The Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup between the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics has yet to begin, but the mind games are already well underway.

The Celtics and head coach Brad Stevens have been drumming up how Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo's style of downhill play makes him more susceptible to charges. Boston, with versatile defenders like Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart (if he comes back in this series) and Semi Ojeleye (who might see more playing time simply to shade Giannis), will bank on their team defense as a means of slowing Antetokounmpo down.

But Giannis says that taking this approach to guarding him is rather antiquated, and that Boston has no real plan to try to stop him:

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To be fair to the Celtics and Stevens, not many teams have been able to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo this year. The Greek Freak is a leading candidate to win the league's MVP award after averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists during the regular season while also leading the league in PER.

Giannis continued his dominance in Milwaukee's first-round sweep of the Detroit Pistons, averaging over 26 points and 12 rebounds. Interestingly enough, he also averaged over four 3-pointers per game, despite shooting under 25 percent from beyond the arc.

Antetokounmpo is unlikely to play that same kind of perimeter-oriented style against Boston, but they might do well to crowd him whenever possible. The Celtics are also likelier to deploy Aron Baynes more often in the frontcourt, as he was one of the team leaders in drawing charges.

Part of the other matchup issue concerns Milwaukee's ability to spread the floor for Giannis, including bigs like Nikola Mirotic and Brook Lopez. The Celtics will have to find a way to protect the paint while still defending the 3-point line.

As it stands, Milwaukee is a 7.5-point favorite at home against Boston, according to BetOnline.ag. To place a bet on the game or any others, click here and use promo code CLUTCH50 for a 50% Welcome Bonus when you signup with BetOnline.ag!