Like children before a bag of candy. There are situations that could well be prolonged in time. One of them is this Celtics-Bucks series. Seven games seem few. An almost blinding light for the eyes this duel.
The Celtics survived in Milwaukee. They saved a match ball with someone else’s service from a maximum solvency as a team. They won 95-108 at the Fiserv Forum against a team that knows how to close playoff series very well. These Bucks who are defending their title tooth and nail. And now the tie goes to a seventh game. Sunday in Boston. Although in this series the location seems to be worth little.
It was another night for eyes wide open. With an anthological offensive duel starring Jayson Tatum y Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Boston Celtics forward hit him. He left Milwaukee with 46 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. He made 7 triples. He went 17 for 32 on the field. And he plugged in 16 points in the final quarter. Him including 11 in a row when he burned the ball the most. His team presented a partial of +21 with him on track. He was the beacon of a huge team.
The one-man band of the Milwaukee Bucks exceeded the limits of reason. He squeezed himself to the max. He gave it his all until he was exhausted. He overcame in the second quarter a brutal blow of his head against the body of Jaylen Brown. He was coming off scoring 17 points in the first quarter. He percussed and percussed. Without a rest. He hit 2 of 3 triples and 14 of 15 free throws from him. Not even those weak points for him were this time. And he finished with 44 points, 20 rebounds and 6 assists. A beast.
But the match was much more than the Tatum-Anteto duel. Without reaching, yes, the delirium of the previous meeting.
Boston defended first. And he made the difference from the triple. He had 8 in the first quarter when Milwaukee had 7 in the entire game. That fact says it all. In the end, 17 triples for the Celtics. And you don’t have to be very smart to know that hitting 3-pointers is crucial for Boston. Because hurting Bucks near the rim is more than complicated.
Celtics only lost 8 balls in the entire game. And he had good lieutenants in the shadow of Tatum. Jaylen Brown had 22 points and Marcus Smart he had 21 plus 7 assists. After a huge first quarter in which he scored 14. Between them, 9 triples in the game.
good first half Derrick White. And great stewardship work Al Horford. The Dominican was not fine in the shot. He only got 2 points. But his deaf work is always there. He walked away with 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 assists in 38 minutes.
In the Bucks, in addition to the ubiquitous Anteto… 17 points and 3 steals from Jrue Holiday -hero of the previous game- and 14 points from Pat Connaughton. Very good Connaughton. Bobby Portis he grabbed 10 rebounds from his particular fight club. and the Argentine Luca Vildoza saw testimonial court at the end.
This time Celtics did not give in at the end. Boston showed up with a 70-82 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. And it seemed that history was repeating itself when the Bucks cut it to 81-85 with a triple by Anteto. But then the unstoppable Tatum appeared once again. And with 11 points in a row he laid the foundations for victory. With help from Brown and Smart. A 2+1 from Tatum definitely killed the game. It was 89-103 with 2:38 to play. The game was from Boston.
The game was played in the first half without the shot clock located on the baskets. Boston had a maximum advantage of 18 points. It came in the third quarter (50-68). In Jaylen Brown’s time. In his best passage of the night.
And now comes the seventh. With the Bucks without Khris Middleton. It’s a great opportunity for Boston. It would be the almost culmination of an excellent season for the team. But ahead are the champions. This 7-game series falls short.