It all almost seems predestined, didn’t it? From the time the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks clashed as unbeaten foes just seven games into the season, these two squads have reigned supreme atop the battle for supremacy in LeBron James’s wake. And what a battle it will be. Each squad is led by top-five players in the world in Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo and flanked by a parade of supporting characters that people wouldn’t deem superstars. In fact, the similarities are pretty interesting when you dive deep into it, considering the large majority of their rosters is comprised of late picks or guys coming in off the scrap heap. We’ll have plenty to say about this series in the run-up to Wednesday, but for now, let’s run through when we’ll be able to tune in. As a reminder, all games will be broadcast on TNT or streaming online at TNTDrama.com or via the TNT app. Game 1 - Wed. May 15 Venue - Fiserv Forum - Fiserv Forum Tipoff - 7:30 Game 2 - Fri. May 17 Venue - Fiserv Forum - Fiserv Forum Tipoff - 7:30 Game 3 - Sun. May 19 Venue - Scotiabank Arena - Scotiabank Arena Tipoff - 6:00 Game 4 - Tue. May 21 Venue - Scotiabank Arena - Scotiabank Arena Tipoff - 7:30 Game 5 (If necessary) - Thu. May 23 Venue - Fiserv Forum - Fiserv Forum Tipoff - 7:30 Game 6 (If necessary) - Sat. May 25 Venue - Scotiabank Arena - Scotiabank Arena Tipoff - 7:30 Game 7 (If necessary) - Mon. May 27 Venue - Fiserv Forum - Fiserv Forum Tipoff - 7:30 So there it is. Seven (potential) games to decide who will represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. Wednesday can’t come quickly enough.<doc-sep>The Toronto Raptors announced Monday they will open the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on Wednesday, May 15 at 8:30 p.m. vs. the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Game Two of the series is scheduled for Friday, May 17 in Milwaukee. The series will shift to Toronto for Games Three and Four at Scotiabank Arena. Game Three will be Sunday, May 19 at 7 p.m., and Game Four is Tuesday, May 21 at 8:30 p.m. Games Five through Seven, if necessary, will be in Milwaukee, Toronto, and Milwaukee, respectively. Sportsnet will televise Games One, Three and Six with Matt Devlin and Leo Rautins on the call. TSN will air Games Two, Four, Five and Seven with Devlin and Jack Armstrong. Games One, Three, Five and Seven will be heard on Sportsnet 590 The FAN (with Eric Smith and Paul Jones) and Games Two, Four, and Six will air on TSN 1050 Toronto (with Jones and either Armstrong or Sherman Hamilton).<doc-sep>They took slightly different paths, but the East's top two teams are now set to meet in the Conference Finals as many expected all season. It's the first time these two franchises will meet in the postseason since 2017. With both the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks taking care of business in the second round of the playoffs, the Eastern Conference Finals is now set. NBA.com is your destination for complete coverage of every series from now through the end of the NBA Finals. Series Schedule Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals will take place in Milwaukee at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15. Game 1 - Wednesday, May 15 at Milwaukee, Time: 8:30 p.m.; TV: SN1/E/O/W/P Game 2 - Friday, May 17 at Milwaukee, Time: 8:30 p.m.; TV: TSN Network Game 3 - Sunday, May 19 at Toronto, Time: 7:00 p.m.; TV: SN1/E/O/W/P Game 4 - Tuesday, May 21 at Toronto, Time: 8:30 p.m.; TV: TSN Network Game 5 (if necessary) - Thursday, May 23 at Milwaukee, Time: 8:30 p.m.; TV: TSN Network Game 6 (if necessary) - Saturday, May 25 at Toronto, Time: 8:30 p.m.; TV: SN1/E/O/W/P Game 7 (if necessary) - Monday, May 27 at Milwaukee, Time: 8:30 p.m.; TV: TSN Network Recapping the Season Series Result: Bucks won 3-1 Best game: Jan. 5, 2019 - Raptors 123, Bucks 116 Best performance: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Jan. 5, 2019) - 43 points (16-25 FG), 18 rebounds, four assists and one steal The first meeting between the Raptors and Bucks this season came early when both teams were a perfect 6-0. Giannis Antetokounmpo (concussion) and Kawhi Leonard (rest) missed the game, and Milwaukee cruised to a 124-109 win behind a balanced effort that saw seven players score in double figures. Serge Ibaka led the Raptors in scoring that night with 30 points and Pascal Siakam chipped in with 22 points. The second meeting was much closer but the end result was the same. Behind a 19-point, 19-rebound double-double from Antetokounmpo, the Bucks defeated the Raptors in Toronto, 104-99. Kyle Lowry struggled in the loss, going scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting from the field. The Raptors picked up their lone win against the Bucks on Jan. 5 in what turned out to be the best game between the two teams this season. Leonard and Siakam led the Raptors in scoring with 30 points each, but they got a scoring punch out of Ibaka (25), Danny Green (12) and Fred VanVleet (21), the latter of whom started in place of Lowry, who was dealing with a back injury. The five of them helped Toronto overcome 43 points, 18 rebounds and four assists from Antetokounmpo to beat the Bucks, 123-116. The Bucks got some revenge in the final game of the season, winning by a final score of 105-92 at the Scotiabank Arena. It was a team effort once again, as seven players scored in double figures, including D.J. Wilson (16) and George Hill (10) off the bench. Key Storyline: Can the Raptors contain Giannis Antetokounmpo? The Raptors will have their hands full trying to slow down Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 27.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in these playoffs. The Bucks have built a team around Antetokounmpo that plays perfectly to his strengths, surrounding him with shooters to give him the space he needs to attack the paint, where he led the league in scoring this season. Antetokounmpo is a matchup nightmare for every team because he's too big and strong for perimeter players to guard and too quick and athletic for big men to stay in front of. Double-teaming him is risky as well. Not only is Antetokounmpo a capable passer, the Bucks made and attempted the second-most 3-pointers in the league this season, trailing only the Houston Rockets. Every player on Milwaukee's roster is comfortable shooting 3-pointers, even Brook Lopez, who set the record for 3s made by a centre during the regular season. So who on the Raptors will take on the responsibility of defending Antetokounmpo? According to NBA.com, Siakam matched up with the MVP candidate the most this season, followed by Leonard, Ibaka and OG Anunoby. Here's what Antetokounmpo did in each of those matchups: Raptors vs. Antetokounmpo Defender Games Possessions Points FGM-FGA Assists Turnovers Siakam 3 93 41 15-27 5 5 Leonard 3 31 4 2-3 3 0 Ibaka 3 26 14 6-9 0 2 Anunoby 3 24 13 4-5 3 1 This is another series where the Raptors will miss Anunoby if he's unable to play. While he wouldn't be the primary defender on Antetokounmpo, Toronto would benefit greatly from having another wing who can match up with him physically, especially now that Siakam is dealing with an injury. According to Blake Murphy of The Athletic, Anunoby is now travelling with the Raptors for the first time since undergoing an emergency appendectomy, but there's still no update on when he is expected to return. Three Players to Watch Kawhi Leonard vs. Milwaukee in 2018-19 (three games): 22.0 points (42.6 FG%, 30.0 3P%, 81.0 FT%), 7.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists The Bucks did a better job defending Leonard this season than most teams, limiting him to 22.0 points per game on 42.6 percent shooting from the field. Leonard was fantastic in Toronto's lone win with a team-high 30 points, but he scored a total of 36 points in the two other contests he appeared in. Khris Middleton was the primary reason Leonard didn't play to his usual standard. According to NBA.com, he limited the three-time All-Star to 36 points on 11-for-27 shooting from the field over three games. Aaron Gordon has similar success against Leonard based on the matchup data, but Leonard torched both him and the Magic in the first round to the tune of 27.8 points per game. Will Leonard be able to do the same against a Bucks team that had the best defensive rating in the league this season? Khris Middleton vs. Toronto in 2018-19 (three games): 14.0 points (47.6 FG%, 42.9 3P%, 63.6 FT%), 6.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds<doc-sep>Stacy Revere/Getty Images Get ready to see plenty of the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors in the coming days. Jerry Zgoda of the Star-Tribune shared the Eastern Conference Finals schedule after Toronto clinched its spot with a Kawhi Leonard buzzer-beater to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in Sunday's Game 7, and the series will feature a game every other day: That leaves little time for rest, although the Bucks should be fresh considering they needed a mere nine games to get through the first two rounds against the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics. They haven't even taken the court since Wednesday. Toronto, on the other hand, needed almost that many games just to dispatch the Sixers. It did so in dramatic fashion with Leonard's shot hanging on the rim for multiple bounces before it fell through and ended Philadelphia's season. He was a one-man show for much of the series and averaged 34.7 points a night. 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Leonard will have to face a Bucks squad that had the NBA's top defensive rating during the regular season, per NBA.com, while Giannis Antetokounmpo will square off with a Raptors team that was fifth. The presence of those two players is a large reason their teams were so effective at stopping the opponent, as they are two of the premier defenders in the league in addition to being the go-to offensive playmakers. They even figure to be matched up against each other in crunch time, which will add another layer of drama to what figures to be a thrilling series.<doc-sep>
As if Sunday’s Game 7 win wasn’t high enough, the Toronto Raptors are now headed to a place they’ve been just once before: the Eastern Conference Finals. They’re set to meet the Milwaukee Bucks, in a matchup of the two teams with the best regular season records in the NBA this season. It’s also, of course, a clash of superstars between the newly minted Toronto hero Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee will enjoy home court advantage in the series, with the first game going at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday. The Raptors open home action for Game 3 on Sunday, May 19. We have plenty more preview content for your feasting eyes coming soon. As usual, the Canadian broadcasts will be split between Sportsnet and TSN — with Sportsnet taking Game 1. American broadcasts will all be on TNT with the team of Marv Albert, Reggie Miller, and Chris Webber. For now, clear your calendars and let’s get this going. Raptors vs. Bucks Eastern Conference Finals Schedule Game 1: Wednesday, May 15 - 8:30pm - Fiserv Forum - TNT/Sportsnet Game 2: Friday, May 17 - 8:30pm - Fiserv Forum - TNT/TSN Game 3: Sunday, May 19 - 7pm - Scotiabank Arena - TNT/Sportsnet Game 4: Tuesday, May 21 - 8:30pm - Scotiabank Arena - TNT/TSN **Game 5: Thursday, May 23 - 8:30pm - Fiserv Forum - TNT/TSN **Game 6: Saturday, May 25 - 8:30pm - Scotiabank Arena - TNT/Sportsnet **Game 7: Monday, May 27 - 8:30pm - Fiserv Forum - TNT/TSN ** if necessary