Behind a 22-point win, the Boston Celtics send a strong message to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals
Entering Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, the growing expectation entering this series was that Giannis Antetokounmpo would finally cement the former as a household name in the NBA.
Most importantly, though, they’d be now viewed as a serious threat to contend for an NBA Championship this season. Almost as soon as the opening tip, though, nothing was going according to plan.
The Bucks only made five shots in the first quarter, en route to shooting 26 percent in the opening frame and falling into a nine-point deficit after the first 12 minutes of basketball. While the Bucks managed to fight back in the second quarter, back-to-back 30 percent shooting quarters in the second half led to a 22-point Game 1 loss to the Celtics.
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Giannis specifically had a game to forget, as he finished 22 points and eight rebounds on just 7-for-21 shooting from the field. In fact, Khris Middleton was the only starter that had a decent night, finishing with 16 points on 5-for-12 shooting. The rest of the starting 5 shot a combined 3-for-17 from the field as the Celtics outclassed the Bucks.
On the other hand, the Celtics trio of Al Horford, Kyrie Irving, and Jaylen Brown accounted for 65 points, 22 rebounds, and 14 assists on 55 percent shooting from the field.
Simply put, everything seemed to be working for the Celtics while almost nothing was for the Bucks. And that’s OK, that happens sometimes.
In fact, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals could’ve been summed up with one gif:
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1122570551527079939
The real question is, what happens next? How will Mike Budenholzer and the Bucks adjust to what they saw on defense from the Celtics in Game 1? Entering this series, one of the biggest matchups was going to revolve around the game of hide and seek that two of the NBA’s best coaches were set to begin.
A big part of postseason success centers around adjustments and different game plans from day-to-day in the middle of series. After a great game plan from Brad Stevens and almost perfectly executing it on the part of the Celtics, the onus will now fall on Bud and the Bucks to bounce back in Game 2.
Maybe the Bucks had a bad shooting night. Maybe the game looks a lot different if the (probable) NBA MVP doesn’t shoot 30 percent from the field. Maybe all is fixed if the Bucks simply make a few more shots here and there.
One thing’s for sure heading into Game 2, though, and it’s that the Celtics sent a strong message in Game 1. And it’s that the road to the NBA Finals now runs through Boston, no matter what the little numbers next to their respective team names may say.