By each statistical measure, the Celtics did not comprise Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Miserably.
He averaged greater than 35 factors, 13 rebounds and almost seven assists getting into Sunday. He single-handedly destroyed the No. 1 protection within the league for lengthy stretches, turning stout defenders like Jaylen Brown into visitors cones. He posted a number of 40-point video games to the amazement of even his opponents.
“That (expletive) is crazy,” Brown mentioned late Sunday.
But throughout Game 7, as his Celtics constructed an insurmountable second-half lead, coach Ime Udoka noticed a flicker of one thing new. Antetokounmpo, lastly, was carrying down.
“He missed some of the easier shots around the baskets, and that’s what we talked about,” Udoka mentioned. “We’re not relying on one guy.”
Antetokounmpo went 4-of-15 within the second half of Boston’s blowout win, together with a 1-of-8 displaying within the fourth quarter. He missed three pictures on the rim, one outright miss in transition and two others that acquired partially blocked by Marcus Smart and Al Horford.
For the Celtics, defending the two-time MVP this sequence largely fell to Horford and Grant Williams. Williams, at a burly 6-foot-8, matched Antetokounmpo’s power within the publish, the place he’d attempt to take in blows and barely yield an inch. Horford as a substitute countered with mobility and size, plus his decade and a half of expertise, a lot of which currently has concerned stopping Antetokounmpo.
Together, together with Marcus Smart, they “slowed” him right down to 25 factors, 20 rebounds and 9 assists on Sunday. Antetokounmpo popped six assists within the first quarter alone, when he accounted for all however two of the Bucks’ 26 factors. But nonetheless, he wore down.
“Everybody was banged up, everybody was playing intensely and it was a matter of who wavered first,” Williams mentioned. “And I thought we did a great job of making sure everything he had was tough. Whether it was driving to the rim, whether it was shooting a jump shot, everything he had to do — walking up the court, our offensive actions and putting him in them.”
Critically, Antetokounmpo scored solely 4 factors and had two turnovers within the again half of the third quarter, when Jayson Tatum sat with foul hassle. The Celtics led by 10 when Tatum left on the 7:44 mark, at which level Williams, Horford, Brown, Smart and Derrick White fended off Antetokounmpo and begin guard Jrue Holiday. The Bucks scored simply 11 factors via the tip of the quarter, as their deficit grew to fifteen.
“I feel like we got some good looks … but defensively, I think that’s what held our ground,” Brown mentioned. “We got some big stops in that third-quarter stretch.”
Celtics smash defending champion Bucks 109-81 in Game 7, attain Eastern Conference Finals
Antetokounmpo completed with extra pictures than factors, whereas Holiday’s 21 discipline objectives matched his scoring complete. It was a stark change from the primary six video games, when Tatum-less stretches often served as springboards for one in all them, if not each, to go off.
“Giannis is the best player in the world. You can see why a lot of people say that,” Brown mentioned. “He’s just relentless in his approach. … That was tough for us.”
A bodily brutal sequence for Williams additionally supplied a stingy psychological check. Allowing Antetokounmpo to attain and rebound so typically at his expense may have led him to drop his effort or ask for a brand new project. Instead, he responded by posting the best plus-minus of any participant in Game 7 at plus-25 and two blocks, whereas serving to remove the most effective participant on this planet.
“Giannis does a phenomenal job putting pressure on you, especially on the physical side of the things. But it’s just a matter of understanding that you have to be mentally strong and take care of yourself,” Williams mentioned. “Because at this time of year, everyone’s a little banged up.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com