Have the Celtics found their answer for Giannis in Grant Williams? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON — At first blush, the strategy seems counterintiutive: stick a 6-foot-6 role player on the 6-foot-11 Giannis Antetokounmpo and ask him to guard one of the top five players in the league 1-on-1.
But that’s exactly what Celtics head coach Ime Udoka did with Grant Williams at TD Garden on Tuesday night — with impressive results.
Williams and Al Horford took turns matching up solo with the Milwaukee Bucks superstar for the majority of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Williams carrying most of the load.
Antetokounmpo’s stat line through one half? Five points on 2 of 12 shooting.
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Giannis eventually got his, scoring 23 second-half points to finish with 28 on the night. But those were mostly empty calories, as Boston’s first-half work on the NBA MVP finalist helped the team establish a double-digit lead it never relinquished en route to a 109-86 victory.
“We talked about guarding him a little bit more 1-on-1. We feel like we have the defensive guys to do it,” Udoka said of the Celtics’ defensive game plan for Antetokounmpo. “Obviously he came out extra-aggressive in the second half, but to score 28 on 27 shots, we were defending well initially.
“Grant’s a big part of that. His versatility is something I talk about. He’s like a mini Al out there. His versatility to be able to switch onto guards and guard (Giannis) 1-on-1 in the post and be physical and frustrate him to some extent is what we need with a player like that.
“That’s one of Grant’s main strengths is guarding guys like that.”
Williams was by far Boston’s best defender on Antetokounmpo, staying solid on Giannis’ post-ups and forcing him into tough fadeaway jumpers or offensive fouls. The player who wanted to be called “The Batman” for his work on Nikola Jokic earlier this season reminded his coaches once again why he can be trusted in isolation against elite offensive players.
“I view it as guarding him on an island where it’s just you and him,” Williams said after the game. “You have to do your job. And for us, that was kind of how we viewed it in this game to see how it would go.
“He started being a lot more aggressive in the second half and getting downhill and creating for himself, but it’s just one of those things where you’ve got to hunker down and trust in the work that you’ve done and do your best to contain one of the best players in the world.”
By not needing to help on Antetokounmpo, the Celtics’ other defenders could stay home and take away passing lanes. Boston effectively eliminated Milwaukee’s outside game Tuesday, as the Bucks made just three 3-pointers on 18 attempts compared to 20 3-pointers for the C’s.
If the Celtics can repeat that defensive formula when the series shifts to Milwaukee for Games 3 and 4, they should continue to find success. But Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer offered a subtle postgame reminder of who we’re dealing with here.
“Giannis, he always figures things out,” Budenholzer said.
Indeed, Antetokounmpo didn’t sound particularly flustered despite hitting just 38.4 percent of his shots (20 for 52) through Games 1 and 2.
“It doesn’t really change my (approach). I’ve seen it pretty much my whole career,” Antetokounmpo said. ” … I’m gonna go home, eat something — I don’t know, watch some Netflix, Hulu, HBO, whatever. Play with my kids, get some shots up, practice, watch film and get ready for Game 3. We know what the deal is.”
This series might hinge on what version of Giannis we see after his three days of rest — and whether Williams can continue to prevent one of the game’s best players from taking over on the offensive end.
