With four upsets in the first five minutes of the game, the Bucks neglected the game from the first round that was transferred to the beginning. Milwaukee countered with a series of 10-0 to close the tenth minute, however they were ahead with 27-24. The Bucks looked even more restrained in the second period, as the Celtics looked a little hesitant and Milwaukee found a 56-46 lead behind the 50% shot from deep. The Bucks seemed to be having problems with John leaving with four fouls and three minutes left, but they managed to extend their lead from that point onwards, keeping the 78-70 advantage to start the fourth. That score lasted and then a bit, as Milwaukee’s defense hit Boston and Ime Udoka waved the white flag for two minutes to stay.
Three points
John embraced the path of the playmaker. In the first half, while he had difficulty finding his way under the rim (just 4-13), he took advantage of his isolation against the Celtics’ biggest defenders and managed to break up the defense and his shooters paid for it. He made several sterling passes and reduced the overturns after the start of the game. While he struggled overall from the pitch, just 9-25 from the pitch, he took advantage of the discrepancies and found his teammates when needed. Also, credit to Mike Budenholzer for keeping him on track for at least 42 minutes if it weren’t for his foul and the Bucks won that with at least two minutes to go. Milwaukee changed the turnover scenario. The Bucks started this game with seven caps, giving the Celtics plenty of shots and generally seemed unable to properly protect the ball. This was what made this game so impressive in the final stage, as they finished with just 14 compared to 18 in Boston. More importantly, they scored 27 points from Boston’s blunders, while the Celtics collected just six. What a job for the team that locks up again in the last quarters of this match. Delivered Jrue Holiday. His impact was not particularly felt in the first half, but was imposed in the second half by pushing himself into the Boston defenders and pushing his way to the brink. Defensively, he managed to get in the face of Boston throughout the second half, forcing upsets and difficult shots, but the rough thing for the Celtics fans is that I did not even think they were at their best in that end. Nailing his 3-5 from deep was crucial, and secretly important was his 6-6 from the line, including some key delays.
Bucks Bits Bonus
Milwaukee opened with John guarding Jaylen Brown, Wes Matthews on Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday on Marcus Smart. It was a delightful start to watch Jrue Holiday watch his first two three-pointers fall. Grayson Allen was the first submarine off the bench for Jru Holliday and teamed up with Marcus Smart to get started. After Jalen Brown made a U-turn right on John’s head, he showed a really impressive balance by going to Al Horford on the other end and creating an absurdly open three-pointer for Portis at the top of the arc with a beautiful pass. Can you imagine being Jayson Tatum in the first period and overtaking Brook Lopez in the corner to get to the edge, only to see John reach out his huge arms to the edge? Bobby Portis made a really impressive pass in the second half, grabbing the ball from a slingshot with one hand by John and immediately throwing it to Pat Connaughton in the corner for a three-pointer. With a bloodthirsty crowd at TD Garden, John who shot down his first four free throws was an encouraging, quiet development. Grayson Allen was quite impressive in his tenure in this game with a real test against a Playoff defense, he nailed his three-pointers and most amazingly, removing Robert Williams III from the dribble and hitting a floater against him. He also did a very good job of digging without leaving his man too much on the perimeter and forcing a few steals. Also huge praise to him who was an absolute parasite defensively with three steals as well. Milwaukee did not score a three-pointer in the third quarter (0-8), but managed to lose the period by only two points. If you wanted a comparison of role players in this, there was a perfect example in the fourth quarter, when Payton Pritchard scored an open three-pointer after a defensive error, and at the other end John kicked in the corner for a three-pointer he fired.
This may be the feature that John plays now … he bounces it off the board and hits it hard at home.
Support our site! | BreakingT | ESPN + | ESPN + 30 For 30 | fuboTV | Disney +
