Experiencing what amounted to a should-gain Match 2 Tuesday evening, the Celtics bounced back again with a 109-86 victory about the Bucks in Boston.
Jaylen Brown scored a match-higher 30 details in a wire-to-wire earn that evened the Eastern Meeting semifinals series at 1-1. But soon after acquiring beaten so handily in the series opener, how did the Celtics flip the script, and what can be taken from it?
Immediately after receiving floored, Boston received off the deck and strike again
“Every activity is not gonna be best,” Jayson Tatum mentioned. “We’re playing in opposition to the defending champs. They punched us in the mouth to start with match. I knew we have been likely to be completely ready tonight from a competitiveness standpoint. Earning changes from match to recreation, I consider which is what the playoffs are about.”
Soon after enjoying bully ball to sweep the Nets in the 1st round, they received bullied by the defending champs. But not like Brooklyn, Boston showed they have a chin.
“We modified perfectly. We realized some matters from Activity 1 and felt like we understood we did not respond appropriately to the way that we’re playing,” Celtics mentor Ime Udoka admitted. “Two huge groups but we have not been outmuscled like that all yr. I assume our guys took satisfaction in that, took that to coronary heart and we knew we would occur out with the correct effort tonight.”
The Celtics did not just hit they hit to start with
Boston ran out to a quick 7- direct to get the TD Garden group likely and under no circumstances looked back again. After a disappointing 12-stage outing in the opener, Brown arrived out and established the physical tone from the opening suggestion, preventing and wrestling for control of the soar ball.
Brown obtained a shooter’s bounce on a jumper, then stole a Giannis Antetokounmpo go. Al Horford strike a shot and then stole the ball from Jrue Holiday break. Brown’s left-corner 3 designed it 7-.
The lead reached 18-3, and Boston cruised from there.
“We have been pissed off in how we played last match and from top to base, we knew that we just experienced to play superior,” Tatum explained. “Simple as that.”
The protection hardly ever rested
Boston had the league’s finest defense in the next half of the regular time, and it was on exhibit Tuesday evening, specifically on Antetokounmpo.
The two-time league MVP did rating 28 details but he was held to 11 of 27 capturing with six turnovers.
The Celtics ended up guilty of in excess of-aiding on the Greek Freak’s post-ups and isolations in Sport 1, specially on the wings. The end result was Antetokounmpo’s teammates finding 14 uncontested appears to be, and hitting 12 of 18 shots off his passes with seven 3-ideas. But Boston corrected all that Tuesday.
Udoka has a standing as a defensive mastermind and furthered it in the acquire. The Celtics eschewed double-groups and reliable Grant Williams (and Al Horford) to offer with him one particular-on-one. He was equipped to sluggish Antetokounmpo, and with Milwaukee crafted to prosper off drive-and-kick 3s, Boston stayed residence on shooters (specially with Khris Middleton out) to take that away.
The Bucks got up just 18 makes an attempt from behind the arc, by considerably the fewest of Mike Budenholzer’s routine in Milwaukee. (Their low-h2o mark had been 22.)
“The guys on him, they are solid, good defenders and then really a little bit of assist,” Budenhozer mentioned. “That’s exactly where he’s just bought to see and experience it — do we kick it and get additional 3s or he’s bought to end towards one particular-on-one defense. So, I feel it’s a very little bit of both of those. But Giannis, he constantly figures items out.”
Boston’s mid-selection
The Celtics’ shot profile has generally skewed seriously towards the mid-variety, and they feasted there in opposition to Brooklyn in the very first-spherical sweep. But when Milwaukee went massive in Video game 1 with Bobby Portis enjoying alongside Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, the Celtics bought held to just 10 of 34 from 2-level range, breaking their prior franchise small of 14 for the typical or postseason, in accordance to ESPN.
Udoka produced it a position of emphasis Tuesday, and Brown came out and laid down a marker by drilling three fast middies early.
“We understood these are open up,” Udoka mentioned. “You do not have to in excess of penetrate and drive into the bigs and acquire the 3 only. We have two really elite mid-range shooters and we welcome those photographs primarily when they are again in that fall.”
Get Good again
Boston designed all those defensive changes and held the Bucks to 86 factors without having Defensive Player of the 12 months Marcus Intelligent, who was out with a right quad contusion. They are anticipating with Game 3 in Milwaukee not right until Saturday that he can return by then.
“I never imagine it is very long-phrase,” Udoka stated. “’With a few days off we’re assuming he’ll be Ok.”
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