The Boston Celtics didn’t simply win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals over the Milwaukee Bucks, they dominated the Eastern Conference’s top-ranked team 112-90.
As much as Kyrie Irving (26 points), Al Horford (20), Jaylen Brown (19), and Gordon Hayward’s (13) took care of things on the offensive end, Boston’s defense reigned supreme.
Al Horford, Marcus Morris and a mixture of other Celtics were able to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo en route to 22 points. While he still got his fill of points, Milwaukee’s superstar was only 7-for-21 from the floor.
Along with Horford stifling Antetokounmpo, Boston’s help-defense was a big part of the team’s defensive efficiency. When asked about the C’s approach to The Greek Freak following the win, Brad Stevens refused to give away Boston’s game plan.
Obviously, without getting too far into it, you have to pay that guy a lot of attention when he’s driving the ball. And you have to get back out to shooters. So how’s that for a non-committal answer?
The Celtics held Milwaukee to a 34.8 field goal percentage (33.3 three-point percentage) in the win. Boston may have to tinker with their approach in Game 2, knowing full well Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer and his staff will study the film to find the holes in the Celtics defensive approach.
