The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks grabbed a crucial Game 1 victory in Boston against the Celtics. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo finished the game with a triple-double, while Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown struggled to get into gear. Understandably, there were more jeers than cheers from Celtics fans online afterward.
Dropping a home game against against such a formidable opponent isn’t great news for the C’s. But it’s also not a death sentence. For head coach Ime Udoka, this is a chance to make meaningful adjustments, as well as to concede a little bit of bad luck and try and help his club move on.
Let’s take a look at some of the most crucial takeaways from Game 1 as we look ahead to the rest of the series.
‘Stopping’ Giannis is a relative term
By some measures, Giannis played out of his mind in Game 1. He finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists, and was a +23 for the contest. Before the action, I suggested that Giannis may average a triple-double for the series. On Sunday, Antetokounmpo’s passing and rebounding made Boston’s otherwise stingy defense look a little bamboozled.
Even with the right defense schemes and assignments, Giannis is going to impact the game from every angle. Unlike Kyrie Irving or Kevin Durant, the Celtics can’t put the Greek Freak on an island and hope to shut him down. Instead, they’ll need to mitigate what he does as best they can.
And to Boston’s credit, they were relatively successful in doing so on Sunday. Sure, Giannis had his fingerprints all over a well-deserved Game 1 victory. However, he shot a meager 9-25 from the field, 6-11 from the free-throw line, and had five turnovers. The same blitzing double-teams we saw against KD had Antetokounmpo a little puzzled.
That frustration had Giannis in foul trouble at times. He took an extended rest during the third quarter after picking up his fourth foul with the Bucks up just six. This was a key moment for the Celtics – Giannis looked human.
The Celtics can’t waste any opportunities
The aforementioned stretched where Giannis went to the bench following his fourth foul covered the final 3:37 of the third quarter. Milwaukee extended its lead by two points in this time. When lady luck came around, the Celtics fumbled the bag in a big way.
The C’s shot a preposterous 50 three-point attempts in Game 1, and many of these were surprisingly open looks. Frustratingly for the C’s, though, they connected on a good-not-great 36% of shots from deep. Marcus Smart, Payton Pritchard, and Jaylen Brown collectively went 6 of 23 shooting the three ball. That’s a lot of points left on the board.
Boston cannot afford to miss these moments. And when the team does stagnate, the leaders of the club need to step in. Udoka needs to make an adjustment. Jayson Tatum needs to play to that MVP-level we saw in round-one. Smart needs to right the ship. The Celtics need to seize every little advantage they can, and if those chances appear to slip away, someone’s gotta step up.
Expect things to stay physical
We saw Marcus Smart leave Sunday’s action following a blow to the shoulder. Robert Williams was brought to his knees when Giannis inadvertently landed a kick between the legs. Jayson Tatum found himself on the floor quite often. I’m sure the Bucks players are also feeling it after a very hard-fought game.
In the opening round of the postseason, Milwaukee ranked No. 1 in personal fouls. Boston, meanwhile, ranked No. 3 in fouls drawn. Both teams can play with finesse and poise while also getting physical.
We know the Celtics have some real gravel in their gut. But the same is true of Bobby Portis, Grayson Allen, and other Bucks players. This is going to be a very physical series, and that was on full display in Game 1.
Jaylen Brown needs to get comfortable
Al Horford looked great on both sides of the ball for the C’s. Derrick White, despite a few turnovers, had an okay afternoon. Everyone else wearing Celtics green played a forgettable game.
Jaylen Brown in particular will need to shake off the rust moving forward for the Celtics. If his hamstring tightness is indeed a non-issue, he needs to find ways to get into rhythm early on. In the first quarter on Sunday, he forced the issue, setting the tone for the entire contest. Udoka and Brown will need to find ways to get JB comfortable and relaxed – when he slips up on offense, he can sometimes lag on defense.
The stretches where Jayson Tatum rests and Jaylen Brown is the focal point are equally important. Often this is the start to the fourth quarter, and if Brown can play better here, that will be a major swing for the C’s. It wasn’t until the wheels really came off that this game got out of hand, and a stronger performance from Jaylen Brown will alleviate that.
Boston can win this series
Look, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP with a 50-point performance to close out the 2021 NBA Finals under his belt. The Greek Freak gets the first and last word here. If he goes generational supernova from here on out, the Bucks may be headed to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The early returns suggest that if any team has the means to slow Giannis down, however, it’s Boston. He was everywhere in Game 1, but the Celtics’ blend of switching and tight one-on-one defense knocked Antetokounmpo off his game. Not a ton. But enough.
Boston may have underestimated Jrue Holiday and Pat Connaughton on Sunday. Those screws can be tightened. The blueprint needs to change, but the model is there. Holding a Bucks team that averaged the third-most points per game in the regular season to just 101 on Sunday is a great sign.
The Celtics, meanwhile, had arguably a worst-case-scenario performance in Game 1. The club shot just 33% from the field, coughed up 18 turnovers, and simply failed to get into the drivers seat.
We saw Boston regress at times against Brooklyn in round-one, and that same trend held on Sunday. We also saw the Celtics play to their potential, and if the C’s can shape up heading into Game 2 and beyond, this may be a long series.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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