
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