BOSTON, MA - MAY 01 Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket past Giannis Antetokounmpo and Grayson Allen #7 of the Milwaukee Bucks during Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at TD Garden on May 1, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

BOSTON, MA - MAY 01 Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket past Giannis Antetokounmpo and Grayson Allen #7 of the Milwaukee Bucks during Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at TD Garden on May 1, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Boston Celtics

3 takeaways from Game 1 of Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics

by Jake Weinbach Follow @JWeinbachNBA
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Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics

May 1, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and Milwaukee Bucks guard Wesley Matthews (23) work for the ball in the second half during game one of the second round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

3 takeaways from Game 1 of Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics: 1. The Bucks are showcasing their championship-caliber defense on full display

Defense wins championships, and the Milwaukee Bucks nearly executed their top-tier defensive schemes to perfection against the Boston Celtics in Game 1. Coach Mike Budenholzer’s squad held the Celtics to just 89 points and 33.3 percent shooting from the field during the 12-point win.

Boston shot a franchise playoff-high 50 three-point attempts and connected on 18 of them, shooting 36.0 percent from beyond the arc, but really struggled to find a consistent rhythm offensively. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart combined to shoot 13-of-42 from the floor (30.9 percent), and it’s difficult to win basketball games when your top three players are all ice cold from the field.

Additionally, the Celtics led the league in fastbreak points during the NBA Playoffs coming into this series, yet only produced eight fast break points against the Bucks on Sunday. While Milwaukee didn’t take care of the ball well themselves, they made up for it on the defensive end as they forced 18 Celtic turnovers.

It seemed like the game plan for the Bucks was to clog the paint and force shots from the perimeter, and evidently, it worked flawlessly. The Celtics average 48.5 points in the paint per game this postseason but were held to only 20 points in the paint throughout Game 1.

As usual, Brook Lopez was brilliant defensively, as the seven-foot defensive anchor cleansed the paint with precision by contesting shots near the rim, cleaning up the boards, and accumulating three blocks. Lopez’s abilities to protect the rim are a crucial component of Milwaukee’s elite defensive system and his contributions on that end of the floor always seem to be undervalued.

Giannis Antetokounmpo added two blocks and another DPOY-caliber performance, Jrue Holiday did what only Jrue Holiday does on the defensive end and ended up with three steals, Grayson Allen had three steals off the bench, Wesley Matthews made it extra tough for Tatum to get to his spots, Jevon Carter made the right reads, and it was just an outstanding team effort for the Milwaukee Bucks defensively.

It’s unlikely that the Celtics will shoot less than 33.3 percent from the floor again, but they must take care of the ball better, move the ball more, and simply drain their perimeter shots moving forward if they’re going to be successful. It’s a make-or-miss league, and Boston found themselves missing left and right during Game 1.

The Bucks won the title last season due to their versatile, high execution defense, which was on full display against the Boston Celtics in the first game of the series. It’ll clearly be a challenge for the Celtics to overcome Milwaukee’s top-rated playoff defense, especially when attacking the paint.

However, they’re more than capable of breaking down the Bucks with the offensive weapons that head coach Ime Udoka’s squad possesses, and they’ll have another shot at it on Tuesday night.

Next: No. 2

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