Sports Q: Will the Celtics win Game 2 against the Bucks?
Discuss the Celtics' chances Tuesday night with Chad Finn and other NBA fans.
Welcome to Boston.com’s Sports Q, our daily conversation, initiated by you and moderated by Chad Finn, about a compelling topic in Boston sports. Here’s how it works: You submit questions to Chad through Twitter, Facebook, and email. He’ll pick one each weekday to answer, then we’ll take the discussion to the comments. Chad will stop by several times per day to navigate. But you drive the conversation.
What’s your mood going into Game 2? Optimism that the Celtics can win and come back to Boston 2-0 after such an awesome performance in Game 1, or pessimism because Tony Brothers and Marc Davis are the officials and have the rep of being influenced by the home crowd? – Tim H.
Hmmm. Is resigned optimism a thing? That’s what I’m going with.
I mean, you know Giannis is going be a one-man parade to the free-throw line in Game 2. (What’s the over/under, 18 free-throws for Giannis? I’m taking the over no matter what the line is.) In retrospect – actually, I even thought of this as it was happening – it’s surprising that Aron Baynes and Al Horford were allowed to play him so physically.
It was outstanding, clean, lockdown playoff defense, of course, but Giannis is in that stratosphere of stars that gets away with stuff on his own (like five-step jaunts to the hoop). Those trying to stop him are never going to get the benefit of the doubt no matter who is blowing the whistle.
Al Horford with a big time block on Giannis🔐
Tune-in NOW to see the fourth quarter! #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/BuHXXLoOKs
— NBA UK (@NBAUK) April 28, 2019
And with Brothers and Davis working this one? The Celtics would be better off with Pat Riley and Andrew Toney wearing the stripes.
And yet … one of the new developments late in the regular season that has carried over so far to the playoffs is their resilience. It showed up against Indiana when they’d let sizable leads slip away (hey, it happens) but wouldn’t let the Pacers seize total command. And it showed up against the Bucks when the score went from 40-25, Celtics, to 40-40 while Giannis was on the bench in the second quarter. Yet they didn’t let that rattled them, and ended up blowing the Bucks off the court en route to a 22-point win that wasn’t that close. If they play to flip the switch in the postseason, as they like to say, the recent knack for handling adversity is a sign that it’s actually already happening.
I do think the Bucks win Tuesday, but not by a big margin. It’s going to be one of those games where you’d think the officials grew up in Racine and Eau Claire, and Giannis will get his 35-plus, and Khris Middleton will probably have stretches where he shoot s like he’s never going to miss again. I’m predicting an annoying, tight loss that ultimately leaves Celtics fans feeling great about their chances of winning the series.
What does everyone else think? How will the Celtics fare in Game 2? I’ll hear you in the comments.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com