3 takeaways from the Celtics’ series-clinching Game 7 win over the Bucks
Boston will face the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
COMMENTARY
The Celtics are on to Philadelphia.
After besting the Bucks, 112-96, in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series Saturday night, Boston will take on the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“I think it’s going to be a great matchup,” Celtics forward Marcus Morris told reporters after the game. “They’re playing hard. They’re doing something special over there in Philly, but so are we in Boston.”
Morris, who scored 10 points off the bench Saturday, is right. The Celtics are doing something special. Against all odds — their season was supposed to be “over” in October — this team now has the opportunity to advance to back-to-back conference finals for the first time in over three decades.
Playing without Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Daniel Theis, the injury-ridden team seemingly always finds a way to win.
Here’s what we learned from their Game 7 victory over Milwaukee:
In spite of the win, Boston can’t catch a break.
Forward Jaylen Brown limped off the court in the second quarter with what was initially ruled a sore right hamstring. He spent the remainder of the half in the locker room, but returned to the court to warm up after halftime. Brown didn’t check back into the game, however, as the Celtics were able to get the job done without him.
“Obviously, I was told that if we got in a pinch that he could play,” coach Brad Stevens said in his postgame conference. “We decided that that was not going to happen . . . Let’s see how he feels tomorrow.”
Brown told reporters after the game he was diagnosed with a grade 1 hamstring strain. He is scheduled to get an MRI Sunday.
“It’s a little sore,” he said. “It could be worse.”
Losing Brown is the last thing the Celtics need as they move forward in the postseason. As teammate Jayson Tatum put it, “JB can score 20-30 points any night and he’s a great defender.” Should Brown miss part of the series against Philadelphia, Boston is certainly familiar with the “next man up” mentality, but another injury to the starting lineup could prove to be too much to overcome.
The Celtics have returned to their defensive roots.
Milwaukee scored zero fast-break points Saturday — a stat even Marcus Morris couldn’t believe after the game.
Marcus Morris was in disbelief the Celtics held the Bucks to 0 fast-break points: “Damn. Zero?” pic.twitter.com/uFYx5EfGjD
— Nicole Yang (@nicolecyang) April 29, 2018
The Celtics have reignited one of the keys that propelled their 16-game win streak at the beginning of the season: playing exceptional defense. The shift back to where it all began is undoubtedly due in part to the return of the pugnacious Marcus Smart, but there’s another, perhaps unlikely, player who is also responsible for Boston’s success in limiting opposing players.
“Semi is probably the guy that we need to be talking about because, defensively, we’re not able to do all that we were able to do without Semi,” center Al Horford told reporters. “I felt like he changed the series for us. A lot of credit goes to him. He did an unbelievable job on Giannis . . . When we needed him the most, he stepped up, and, like I said, we don’t win the series without him.”
Ojeleye earned his first career NBA start in Game 5, with the tall task of guarding Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. He doesn’t score many points — nor does he take many shots — but his effective defense on the Greek Freak gave Stevens the confidence to start him in Games 6 and 7 as well.
“I thought he was unbelievable in these three games defensively against Giannis,” Stevens said.
Ojeleye limited Antetokounmpo to four points on 1-for-5 shooting in the first quarter Saturday — just a snippet of his inspiring defensive performance. Ojeleye said he tried to stay in front, be physical, and just make it tough for Antetokounmpo. As Stevens noted, “Giannis had to earn everything.”
Al Horford is worth every penny.
Horford had arguably his best game of the series Saturday, scoring a team-high 26 points on 13-for-17 shooting from the field. What stands out about Horford, however, is not so much that he scores, but how he does it.
The crippling plays of the Celtics offense against the Bucks were typically ones where the team, primarily Morris, reverted to isolation basketball. Sometimes it worked, but more often the not, Boston was better off keeping things dynamic rather than stagnant. Horford helps the Celtics do exactly that.
After Milwaukee jumped out to a 13-2 run to start the second quarter, Horford entered the game and immediately gave his team back-to-back baskets via a driving finger-roll layup and a hook shot. He seemingly manages to always do the right thing, whether it’s getting his shot after posting up on Thon Maker or kicking the ball out to an open teammate. There’s no denying Boston’s ball movement is at its best when Horford touches the ball.
While critics will lament his pass-first mindset, the five-time All-Star proved in Game 7 he is fully capable of being aggressive on the offensive end of the floor.
As Bucks forward Khris Middleton said, “Horford was dominant.”
https://twitter.com/Al_Horford/status/990460427057451008
