Why Wednesday's Bucks vs. Celtics game could be a preview of what to expect in the playoffs

Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill provides key insights ahead of the Bucks vs. Celtics on Wednesday night, highlighting the significance of this matchup for both teams.

Video transcript

VINCENT GOODWILL: The Boston Celtics hold a 10-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks. So their upcoming match-up isn't necessarily one that will affect playoff seeding. What it will affect is how we think of both teams headed into the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Milwaukee Bucks have a lot of questions because they haven't been blowing teams out, because we have questions about their health, because we have questions about Doc Rivers and how he has been able to elevate this team's defense but not to a championship level.

We have questions about the Celtics despite their gaudy record, despite the fact that they've been blowing teams away. We have questions about how deep they go. We have questions about how they handle themselves in late-game situations. We have questions if they take too many 3s. And we also have that pesky memory of watching the Celtics blow series after series the last few years, get to the finals just one time, and blow that series to Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

The Eastern Conference does not look to be the mammoth that we thought it was months ago. These two teams could be on a collision course with plenty to prove. Damian Lillard has finally reached a team that has expectations and a top-line talent next to him in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jayson Tatum is in the MVP conversation, but we have lots of questions about those late-game situations. This game won't decide anything. But what this game will do is give us a preview of what to expect in the NBA playoffs.