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By way of two video games, the Boston Celtics have held Giannis Antetokounmpo to 20-of-52 taking pictures from the sphere (38.5 p.c). For reference, the Greek Freak solely shot beneath that mark seven instances throughout the common season in 67 video games. And whereas Boston’s offense has been a group effort this 12 months, Ime Udoka determined to cease doubling Antetokounmpo in Recreation 2 and rested that accountability with on a single participant. Because of this, one hero stood above the remainder when it got here to stopping the six-time All-Star.
Batman.
Grant Williams guarded Antetokounmpo more than anyone else in Game 2, matching up with him for five:44 of recreation time. When guarded by Williams, Antetokounmpo shot 4-of-10 from the sphere on roughly 31 possessions. The Milwaukee Bucks celebrity completed the sport with 28 factors on 27 pictures and was a -11 on the evening.
After the competition, Williams spoke to the media in regards to the satisfaction he takes in guarding Antetokounmpo. He famous the group’s adjustment in defensive gameplan and mentioned that it’s only a matter of doing his job:
I view it as guarding him on an island. The place it’s simply you and him, and it’s important to do your job. And for us, that was form of how we considered it for this recreation, to see the way it will go… It’s important to form of hunker down and, and belief within the work that you simply’ve finished, and do your greatest to include probably the greatest gamers on this planet.
Williams’ hard-nosed protection was well-received by the TNT broadcast crew. At one level on an Antetokounmpo drive, Brian Anderson even proclaimed, “you may’t run via Grant Williams”:
Boston’s bodily protection was met with much more physicality by the Bucks. By the top of the sport, each groups had been battling forwards and backwards, ramming one another within the paint. Williams credited the Bucks for his or her bodily play and willingness to depart all of it out on the court docket:
In terms of that, this is likely one of the best groups you play within the league. And so they have guys down the road that you’ve the utmost respect for due to that. Giannis, Bobby (Portis), guys like that, they method basketball as if it’s life dependent. And people are those you’d love enjoying towards as a result of it brings extra out of you.
The third-year ahead has been on a tear all through the postseason. Throughout Boston’s sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, he guarded Kevin Durant greater than anybody outdoors of Jayson Tatum. Within the 13:05 he spent guarding Durant, he held the Nets star to 6-of-20 taking pictures, together with 0-of-4 from deep, and compelled 5 turnovers.
However Williams hasn’t simply been nice on the defensive finish. In Recreation 2, he additionally managed to notch a career-high in factors, scoring 21 on 7-of-14 taking pictures from the sphere and 6-of-9 from three-point vary. When requested about this and the group’s offensive enhancements from Recreation 1, Williams credited Boston’s ball motion:
It’s nearly making the fitting reads. Making the fitting play. Within the first recreation, we did a form of a poor job, simply getting rushed, form of forcing pictures up. If the primary three that we noticed that was open we form of we shot regardless of if there was three individuals flying at us. So tonight, we simply knew that the extra we moved it, the extra alternative it might be open.
After totaling 18 assists in Recreation 1, that quantity jumped to twenty-eight for Boston in Recreation 2, an enormous purpose behind that was their three-point taking pictures. The Celtics shot 20-of-43 (46.5 p.c) from deep in Recreation 2, punishing Milwaukee’s defensive gameplan.
Boston will now head to Milwaukee for Video games 3 and 4 of the collection with issues all tied up at one apiece. Antetokounmpo and his group will undoubtedly be considering up methods to get round Williams and Al Horford, however till they show they will, the Celtics can sustain with what they’ve been doing.
Recreation 3 can be this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST on ABC.
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