After Payton Pritchard nailed a short jumper with 10:08 left in the fourth quarter, the Celtics led the bucks 93-79 in the pivotal Game 5. It felt as if the Celtics had the champions on the ropes, and all they had to do was finish the job. However, the Bucks went on a 31-14 run led by the reigning NBA Finals MVP to make a stunning comeback at TD Garden. The Bucks should get credit for fighting like champion but from a Celtics and neutral perspective, this was an epic collapse. In this article, we will discuss the takeaways from the game and preview Game 6.
1. Celtics’ abysmal late-game execution -the Celtics struggled in 2021 to a bad record early in the season because they failed to close the deal in the fourth quarter. In this game, the old Celtics returned from the closet to cause a nightmare for its fans. They struggled with shot selection and ball movement when it mattered the most down the stretch in games. When the game got tight, the Celtics possession resulted in isolation and missed jumpers. After leading the game 101-95, Boston scored only 2 of their last eight shots from the field including five midrange shots. On the other hand, the Bucks seemed to execute, going 6 for 6 from threes in the quarter. It felt these teams did a role reversal from what transpired in Game 4.
2. Can we get back on defense?-Giannis Antetokounpo has shown in this series why most consider him the best in the world when you think of his contribution offensively and defensively. Giannis finished the night with 40 points, 16 of 27 from the field, 11 rebounds, and three assists. However, the Celtics fed into his hand by their failure to get back even on scores to play defense. The Bucks increased the pace of their possession by pushing the ball up the floor which allowed Giannis to attack the defense before it sets. The Celtics were even whining on some calls that allowed Giannis to be on a one-man fast break. These defensive breakdowns will not put the Celtics in position to force a Game 7.
3. Can we get a rebound?-the Celtics lost this game due to a plethora of reasons but primarily being beaten on the offensive glass. The Bucks had 17 offensive rebounds in this game compared to the Celtics 5 . Bobby Portis had seven offensive rebounds alone, and none more crucial than the one he collected with less than a minute left off a Giannis missed free throw. Smart comically collides with Jaylen Brown, his teammate, allowing the ball to fall into Portis’ lap for the easy layup. The Celtics play great defense to hold the Bucks to bad possessions but it is deflating if you cant secure the rebound.
4. Holiday outshines Smart with the big plays-Jrue Holiday had his best game of the series scoring 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. However, his impact in the fourth quarter changed the game in his team’s favor. He had a big three in crunch time, made the big block on Smart when he appeared to have a layup, and he had the steal to seal the game. At the start of this series, i predicted that the matchup between Holiday and Smart could be a deciding factor because both players make winning plays for their team. Jrue Holiday won this round decisively.
5. Game 6 preview and prediction- the Celtics put themselves in a bind after blowing a big lead at home in Game 5. The stats show that in the 222 playoff series, the team winning game 5 is 183-39 to win the series or does so 82% of the time. The Celtics can’t think of history, they need to focus on winning Game 6. I don’t think there is much difference between these teams. Th elite defense they play prevents these games from being blowouts, and the games almost comes down to the fourth quarter execution. I think the Celtics can have hope knowing they have not gotten their best Jayson Tatum game, and with their backs against the wall superstars need to become legend. This series deserves seven games, and I have the Celtics winning 106-102.