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“Nothing can cease me,” sings Bas in his new tune, “Run It Up,” which has but to be launched however serves because the intro tune for ESPN’s NBA Playoffs broadcasts this year. It’s becoming, in fact: no matter workforce stays standing on the finish will be capable of say that nothing may cease them on their method to championship glory. And forward of Sunday’s Recreation 1 tilt between the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks, all indicators pointed to this collection being a rattling good preview as to who may characterize the Jap Convention within the Finals.
However on Sunday solely of these two groups — the latter, the defending champs — one which nobody can cease. Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo — 24 factors, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists — and Jrue Vacation — 25 factors and 10 rebounds — specifically, the Bucks dominated Recreation 1, bullying their method to a 101-89 win and the early 1-0 collection benefit.
To start the primary quarter, the Celtics took benefit of what the Bucks are keen to provide them: comparatively uncontested triples, particularly these tried by Boston’s “lesser” deep threats. Each Al Horford and Marcus Sensible related from three for the workforce’s first two buckets, a development that might want to proceed all through the collection as Milwaukee seems to remove Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as a lot as attainable.
However in response, and in an effort to maintain issues shut, the Bucks will moreover want what they received from Jrue Holiday within the opening interval. With the affirmation that Khris Middleton will remain sidelined for the entire series with a torn MCL coming late final week, Milwaukee will want no matter they’ll get from contributors not named Giannis Antetokounmpo. To that finish, Vacation was correctly aggressive on the offensive finish, flattening two early triples and attacking the basket with aplomb in the course of the sport’s early moments. By means of one, he led the Bucks in scoring with six factors.
Boston’s offense went quiet within the quarter’s last two minutes following an electrical putback detonation from Brown that gave them a 24-17 lead. That was simply one of many Celtics’ 4 offensive rebounds within the first, in addition to simply two of their eight first-quarter factors within the paint. And regardless of a typically-stout early effort on the defensive finish from Boston for a lot of the primary quarter, it was a late 10-nothing Bucks run that gave the customer’s the 27-24 benefit after one.
For the primary couple of minutes of the second, it regarded as if this sport may flip right into a story as outdated as, properly, the primary half of the common season — lackadaisical decision-making led to a large deficit, and persistently inconsistent offensive manufacturing from the workforce’s two stars was an excessive amount of for the supporting forged to make up for. With simply over 5 minutes to go within the first half, Tatum and Brown had mixed for simply six factors on two-of-11 capturing, whereas for the sport, Boston had turned it over 9 instances, resulting in 14 Milwaukee factors. Ime Udoka known as a timeout with 5:31 remaining and the Celtics trailing by eight, and any respectable lipreader may make out a pointed message: “Guys. What the f***?”
Brown and Tatum would each hit just a few threes to get again on observe and to get Boston inside 4, however the Bucks wasted no time in delivering a solution. His (cursed) identify? Grayson Allen. He scored all 9 of his first-half factors from three within the second, and the Bucks took a 56-46 lead into the break. Boston shot simply 34 p.c from the sector; Tatum (30 p.c capturing) and Brown (25 p.c) had been relative non-factors, taking part in sluggish ball by the primary half, a nightmare begin for the precise gamers the Bucks wish to render ineffective. Milwaukee, in the meantime, completed the half on an 11-3 run. Antetokounmpo led the way in which, as he does, with a ho-hum triple-double within the works: 14 factors, eight rebounds, and 7 assists.
Close to the tip of the second, Marcus Sensible jogged to the locker room with what a shoulder damage. However at halftime, Shams Charania reported that he would return regardless of a proper shoulder stinger and proper quad contusion.
Sensible made his presence felt early within the third quarter, aiding on an early Tatum triple and ending a reverse layup of his personal to maintain Boston’s deficit within the single digits. Because the interval continued, although, Milwaukee’s physicality gave them the benefit. Giannis Antetokounmpo crashed the boards and drew fouls with a function, and whereas he wasn’t as prolific a bucket-getter within the third as he was within the first half, he did every thing else. As a lot as Al Horford deterred what would usually be simple buckets for Giannis within the paint, Giannis tormented Boston together with his imaginative and prescient and size. Nearly each time Boston knocking on the door of getting again into this sport, Giannis snatched a rebound, pressured a turnover, or dished it to an open teammate. And on one specific drive, he was simply as superhuman as ever.
Right here’s the place the sport in the end may have flipped: Giannis picked up consecutive fouls, and exited the sport with 3:37 remaining within the third after selecting up his fourth on an ill-advised steal try with Jayson Tatum dribbling aimlessly in double protection roughly 35 ft from the cup. Bucks’ head coach Mike Budenholzer threw up his arms — his personal model of Udoka’s “Guys. What the f***?” — and subbed him out.
Earlier within the sport, Milwaukee was outscored by seven factors with Giannis sitting. However with Giannis using the pine within the third, the Bucks didn’t fold. They managed to outscore the Celtics 6-5 in the course of the quarter’s last three and a half minutes, not a groundbreaking margin, however sufficient to maintain their lead at or round eight-to-10 factors. On the finish of the third, the Celtics trailed 78-70, taking part in admissable protection however discovering nothing on offense.
Jayson Tatum’s afternoon wasn’t what we’re used to seeing from him, however it was Jaylen Brown’s horrendous outing that may have been the difference-maker. Coming into the fourth, he was simply two-for-11 from the sector, however much more frustratingly, he had racked up 5 turnovers, lots of which got here in driving conditions the place he appeared to lose his method on the assault. Brown failed to search out the open man when he had two units of eyes pointed his method. And his passes by no means put his teammates ready to create or get a great shot off.
Brown lastly discovered the vary within the fourth, flattening two threes in a matter of minutes to trim Boston’s deficit to 13, however the truth that it was so massive to start with was the principal subject. For 40 minutes or so, Brown, frankly, regarded indifferent, nearly like he was taking part in a sport in mid-November. Giannis, in the meantime, didn’t even have to go nuclear so as to have one of the best outing of any participant on the ground. He completed with a triple-double and was an particularly savvy passer all day; he arrange his teammates with open seems off penetration, and people teammates gave him cause to belief them, simply as they’ve all season. Giannis additionally managed to, properly, do that.
Antetokounmpo wasn’t even their main scorer — that was Vacation, who stuffed Khris Middleton’s sneakers fairly properly on each ends — however the two-time MVP led the way in which from an general perspective, scoring or aiding on 55 Milwaukee factors whereas he was on the ground. With underneath two minutes remaining, the Celtics emptied their bench, thus conceding the primary sport of this second-round collection (and homecourt benefit, for what it’s price) to the defending NBA champions. The Bucks adopted swimsuit briefly order, however not earlier than letting their starters dribble round a short while longer, maybe unintentionally including one final insult to the 48-minute damage.
It’s just one sport, however Milwaukee regarded like a workforce with an curiosity in defending their title whereas Boston regarded like a workforce nonetheless distant from being able to win one. That’s the type of overreaction a loss like this could trigger. After all, as soon as Recreation 2 rolls round on Tuesday evening, the Celtics may have had an opportunity to look at the movie and readjust their sport plan, particularly on offense.
Then once more, so will the Bucks, a workforce that continues to be terrifying, full-strength or not. This has the potential to be a protracted collection. However as evidenced on Sunday, Milwaukee is greater than able to making it a fast one, too.
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