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Celtics Cruise After Hot Start to Rout Bucks, Tie Series at 1--1

The Milwaukee Bucks dominated the Celtics in Boston in game one, but the Celtics are an excellent team, and no one should be surprised that the Celtics bounced back by playing with great energy in game two, jumping out to a 7-0 lead and never trailing en route to a 109-86 win to tie the series at 1-1. The Celtics improved their ball movement instead of settling for quick shots, they responded with poise to the Bucks' size/physicality, and they shot exceptionally well from three point range (20-43, .465). If the Celtics can do all of those things to the same extent in three more games, then they could win the series--but TNT's Stan Van Gundy made an insightful comment during the fourth quarter, noting that the way that the Bucks scored in the paint during the second half of this game is sustainable over the course of a series, while the Celtics' three point shooting percentage during this game is not sustainable over the course of a series.

The Bucks' defensive strategy in general and against Boston in particular is to concede three point field goal attempts while protecting the paint. The Bucks will not overreact or panic if the opposing team makes three point shots because the Bucks have confidence that their game plan will work over the course of a series. In game one, the Celtics fired up 50 three point field goal attempts and they made 18 for a decent .360 percentage; the Bucks can live with those numbers. In game two, the Celtics shot 13-20 (.650) from three point range in the first half, and they led 65-40. Overall, the Celtics shot 23-39 from the field (.590) in the first half. Most of that 25 point margin is accounted for by the difference between .650 and .360, with the remainder the result of the Bucks' inability to score efficiently. The Bucks stuck with their defensive strategy, but they did not execute it very well, while the Celtics played crisply and confidently at both ends of the court.

Jaylen Brown struggled in game one, but in game two he scored 17 first quarter point on 6-7 field goal shooting as the Celtics led 32-21 after the first 12 minutes. He finished the first half with 25 points on 9-10 field goal shooting. He cooled off in the second half, but still ended up with a game-high 30 points on 11-18 field goal shooting. Jayson Tatum started slowly, but he scored 29 points on 10-20 field goal shooting. Grant Williams played stout defense and he chipped in 21 points on 7-14 field goal shooting. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo did not shoot well in game one, and he had another bad shooting performance in game two. He scored just two first quarter points on 1-7 field goal shooting as the Celtics built a big lead. The Bucks shot 1-11 from the field to start the game, then made seven of their next nine shots, and they finished the first half with a .429 field goal percentage (15-35). Anteotkounmpo had five points, four assists, and two rebounds in the first half while shooting just 2-12 from the field.

Antetokounmpo scored 18 third quarter points on 8-11 field goal shooting as the Bucks outscored the Celtics 26-18, but the Celtics still led 83-66 heading into the fourth quarter. Brown shot 0-4 from the field and did not score a point in the third quarter. A non-championship team may have just thrown in the towel after such a rough first half, content to go back home with a 1-1 road split--but the Bucks fought hard in the second half, outscoring the Celtics, 46-44, and cutting the margin to 94-82 in the fourth quarter. Can the Celtics sustain what they did in the first half for three more games, or were those two quarters an aberration? By the end of the game, the Celtics' field goal percentage was .475 (.38-80), and they shot just 7-23 (.304) from three point range in the second half.

Anteotkounmpo ended up with 28 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, but he also had six turnovers while shooting just 11-27 from the field. Al Horford has always defended him well, and Grant Williams used his strength to hold his ground in the post versus Antetokounmpo. The Bucks should figure out ways to use off ball movement and/or screen/roll actions to more often place Antetokounmpo in situations where he is not being guarded by Horford or Williams. Jrue Holiday scored 19 points on 7-20 field goal shooting. The Bucks need more offense from Holiday, particularly with All-Star Khris Middleton likely out for the entire series due to a knee injury. Bobby Portis was solid (13 points, eight rebounds, 5-7 field goal shooting), and Pat Connaughton provided a lift off of the bench (13 points on 6-7 field goal shooting), but the Bucks cannot expect to win too many playoff games against the Celtics while scoring less than 100 points.

This was an impressive win for the Celtics, but the Bucks have home court advantage, and they have favorable matchups that can exploit over the course of a long playoff series. Each game in an NBA playoff series is its own unique entity. During a playoff series, consistent themes emerge that define why one team is better than the other, but anything can happen in one game, particularly when both teams are very good. This is one reason that the NBA playoffs are better than the NCAA Tournament: an inferior team can win in a one and done scenario, but the superior team will almost always win a seven game series (barring injuries or other extenuating circumstances).

Labels: Boston Celtics, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks

posted by David Friedman @ 10:46 PM

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