The Clover Report: Week Twenty-Seven
The playoffs are finally here and boy it has gotten off to an incredible start. The Celtics kicked off their 1st round matchup on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks as they began their uphill battle. Going into these playoffs, the Celtics are going to be without All-Star Kyrie Irving, All-Star Gordon Hayward, and defensive stud Marcus Smart. But life moves forward and so do the playoffs.
Game 1 was an absolute barn burner and exactly what you’d expect from a playoff game. It was back and forth all the way and then it got crazy. The Bucks and Celtics traded buckets in the final minutes with Terry Rozier appearing to hit the game winning shot with 0.5 seconds left on the clock. BUT, Khris Middleton answered with a crazy 35 footer at the buzzer to send it into overtime. Despite having the momentum, the Bucks couldn’t keep it and it was the Celtics who pulled it out 113—107. The Celtics had fantastic balance as they had 5 players with 19 points or more. Al Horford led the team in scoring with 24 points as he also grabbed 12 rebounds. It was an impressive win in more ways than one considering Giannis Antetokounmpo went off for 35 points and 13 rebounds.
Winning Game 1 in any series is important as it gives the winning team a lot of momentum going into the 2nd game. That was the case once again in this series as well. It was close in the 1st half but the Celtics pulled away and won 120—106. Jaylen Brown went off for a playoff career high 30 points as he shot 12-22 from the floor. Rozier once again had another impressive game as he finished with 23 points and dished out 8 assists. What even made this game even more impressive was that Giannis had another great game. He scored 30 points and shot an impressive 13-17 from the floor.
Outside of Giannis, the Bucks have looked lifeless. One that specifically stands out is Eric Bledsoe who has been by Rozier. When asked about that matchup after the game, Bledsoe said “I don’t know who the fuck that is”. Wow, what a loser. Bledsoe, who is much more talented, is getting his ass by Rozier and he says that? What a loser’s mentality. The Bucks have a lot more talent in this series but they clearly are not the better team. They have no coaching and they have no leadership. The series isn’t over, but the Celtics are in a great position.
Steven Santoro (SVS_1993)
