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Post by Admin on May 3, 2019 18:43:47 GMT -5
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Post by Admin on May 3, 2019 18:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Admin on May 3, 2019 18:53:03 GMT -5
After this quote from Kyrie, lets hope his favorite one ("I can get my shot whenever I want") doesn't ghost him like it did in the last game:
“I’ve been playing basketball a lot longer than some of these people analyzing the game,” Irving told MacMullan. "I’m an actual genius when it comes to this game."
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Post by Admin on May 3, 2019 18:57:21 GMT -5
Getting physical, living with Giannis Antetokounmpo 3’s, and other Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks Game 3 pregame notes (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
By John Karalis | JKaralis@masslive.com
BOSTON -- Playoff basketball is different than the regular season. The focused preparation and increased familiarity, along with a general “let them play” officiating mentality, combine to create a much more physical brand of basketball. “I would say that generally, the longer that you play, I would say generally the more than emotions can become a part of it,” Brad Stevens said before Game 3. “Every playoff game I’ve seen or been a part of, at least one of the teams has really set a tone physically. And the great games, both teams are really playing physically. But I’ve never been a part of a playoff game where a team that’s not physical wins. It’s just part of playing good basketball.” The more players are allowed to grab or push, the more it can disorient a player who shies away from such things. A team that imposes itself physically tends to grab a mental advantage. “Hopefully it just comes naturally," Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "At some point in the season we talked about we needed a level of physicality while still maintaining our principals and some of our core beliefs but we still needed to be physical. So hopefully all of that has prepared us for what we’re going to go through tonight and the playoffs in general and certainly a big part of tonight and going forward for both teams I’m sure.” Brad Stevens says the Bucks did the better job “owning their space” in Game 2, which allowed them to dictate how the game was played. For Boston to win Game 3, they’ll have to take physical control “They were more physical than we were," he said. “I’ve got no complaints about it. They were well within the rules and appropriate and played really hard. And on the other end I thought we didn’t impact their airspace in the same regard. So that’s what I mean by owning space. The other team can be playing really hard, really physical, and you can still run a perfect lead and catch where you want to. It’s not easy, and it wears on you over time, but that’s part of it.” Other pregame notes:- Giannis Antetokounmpo has hit five of his nine 3′s in Games 1 and 2 of this series, an amazingly high percentage for a guy who is only just starting to take the shot with some regularity. He shot about 22 percent for the regular season, and Boston has decided that other aspects of Antetokounmpo’s game are more important to stop. “You have to live with something,” Stevens said. “You still have to protect the paint first and you still have to not let him get by you, because if he gets by you, you foul him, he scores for sure, or he finds another 3-point shooter. So, yeah, it makes it tough. It’s why, as you know, everybody’s saying when he shoots a higher volume and makes it at 40 percent, what do you do then? I’m not sure.” When it was noted that Giannis has increased his 3-point attempts by 25 percent over the past month-and-a-half, Budenholzer joked, “he finally started listening." He added, “I’m certainly pleased. He knows we’ve been pushing that envelope from day one and he’s been great about working on it and getting more and more comfortable. He’s such a hard worker. He’s really great to coach. I think he’s just gaining confidence, it’s the whole team understanding what we want to to do, and so I’m certainly pleased with his progress and I think he’s going to get better and better.” - Brad Stevens took a moment to acknowledge a tough situation for the Kevin O’Connor family. O’Connor, a former Boston blogger who now covers the NBA for The Ringer, revealed today that his father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. " I read your piece today, and our thoughts are with you, your family, your dad," he said. “Again, much more important than Giannis’s pull-up threes.”
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Post by Admin on May 3, 2019 19:01:57 GMT -5
TMac on Jayson Tatum: "His motor has to change."
By Tom Lane
Photo via Nathaniel S. Butker/NBAE via Getty Images
Tracy McGrady and Jackie MacMullan sat down with Rachel Nichols, and they discussed the recent woes of Jayson Tatum. TMac first indicated that Jayson needs to back off on his iso ball and then went on to say Tatum has to change his motor.
Jackie Mac also had a few things to add: "There are times when you look at him, you think nobody can stop this guy. But that has been very inconsistent these last couple of months." She also stated that it looked like Jayson's spacing is off and that he often finds himself in the wrong spot. Rachel Nichols quickly added that with Tatum's poor spacing, maybe he needed more time with Kobe Bryant. rather than the reduced time broached by so many. Jayson certainly has been a non-factor in Games 1 and 2 versus the Bucks. He averaged 27 minutes and only 4.5 points/game, shooting 24% on field goals, 0% on 3-pointers and 50% from the charity stripe. Whatever happened to "the guy nobody can stop?" Hopefully, we will see that guy in Game 3 at TD Garden on Friday.
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:18:02 GMT -5
Come on C's... Must win tonight.
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:19:16 GMT -5
Oh... Kyrie! Good start for the C's.
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:20:46 GMT -5
Tatum picking up right where he left off... Useless...
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:21:15 GMT -5
Here we go with the superstar treatment. Giannis at the line.
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Post by Admin on May 3, 2019 19:27:11 GMT -5
Preview: Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics Game #3 By flceltsfan
After insisting that he wasn’t going to make any adjustments after losing Game 1, Bucks coach, Mike Budenholzer, did make changes and it seemed to throw the Celtics off their game. He started Nikola Mirotic in place of Sterling Brown, and the Bucks started to switch on defense. Now it’s Brad Stevens’ turn to make adjustments.
Kyrie Irving had the worst playoff game of his career in Game 2, shooting just 4-18 and scoring just 9 points. Jayson Tatum has yet to have a good game in this series, scoring just 9 points and shooting 4-17 over the 2 games in Milwaukee. Hayward was just 1-5 and Rozier was just 2-10 in Game 2. They are bound to shoot in this game.
The Celtics should have no lack of inspiration or motivation to win this game. First of all, it is the playoffs and a loss would give home court advantage right back to the Bucks and would also put the Celtics behind in the series. Marcus Smart is getting close to a return and may be cleared to play on Monday or Wednesday. They could win one for Marcus.
With Danny Ainge recovering from a heart attack that he suffered in Milwaukee on Tuesday, they could very well want to win one for Danny. It would be nice to have a big blowout to keep Danny from having to stress. They would do well to adapt his scrappy, instigator attitude in his honor against these Bucks.
Although there were rumors that the Bucks would get Malcolm Brogdon back for this game after he went through a practice with the team, the Bucks announced on Thursday that Brogdon would be out for this game. Marcus Smart is also nearing a return to action as he was seen dunking at practice but he has yet to practice 5 on 5 with the team and is also listed as out for this game.
Key Matchups
Shane Roper-USA TODAY Sports
Al Horford vs Giannis Antetokounmpo This matchup is key for both teams. Although on paper, Morris is matched up against Antetokounmpo, it has been Al Horford who spent most of the time guarding him in Games 1 and 2. It has been a team effort to guard the probable league MVP. The Celtics will need Al to continue to do all the things that he does on both ends of the court to help the Celtics win.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Kyrie Irving vs Eric Bledsoe Kyrie had a great Game 1 with 26 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds. He also held Bledsoe to 6 points on 1-5 shooting with 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. Game 2 was a completely different story, however. Kyrie scored just 9 points on 4-18 shooting with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 turnovers. Bledsoe had 21 points on 7-12 shooting. The Bucks will likely double Kyrie once again and he will need to be aggressive on the defensive end and figure out the Bucks’ defense because the Celtics need a return of Playoff Kyrie if they hope to win this game.
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Honorable Mention
Jayson Tatum vs Khris Middleton Middleton had big games last season for the Bucks. He was held to 16 point on 5-12 shooting to go with 10 rebounds and 6 assists in Game 1 but he erupted for 28 points and 7 rebounds in Game 2. Between last year and this year so far, Middleton is shooting 63% from beyond the arc. Tatum has struggled mightily on the offensive end in both games, scoring just 9 points total and going 0-3 from beyond the arc. The Celtics need more from Tatum, especially on the defensive end to keep Middleton from having another big game. Tatum has vowed to do better in this game and hopefully he will.
Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense wins championships and defense will decide this series. In Game 1, defense definitely was the deciding factor. The Celtics held the Bucks to 34.8% shooting from the field and 33.3% shooting from beyond the arc. The Bucks allowed the Celtics to shoot 54% from the field and 41.9% from beyond the arc. In Game 2, Milwaukee was the team that played tough defense, doubling Kyrie and switching on defense, holding the Celtics to 39.5% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc. The Celtics allowed the Bucks to shoot 44.4% from the field and 42.6% from three. The Celtics must get back to playing tough in your face defense, especially on the perimeter.
Rebound - Next to defense, rebounding is a key to winning. In Game 1, the Celtics out-rebounded the Bucks 51-44. In Game 2, the Bucks out-rebounded the Celtics 53-45. It isn’t surprising that the team that won the rebound battle won each game. Much of rebounding is effort and desire and when the Celtics put out the extra effort on the boards, it usually carries through to the rest of their game. The Celtics must continue to crash the glass as a team and give even more effort on the boards in this game.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics were definitely the more aggressive team in Game 1 and also were aggressive in the first half of Game 2. However, the Bucks came out as the more aggressive team in the second half and were able to pull away for the big win. The Celtics have to be the first to loose balls and rebounds and they have to be aggressive getting to the basket and to be the more aggressive team on defense. The team that is more aggressive and that plays harder will be the team that wins.
Move the Ball - When the Celtics move the ball and find the open man, they are tough to beat. In Game 1, the Celtics had 27 assists but in Game 2, they had just 19 assists. In the second half, the Celtics slipped back into hero ball and that style of basketball rarely wins. They have to play team ball and trust each other and make the extra pass to find the open man. NO hero ball.
No Let Up - The Celtics need to come out strong and play hard from start to finish. They can’t let the officiating, or a Bucks run, or a hostile crowd slow them down. In their first 5 games in the playoffs, the Celtics proved to be resilient and have handled whatever their opponents threw at them. In Game 2, when the Bucks went on a run, the Celtics lapsed into hero ball to try to get back into it and failed and that affected their effort on defense and the rest of their game. They must play hard team basketball from the opening tip to the final buzzer with no let up.
Coaching - Brad made the first move and completely took the Bucks by surprise by limiting Antetokounmpo. Budenholzer countered with his own adjustments, doubling Kyrie and switching on defense and that seemed to take the Celtics by surprise. Now it’s once again Brad’s move. Playoffs are a chess match and we will have to see which coach can make the winning moves.
X-Factors Home
Court Advantage - The Celtics now have home court advantage in the series after their Game 1 win in Milwaukee. The Bucks were 27-14 on the road in the regular season and are 2-0 so far in the playoffs on the road. The Celtics will depend on the Garden crowd to be loud and give them a boost while also rattling the Bucks. The Celtics need to make home court work for them and come out determined to defend their home court.
Officiating - Officiating is always an X-Factor. Sometimes the refs just miss things or sometimes they have an agenda. Some refs call a game tight and call every little bit of contact on both ends and sometimes they call it tight for one team but not the other. Sometimes they let both teams play and only call the most obvious infractions. It would be nice if they would call Giannis’ travels to the basket, though. The way a game is officiated can change the outcome completely. Hopefully the Celtics will get refs that call the game evenly and let both teams play.
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:27:24 GMT -5
Come on C's... racking up the turnovers. The spacing looks like sh*t.
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:28:15 GMT -5
Oh my God. Turnover after turnover after turnover.
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:29:00 GMT -5
C's have gone cold awefully quick.
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:30:16 GMT -5
Semi getting some early minutes.
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:31:29 GMT -5
Giannis goes to that spin move damn near every time. C's can't figure it out. Refs blow a BS foul on Semi... naturally. Gotta take care of their poster-boy.
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:32:23 GMT -5
Brick City.
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:32:45 GMT -5
Wow... they actually gave Semi a call over Giannis.
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Post by Admin on May 3, 2019 19:33:16 GMT -5
and Semi gets the charge on Giannis right away!
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2019 19:33:36 GMT -5
Looks like the Celts are a little scared of Giannis.
Where do we go to find the belief?
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Post by Cabutan on May 3, 2019 19:33:51 GMT -5
Crap. Can we stop the 3s?
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:34:03 GMT -5
I'm kinda wanting Tatum to stop shooting 3's.
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Post by Cabutan on May 3, 2019 19:34:39 GMT -5
Semi is prob the only one not scared of giannis. Most of the times giannis goes to his left, cant our guys notice that??
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Post by Admin on May 3, 2019 19:35:02 GMT -5
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Post by drboogiebone on May 3, 2019 19:35:32 GMT -5
Crap. Can we stop the 3s? This team has been scared to death of the paint all season long, with the exception of Brown.
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Post by Admin on May 3, 2019 19:36:03 GMT -5
Whose got Middleton, Tatum or Hayward?
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