Basket

His return alone was already a nice Christmas present. Released in extremis from the Covid protocol the day before, the star of the Bucks and double MVP of the regular season (2019, 2020), Giannis Antetokounmpo, was back in business on Saturday, dressed even before the fight in the Santa Claus costume. Admittedly, Milwaukee had been able to play well and win in the five games played without his star (3-2), but his return was eagerly awaited.

On arrival, he was quite simply providential. The polymorphic Greek winger made a remarkable line of stats (36 pts, 12 rebounds, 5 assists) to push the Milwaukee Bucks into the in-goal, winners with all the cruelty and power of a defending Boston champion Celtics, having only led the last thirty seconds of the match (117-113)! An inevitably painful and somewhat unfair outcome also for the men of Ime Udoka, light cavalry who will have been in the lead all the time, who will have resisted for a long time, before giving in on a winning shot from Wesley Matthews thirty seconds from time.

A happy outcome for the Bucks, carried, elevated by “The Greek Freak” throughout the second half. And yet, his first act had been very unremarkable. Not in the right choices, the best player in the last NBA Finals did not achieve much. And even when he managed to create a gap, the rest of the defending champion troops were hardly more inspired at the finish, especially long distance, where the Bucks wasted a lot of entry (2/13 to 3 points to start).

Wesley Matthews, the award-winning fallen from the sky

The Celtics, who had corrected Milwaukee eleven days earlier (117-103), had the keys: a lively game, an aggressive Jaylen Brown (19 pts at the break) and precious rotations, like the leader Payton Pritchard, perfect in the role, and which enhanced his growing playing time, in the absence of the German leader, Dennis Schröder, who in turn entered the viral bubble.

At -15 at the break, Milwaukee was clearly in trouble, when the Greek painter’s hour struck. More committed, more ferocious, the Greek interior finally opened up the breaches, like this explosive and powerful reverse-dunk. The Bucks showed the muscles, but Boston still found the solution to the race, the good idea to resist. But the more the minutes went by, the more it became, obviously, complicated. The Bucks threat was there. And on a collective bloodshed behind the arc, the Wisconsin franchise even picked up a small point (83-84, 32nd).

Assaulted, Boston did not flinch. Not yet. The eight players thrown open field by Udoka all scored. The Celtics varied the offensive solutions and four minutes from the end, Boston remained in front (103-109). Before completely disappearing on yet another kick from the monumental Antetokounmpo 1’30” from the end (111-111). The Fiserv Forum stampeded, it pitched everywhere, it was unbreathable. Jayson Tatum lost a crucial ball on the dribble 40 seconds from the end. But Robert Williams seemed to save the Celtics homeland with a masterful counter-attack on Jrue Holiday on the counter-attack… before the ball landed in the mimine of Wesley Matthews, who punished at 3 points and put the Bucks in front. .for the first time in the match, with 30 seconds remaining. For a Christmas victory from heaven.