He increased Milwaukee’s lead to 16 to six minutes to play. And all fleeting hopes that Boston had for returning to Sunday’s 101-89 defeat ended. “He threw it on the board,” said Antetokunbo. “I am lucky that God blessed me with the ability to jump.” Deadpanned Jrue Holiday, “I Could Do It [that] in an eight-foot wreath “. Mike Budenholzer added, “This is just pure talent, just pure instinct. He’s a great player, he does things that are unique, special and relevant. This is one of those games where you’re just happy to be with us.” Milwaukee won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday. And Antitokunbo reminded everyone why he should still be considered the best player on the planet. It was not vintage John. Shoot 9-pro-25. He missed all three. He committed a foolish foul – the fourth – at the end of the third quarter that sent him to the bench. But he scored 24 points. Download 13 rebounds. He gave 12 assists. He contributed to a suffocating defense of the Bucks. And, most importantly, his team won. David Butler II / USA Today Sports The MVP will be revealed later this month. John will not win it. He will probably not finish above third place. But his game on Sunday is a reminder that when he is sharp, he is almost non-stop. Are these the Boston defenders who effectively restricted Kevin Durand? Antitokunbo went right into them. When Boston shuffled its defenses, John patiently singled it out. “We went very fast [with double teams] “Sometimes,” said Celtics coach Ime Udoka. “He will find these passes, so we must be careful not to come too fast with the double.” Scroll to continue Boston faced Brooklyn in the last round. But this is a different series. The Bucks love physical play. “I may be curious, but I thrive on physicality,” said Antitokunbo. And Milwaukee can enjoy it. The Bucks’ first line with John, Brooke Lopez and Bobby Portis dominated the Celtics front, controlling the glass (54-48 on rebounds) and limiting Boston to 20 points. They forced reversals (18) and achieved many of them (27 points) while limiting the Celtics’ production in color (20 points) “We were hit in the mouth early,” said Jaylen Brown. Al Horford said, “It was on a different level.” Boston has an elite defense. In Game 1, Milwaukee was better. Jason Tatum scored 21 points. Brown had 12. As a team, the Celtics shot 33.3% from the field. They made just 10 shots through the three-pointer. Lopez’s return from a back injury in mid-March transformed a good Bucks defense into excellent. In Game 1, Lopez had 10 rebounds and three rebounds in 28 minutes. “He is so active,” Antetokunbo said. “He was amazing.” Awesome; This is Antitokunbo. Any other year, Antitokunbo would be a player for the MVP. During the regular season he averaged 30 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists. He remained one of the top defensive players in the NBA. In the first round against Chicago, John averaged 28.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists, numbers that would have been better if he had not played just 29 minutes in a laugh in Game 3. The Bucks have drawn the first blood in this series. The absence of Chris Middleton is important, who is expected to lose this series due to a knee injury, but Milwaukee believes that he can win with a solid defense. From the sluggish first two games against Chicago they looked like the defenders of the champions. “I think we played much better defensively [since then]”, Said Antetokunbo. “We have realized that in order to win games we have to be careful. One of our best scorers is not out there. We know we must be careful. “If we do not save, we will not have a chance.” The Celtics need to be reorganized. “We have to do a better job of doing what we want to do and not let them dictate it throughout the game,” Tatum said. They have to match Milwaukee’s fitness. They have to get out of the three-point line (50 attempts in game 1) and impose the color problem. The advantage of the indoor court has disappeared. The momentum gained from a four-game sweep of Brooklyn has come a long way. “We were resilient all year,” Brown said. “This is just a proof of what we experienced throughout the season, the ups and downs. “This team is tested, so we just have to go out with confidence and not lose our faith in each other.” And they have to restrain John. The former MVP will not win an MVP, but plays like an MVP. Middleton’s injury hurts. But against Boston, Antitokunbo and a solid defense can be enough. More NBA Covers:
