With 3:13 left in the third quarter, it was not looking good for the Boston Celtics. They trailed the Bucks 76-65 after a 15-foot hook shot from Giannis Antetokounmpo and sterring down a 3-1 deficit. Ime Udoka called a timeout, rallied the troupes, and his boys went on the court to dominate the game from that juncture outscoring their opponent 51-32 to finish the game. The team fought, showed resiliency, and played bully basketball in the final quarter to silence Fiserv Forum. In this article, we discuss the takeaways from the game and preview Game 5.
1. Al Horford Defies Father Time- Al Horford has played 15 seasons in the NBA and 132 career playoff games but delivered his best offensive performance last night. Big Al scored a career-high 30 points going 11 of 14 from the field and 5 of 7 from three-pointers. The 35-year-old added eight rebounds and three assists in an electrifying 41 minutes. Horford was massive in bringing his team from behind by scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter. It was not just the points, Al had an attitude that galvanized his team. Horford admitted that the spark that ignited him was when Giannis dunked over him and then taunted him with a steer down. Al returned the favor in the fourth quarter when he beat Giannis off the dribble and threw it down on the Greek Freak. He also locked down Giannis in the game, holding him to only 4 of 12 from the field. Horford embraced the challenge and showed his team the way when they seemed lost.
2. Giannis gets his stats but there are obvious flaws- the 2021 Finals MVP is arguably the best basketball player in the world. He is the best player at attacking the rim and execute his patented elongated Euro steps. He finished with 34 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists which is a good performance on the box scores. However, he was 14 of 32 (an inefficient 44%), 0 of 4 from three-pointers, and 6-11 from the free-throw line. The performance was good but without Khris Middleton, his performances have to be great if this team is to get past the Celtics.
3. Jayson Tatum Rises to the Occasion- the buddying superstar took a step back in a rough Game 3 performance. Tatum scored only 10 points and went 4 of 19 from the field and 0 of 6 from three-pointers. The pressure was on to figure it out against the Bucks and against Wesley Matthews, who held him 0 of 10 when guarded by him in Game 3. Game 4 did not start well for Tatum and most Celtics fans started to get that sinking feeling in the stomach. However, Tatum did what the stars do which is to show up when their team needs them in the third and fourth quarters. He started to play more aggressively by attacking the rim and finding his sweet spots on the floor. Tatum scored 30 points going 11 of 24 from the field and 12 points in the critical fourth quarter. He silenced his critics at least for the night.
4. Derrick White answers the bell-in February, the Celtics acquired Derrick White as a missing link coming off the bench to make the push deep into the playoffs. However, he has struggled in the playoffs from an offensive standpoint despite contributing in other ways for the team. After a late scratch by Rob Williams and Grant getting into foul trouble, Ime Udoka leaned on White to give him a big contribution. White scored 11 points and went 4 of 6 from the field and 1 of 3 from three-pointers. If the Celtics can keep him confident from the offensive end, they will be in a good position to take this series.
5. Smart move, and who wins Game 5?- A good adjustment the Celtics made in this game was putting Smart in the post down the stretch against Grayson Allen and Jrue Holiday. Smart was able to back into his defender and score. Look for Ime to run this set to exploit this weakness, and it will allow the Celtics to score more efficiently than the perimeter game that the Buck defense forces you to play. I think the Celtics need to win Game 5 at home because it is a virtual do-or-die with Game 6 back in Milwaukee. I think the balanced attack of Tatum, Brown, and Horford will get it done.
Celtics 108-Buck 102.