MILWAUKEE — When there is a week to prepare for the start of a playoff series, it’s a fair bet that most every rock’s underside will be examined.

Which brings us to the fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo was tied with Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns for the NBA lead in offensive fouls with 68, with most of them charges. So might stepping in front of the G-Train be a beneficial Celtic strategy for slowing the Bucks star?

Brad Stevens isn’t so sure.

“I mean, the bottom line is if you go downhill with the force and speed that he does, there’s going to be moments where he charges,” said the Celts’ coach as he prepared to board the flight to Sunday afternoon’s Game 1. “There’s also moments where he draws blocking fouls and scored and-ones. And he does that a lot more than he charges, so you’d better not let him get that head of steam very often. You might get a charge occasionally, but he’s going to score a lot more and-ones than you’re going to get charges.

“I just think that ultimately you have to be able to move your feet. You have to be able to guard with pride. You have to be able to do all that, but nobody can do that by themselves against him.”

Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer heard the charge-taking concept and cracked, “We’re going to stop Kyrie [Irving] from taking all his 3’s, too.

“I think everybody is going to have ideas about what they want to do and your ability to execute them. Fortunately for Giannis, lots of teams, lots of games, it’s not something he hasn’t seen. And it’s one of those things easier said than done. I think he’s gotten really good about reading angles, reading opportunities to attack, reading opportunities to share with his teammates. So luckily for us it’s nothing he hasn’t seen or nothing new.”

Said Antetokounmpo, “I definitely keep it in my mind, and it’s not just them; a lot of teams try to stop me with taking charges, but that’s the fun part about it. They’re not thinking about how they’re going to defend me; they’re thinking about how they’re going to try to take charges.

“But at the end of the day, if I can be under control and be at my own pace and try to be smart… and if I get to my spot, it’s going to be tough (for the Celtics).”

The Celts are certainly expecting difficulty from the Bucks in general and Antetokounmpo in particular.

Asked about Giannis’ unusually adept ballhandling for a 6-foot-11 player, Stevens addressed that and rolled into a larger point about the MVP candidate.

“I don’t know his history with regard to when he grew,” Stevens said. “You know, a lot of guys that grew late ended up being primary ballhandlers most of their early careers. I know that he obviously looks a lot different than when he entered the draft process six years ago.

“But the No. 1 thing that he’s always been is exceptional downhill, exceptional in transition — and when I say exceptional, one of very few to ever play the game, I’d say. And then he’s just continuously improved his game, both shooting, finishing and ballhandling. And he’s always been a willing and unselfish passer, and that makes it difficult, as well, because he’s got such great shooting around him.

“He’s a heck of a player, and I think that as good as he is now, we’ll probably be talking about him in even more glowing terms as the years go by, because it sounds like he’s got the right approach and the right work ethic and everything else to just get better and better and better. And he’s had good coaching all along the way, and then Bud coming in I think with the skill he’s got around him has just opened it up even more.”