The Celtics picked up their defensive intensity to seal an impressive Game 1 road win over the Bucks on Sunday, swarming the paint and putting an emphasis on slowing down Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo’s primary defender, Al Horford, recorded three blocks (two of which were on him). The Celtics as a whole held the Bucks to just 35% shooting from the floor, including a 7-for-21 performance from Antetokounmpo. Boston’s energy drained Milwaukee, leading to the dominate 112-90 win.
“They were loading [the paint] a lot,” Antetokounmpo said, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “Lots of guys in the paint. Whenever I got in the paint, when I spin or try and change direction, the second guy was right there.
“I’ve just gotta go watch tape. If they are going to play like this the whole series, I have to be able to make the right pass, trust my teammates to knock down shots.”
For Horford and the Celtics, containing Antetokounmpo was the game plan entering Game 1. The next challenge for Boston is dealing with Milwaukee’s adjustments entering Game 2 on Tuesday night.
“I just think that our group, we all understood how we needed to defend and how dangerous he is once he gets it in the paint,” Horford said of Antetokounmpo. “So constantly tonight, we had a couple of breakdowns, but for the most part, I feel like everyone was very aware. Our guards really did a good job of helping and closing down lanes and things like that, and we just wanted to challenge and contest every shot as best we could.”
There’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- The Heat could wait it out with Goran Dragic entering the final season of his contract, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. Dragic will decide in the coming weeks whether to exercise his $19.2MM player option for next season, though Winderman notes it wouldn’t be beneficial for the team to extend him on a cheaper, multi-year deal that cuts into future cap space. Should Dragic opt into his player option, he’d become an unrestricted free agent in July of 2020.
- Miami has a long way to go before achieving star status in the East, Winderman writes in a separate article for The Sun Sentinel. The Heat essentially have the same roster situation they did a year ago (minus the fact that Dwyane Wade has retired), leaving more questions than answers about the organization entering this summer. The team is coming off a disappointing 2018/19 season that saw them finish at 39-43, the sixth worst record in the conference.
- The Pacers would be smart to consider trading one of Myles Turner or Domantas Sabonis this summer, Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star opines. Indiana was swept by Boston in the first round of the playoffs this spring, failing to effectively play without injured star Victor Oladipo.
bucks had no answers to the celtics dominance it’ll be a quick series if they can’t figure things out
Problem is the bucks don’t switch. They play old school straight up defense.
these are the bucks we’ve always known “a collection of average role players”
You talking about the sad Celtics, right? It is only 1 game dude… But I suppose when you follow a team that has only won 1 ring in the last 33 years, you must make do with just winning odd games against better teams!
Funny
How many have the Bucks won in the last 33 years? I forget.
I guess one is better than none.
Celtics are a straight up deeper and more talented team than the Bucks. The Bucks just got exposed in game 1. Celtics in 6
Unless you’re giving him a 3/30 I don’t see why he would turn down 19 mil.
Disappointed in Bledsoe, esp with Smart out. Maybe Brogdon was more key than I thought. The Celts were the only team that seemed organized today.
Bledsoe pooped his pants, after puffing his chest about the series to come. I knew Brogdon was going to be vital to their success beyond round 1. 50-40-90 and defense. He’s a very good 3rd/4th option on this team.
It’s 1 game… Celtics aren’t going to shoot 54% again. They’ll shoot in the mid 40s tho. They shoot 45% it’s a much closer game.
I know Brogdon does good things, but he seemed very background. He switches sides a lot because Bledsoe doesn’t and they must need him for their excellent flow. Since the Celtics were good at jamming up Giannis and the Bucks are not likely to go away from him, the Bucks will need to stage a comeback after Brogdon returns.
Like @greg1 I also wonder about Budenhofer, who I think did not interview well after the game, but then, he had to contemplate a sudden mess with no clear fix.
Brogdon must do an unusual amount of strategy for a 2G. Maybe all new 2Gs should serve an ‘apprenticeship’ at PG.
Worried about the Bucks, specifically because of Coach Bud. He’s got a track record of great regular seasons followed by disappointment in the playoffs from his Hawks day’s. Don’t know if it’s that he isn’t able to make adjustments in the playoffs or something else, but if the Bucks lose badly in this series, I wonder if the questions on his ability to lead a team in the postseason start to gather steam.
Dragic declining his option would be stupid.