What Bucks Game 1 Victory In Boston Means For Rest Of Series
No matter what the Boston Celtics tried to do on Sunday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series, the Milwaukee Bucks always seemed to have an answer.
Even without Khris Middleton, the Bucks went on the road and threw the first punch in this series, winning 101-89 in a game that never really felt close in the second-half.
The Celtics did step up defensively in the second-half, holding the Bucks to just 45 combined points, but Boston only scored a combined 43 points themselves due to how active Milwaukee was defensively.
Holding Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to a combined 33 points on 10-31 (32.3%) shooting, the Bucks sure looked like the defending NBA champions in Game 1.
Now, looking ahead to Game 2 and the rest of this series, it will be very interesting to see what adjustments the Celtics make not on the defensive-end of the floor, but offensively. They have relied so heavily on both Tatum and Brown to score this season and now, with the Bucks exposing them early on, head coach Ime Udoka will have to change his approach for the rest of this series.
Milwaukee’s Game 1 victory definitely sent a message to the rest of the league and has heavy implications on what is in-store for the rest of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Milwaukee Can Advance Without Khris Middleton
Offensively, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday combined for 49 points and Giannis also had a triple-double in Game 1’s victory on Sunday afternoon.
At the conclusion of this game, it was very clear that the Bucks can not only win this series, but they can do so without All-Star Khris Middleton being on the floor because of how locked-in the Bucks’ second-unit has looked.
Grayson Allen has been fantastic off-the-bench for Milwaukee since Middleton got hurt in the team’s first-round series against the Chicago Bulls, Pat Connaughton has continued to be one of the better bench players in the postseason and surprisingly, Jevon Carter has given the Bucks some really solid minutes.
Holding the Celtics to just 89 points was a testament to just how good Milwaukee is defensively and even without Middleton, they still found ways to be successful on both ends of the floor.
Without Khris Middleton, the Milwaukee Bucks may not be able to defend their title, but they can definitely get past the Boston Celtics, which is why the Bucks could take their time in terms of rushing the All-Star back onto the court.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Cannot Be Stopped Offensively
Going 9-25 from the floor and scoring just 24 points makes it look like the Celtics did a good job defending Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks’ MVP was held in check for the vast majority of this game scoring-wise, but the six-time All-Star really dissected Boston’s defense all game long.
He finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in Game 1’s victory and Giannis had “THE” play of the postseason so far, throwing an alley-oop to himself off the backboard and finishing strong over the Celtics’ defenders.
Giannis is the best player in the world right now and while he may miss a handful of shots over the course of a game, he is going to get double-digit rebounds whenever he wants to and playmaking is where Antetokounmpo has really improved this season.
Having at least 7 assists in four of his last five playoff games this season, Giannis Antetokounmpo has transcended to being an all-around playmaker and facilitator on the offensive-end of the floor that is impossible to stop when he gets in the paint.
The Celtics were able to contain Kevin Durant by throwing Jayson Tatum and other scrappy defenders at him. The only difference now though is that Giannis Antetokounmpo is much larger and stronger than Durant, making him a complete mismatch for the Boston Celtics to try and defend.
Antetokounmpo is going to have his way in this series, which is why Boston must focus on trying to contain everyone else around him.
Jaylen Brown Must Step Up For Boston
Jayson Tatum averaged 29.5 points per game in the Celtics’ first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets and he recorded 39 points in Game 3 of that series.
Against the Bucks, Tatum is not going to average close to 30 points per game and he will be lucky to eclipse 30 points in a game simply because of how good Milwaukee is defensively.
Someone else is going to have to step up in this series for Boston if they are to have a chance at taking down the defending champions and that player needs to be their No. 2 star in Jaylen Brown.
His hamstring has been bothering him lately and it could have contributed to his poor performance in Game 1, but Brown needs to be better than 12 points on 4-13 shooting.
If Brown can be the elite-level scorer we know him to be in this series against Milwaukee, especially with Khris Middleton out, the Celtics can definitely extend this series and possibly end up winning it.
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