The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics will meet tonight in a matchup that will determine which one of these two teams will go to the finals. Although I’m a big fan of the Miami Heat, I don’t believe they can beat either one of these teams in a tight series, and whoever comes out of this current series, will most likely be representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.
The Bucks took my advice from my last article and showed out completely, helping Giannis, and in the meantime, taking a stranglehold lead on the series against the Celtics. Some of the best performers from that game (excluding Giannis) were Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis, who were electric in the fourth quarter.
Many we’re surprised that Mike Budenholzer swapped out George Hill in favor of Bobby Portis, especially since Portis didn’t have the best game 4. Although it was a risky gamble, it paid off in spades, and Portis hit some of the biggest threes of the game, leading the Bucks to gain momentum and ultimately complete the comeback against the Celtics.
Tonight, the Celtics will be heavily leaning on Jayson Tatum to shoot the lights out and tie up the series. As the games have progressed, Tatum has gotten the ball more and more every game, raising his shot totals. Last game he made 29 FG attempts, only hitting 11. He also attempted 11 three-pointers, only hitting two.
Tatum is severely strong in the mid-range, as well as the paint. If you’re the Bucks, you need to do all you can tonight to keep Tatum to the outside and force him to chunk up some three-pointers. Tatum is at his best in clutch situations, so you will need to smother him, double-team him, and get him uncomfortable in the key if you want to clean this series out.
As for the Bucks offensively, they should replicate exactly what they did last game. You know the saying; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Feed the Giannis the ball, allow Portis to heat up towards the third and fourth quarter, and allow Jrue Holiday some leeway when it comes to his shot-making. All these tactics are a recipe for a huge Bucks win tonight.
Who do you think will take Game 6? Let me know in the comments below!