Adapting to a Whole New Animal
Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks was not what the world was used to seeing from the Boston Celtics. There was no sense of urgency from a team that ran through the Nets in the first round. Jaylen Brown had one of his worst games of the season, shooting just 4-13 from the field for just a dismal 12 points. It was Brown's worst shooting percentage in a single contest since the beginning of February against the Denver Nuggets. The atmosphere was electric to see the red-hot Celtics attempt to keep the streak alive, but the Bucks, along with the referees had different plans for how Game 1 would end up going. It was an uncharacteristic contest for the Celtics this season as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday willed their team without All-Star Khris Middleton to a victory in a packed TD Garden.
C/O: AP Photo/Steven Senne
After the defeat, Brown spoke on the series looking forward, "We’ve been resilient all year...This is just a testament to what we have experienced throughout the season, the ups and downs. We’ve experienced highs and lows. This group is tested so we just got to come out, keep our confidence, keep our faith in each other, don’t lose our trust, stay connected, execute the game plan, and it’ll work out...We all had a rough night...Nobody should hang their head down. We’re in this together. All that matters is if you win or if you lose. I got all the faith in the world in JB, he’ll be better in Game 2. We all expect to play better. You can’t change what happened tonight, just got to get ready for the next one."
Watching Boston perform at a high level every single night over the past few months made people forget what life was like back in December. On Sunday afternoon in the TD Garden, the Celtics reminded everyone of those times when they just simply could not buy a bucket no matter how open the shot was. It was the worst field goal percentage that Boston has had all season at 33.3% and that includes the game where the Celtics went 4-42 from beyond the arc back in December against the Clippers. Boston knew it was going to face an entirely different animal in the Milwaukee Bucks compared to the Brooklyn Nets. It was the first double-digit loss since the month of February against the Indiana Pacers.
The first game of the season was a reality check for the rest of the postseason for the Celtics. The journey in the second half of the season has been relatively seamless, and after seeing the Bucks out physical Boston, Udoka realizes he has a lot of work to do. Brooklyn is not a very physical team with the talent it has, but the Bucks provide a whole different culture that the Celtics have been known for as the team reached the two seed.
C/O: USA Today Sports
After the loss, the entire team and coaching staff remain confident that they can do to recover against a team with one of the best players on the planet. Milwaukee did not shy away from the outside noise of losing home court to Boston on the last day of the season. The defending champions do what champions are known to do, snatch the advantage that you had to start away as quickly as possible.
From picking up the three-quarters court to converting on almost every giveaway that was given to them. 27 points off turnovers compared to the six that Boston had fueled a lot of what the Bucks did in Game 1. Shot selection from three was another concern heading into the rest of the series. 50 three-pointers shot by the Celtics let the Bucks sit back and prepare for a defensive rebound. Shooting those easy three-pointers gives Milwaukee exactly what it wants Boston to do. Driving the basket, kicking to the wings, and swinging it around the perimeter exhausts a defense as the game moves on. Attacking the bigs in the paint, and finding the open man on the outside keeps the Bucks on their feet the entire game. Against Milwaukee, threes are easy to come by. The key is to make this teamwork as hard as possible on the defensive end through the ball movement that it has been known for during its late run in during the regular season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was relatively poor from the field, the problem was the assists that he had. Helping on Giannis is essential, but it was almost too much in Game 1 as it left plenty of his teammates open from some wide-open threes. Bobby Portis Jr, Grayson Allen, and Pat Connaughton were deadly from the perimeter off of Antetokounmpo's passes. There has not been a happy medium between helping Giannis and staying with the right player the entire time. Shifting over a little to the paint and keeping an eye on the individuals on the arc could be a solution, but giving some of the role players that much space on the outside to knock down relatively uncontested shots is not going to get the job done.
A quick turnaround for Game 2 at the Garden as the Celtics will have to fight for their lives on their home floor before heading to Milwaukee for a decisive two games. It would be obvious to say that if Boston drops the second game on its home court, it would be hard to see the series shift in the Celtics' favor. Most of the things that Boston needs to make adjustments to are things that know how to do. From not playing too much help defense, and limiting turnovers to capitalizing on some of the Bucks' defensive collapses, Udoka has a lot of work to do before the ball tips for Game 2.
The key part of this contest was not during it, it was after. Not one player on the team had their head hanging, thinking this series was over. They know how good they can be when they are at their best. Sunday afternoon was not their best, but they have a chance to redeem themselves soon after. Get back to the identity that this team Udoka has cemented into this team for the next game. If the Bucks want to be physical, Boston needs to do the exact same thing. Udoka and the Celtics are built on toughness and fearlessness on both ends of the floor. Leaning on those two things against the Bucks will remind the defending champions who they are actually playing in the second round.
