Photo via Twitter / Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Going into the Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday afternoon, neither the Milwaukee Bucks or the Boston Celtics had won a game on the other team’s home floor throughout the year. For the Bucks, that meant having to step up in a big way at TD Garden, and they did just that. What was initially looking like a series of close, down-to-the-wire games resulted in Boston fans and Celtics general manager Brad Stevens heading for the exits with a few minutes still left on the clock.
Unsurprisingly to many, Giannis Antetokounmpo was the cause of that mass exodus of Celtics faithful. While Boston made things tough for him in the paint all afternoon, the Greek Freak recorded his second career playoff triple-double with 24 points, 12 assists and 13 rebounds. In his last minutes on the floor Sunday, a lob to himself off of the backboard for a one-man alley oop was the nail in the coffin, in a move that will land on every highlight reel Monday.
While the game ended with some offensive fireworks, it opened with a display of how evenly matched these teams are. The Celtics would break out as big as a seven point lead in the first quarter, only to see it evaporate thanks to some solid defensive work from the Bucks. Things would remain tight until the final minutes of the first half, when Milwaukee went on an 11-3 run to take things to the break. That run would end up giving the Bucks the separation that they needed to close out the game, as Boston never regained the lead from that point forward. As it would turn out, Milwaukee would win 101-89, but both teams scored at a fairly even pace with the exception of the second quarter scoring burst.
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The Celtics came into Sunday’s game being touted as one of the top defenses in the NBA, but Milwaukee found a way to challenge that claim with fluid ball movement, finding the open man to get the right shot. Many times that was either Giannis, who showed a confidence in his mid-range jumper, or Jrue Holiday, who came away as the game’s leading scorer. Boston’s defensive focus on clogging the paint to be physical with Giannis ended up forcing the Bucks to counter, which in turn allowed Holiday, as well as Pat Connaughton and Grayson Allen to make shots from the three-point line. Having an arsenal of outside shooters that stepped up in lieu of Khris Middleton’s absence has been an awakening for Milwaukee, who are now somehow even more diverse in terms of their attack with the ball.
Taking game one of the series in Boston is major for the Bucks, as it is only the Celtics’ second loss in their last 10 games, dating back to the regular season. In fact, Milwaukee handed Boston their last dropped game, as well, with a 127-121 win for the Bucks in their second last game of the season. If there’s ever been a convenient time to have Boston’s number, it is right now, and hopefully Milwaukee can extend their series lead before taking things back to Fiserv Forum.
Game two of the Bucks-Celtics series will tip off Tuesday night at 6 p.m., with coverage on TNT. A number of fans made their way to the Deer District on Sunday, and watch parties for the game will begin two hours before tipoff.
