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Celtics begin series hoping to dethrone Giannis, Bucks

The reigning NBA champions are the draw for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and a Boston team that is playing well enough to take Milwaukee's crown.

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The Celtics might be the hottest team in the NBA as they plow toward the second round of the playoffs.

And, as such, tickets for that series might just be the hottest in town.

Balcony seats for Game 1 of Boston’s best-of-seven against the Milwaukee Bucks were priced at $200 and up a day after the schedule for the series was announced, with the get-in cost only increasing for the three subsequent games at TD Garden. More than two weeks out from a prospective Game 7, the price for a resold ticket in the balcony cost $319 apiece, according to the team-verified ticket site.

That could rise if the series gets to that point – and it’s certainly within the realm of possibility that this series could go the distance. The teams finished the regular season with identical 51-31 records, and split the regular-season series with two wins each. A couple of those games were decided by six points or less. Another went to overtime.

And then there’s the wealth of individual talent on both sides. Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is probably the best player in the series, but the Celtics probably have the next two on the list in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Bucks guard Jrue Holiday is a borderline elite player who helped elevate Milwaukee to a championship level last spring, and Marcus Smart was named the league’s top defender this season, and Robert Williams might’ve challenged him for that award if he hadn’t incurred the knee injury he’s since recovered from. If All-Star Khris Middleton returns from a knee sprain at some point, defending Milwaukee becomes that much tougher.

Almost as tough as getting a ticket could be.