Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics tied series

By: Althea Jackson De Rosa

With the semifinals heating up between both coasts, we get to see teams fight it out for a chance to defend their name like Milwaukee Bucks, who are the current champions, or see another team take the ring this year. Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics are currently in a tied series after the Celtics redeemed themselves in game two on May 3, 2022. 

Celtic player Jaylen Brown didn’t have such a good game during game one of this series, but he stated, “How you respond is everything.” He proved that in his performance, scoring 30 points, six rebounds, and six assists in game two. 

Along with Brown’s 30 points for Boston Tuesday night, Jayson Tatum contributed 29 points, three rebounds, and eight assists. 

Unfortunately, the defensive player of the year, Marcus Smart, had to sit out due to a quad injury. Luckily he is expected to return for game three this Saturday, May 7, 2022. With Smart out, Grant Williams, who played 35minutes from the bench, produced 21 points to help Boston keep a lead. 

Before Boston began their series with the Bucks, they swept the Brooklyn Nets in all four games; Boston has shown that they are the type of team to be humble. They can bounce back from a loss.

Bucks star player Giannis Antetokounmpo was seen in games one and two hustling up and down the court; sometimes, giving it more than 100% is worse than just giving the whole 100. The Bucks got beat in game two by a game we’ve all played as kids called 500; Boston outshot the Bucks 20-3 in three-pointers, leaving Antetokounmpo scrabbling up and down the court to score a layup. 

Jrue Holiday, the Bucks point guard, scored 19 points in game two. I guess you could say game two ended up being similar to game one, except Boston came out victorious. 

In just one more day, game three will be in full heat with the Bucks playing at home and the Celtics wanting to keep the same energy. The Celtics are hungry and want a ring; they haven’t won a championship since 08′. 

The Celtics will need to pursue three-pointers when necessary, be aggressive when playing defense, and maintain their offensive flow throughout the entire game. If Buck players are forcing them to take shots outside the arc, Celtic players need to be confident and shoot.

To be ahead of the Bucks, Celtic plays like Tatum will need to do more. Although he had 29 points, he can be pushing for 40 points. Williams will have to continue to be the versatile player that he is, whether that’s sinking six threes or being a brick wall when Antetokounmpo is pushing the ball down the court. 

Smart will be playing this Saturday, so the Bucks need to be mindful that there are not just three top-scoring players. Smart has been a terrific player in the regular season, averaging 12 points, six assists, and four rebounds. 

Smart is the type of player to create space and throws himself on the floor for a loose ball. Players like that are hard to stop because not only can they play, but they have the heart not to give up.