Terry Rozier's domination of Eric Bledsoe has changed complexion of Celtics-Bucks series

Before the first-round series between the Bucks and Celtics started, point guard looked to be an advantage for Milwaukee. At age 28, Eric Bledsoe was the more experienced performer. He was a major offensive weapon during the regular season (17.8 ppg, 5.1 apg) after he was acquired by Milwaukee from Phoenix back in December. In short, he was a vital piece for a Bucks offense that ranked seventh in the NBA this year.

With Terry Rozier holding the fort at point guard spot for the Celtics while Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart are sidelined, the pressure was on Boston's 24-year-old to hold his own against one of the better guards in the East. Containing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton was going to be a handful for Boston, so losing one more position battle was going to make it extremely tough for the C’s to win this first-round series.

But through two games, Rozier has done more than hold his own. He’s dominated Bledsoe in virtually every facet of the game, and has helped tilt the scales towards Boston, giving them a 2-0 series lead -- despite some magnificent performances from Antetokoumpo (32.5 ppg) and Middleton (28.0 ppg).

On Tuesday, Rozier matched his postseason career-high in Game 2 with 23 points, while also adding a team-high eight assists, three rebounds and a steal over his 37 minutes. He was a team-high plus-19 over that stretch, as he combined with Jaylen Brown (30 points) to outscore the Bucks starting frontcourt by a 53-14 margin in Boston’s 120-106 win.

A look at the head-to-head battle between Bledsoe and Rozier over the first two games shows an advantage to Rozier in virtually every category (points, assists, field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage and steals).

However, the most impressive number for the Celtics point guard may come in the turnover category. He’s committed zero miscues over 79 minutes. That's compared to six for Bledsoe. Rozier is winning the war in every aspect of the game right now -- and that includes the mental front as well. After Game 2, Bledsoe refused to even acknowledge Rozier when he was asked about his opponent.

"Who?" Bledsoe replied,

"Terry Rozier," a reporter responded.

"I don't even know who the (expletive) that is," Bledsoe said.

Bledsoe may have been miffed with Rozier after he "accidentally" called him Drew Bledsoe in a press conference following Game 1. But throwing shade at the player who has helped put the C’s in the driver’s seat in the series with his all-around versatility seems like a mistake. The starting guard was instrumental in lifting the C’s to a six-game winning streak in March with the team’s current lineup, and he’s carried that momentum into this postseason.

"I go back to when Danny (Ainge) drafted him," Brad Stevens said in a conference call on Monday. "(Rozier) has the elite athleticism, elite work ethic, elite competitiveness. And if you put those three things together, usually it turns out pretty good."

“I just got that confidence,” Rozier said after the Game 2 win. “My teammates, my coach, they trust in me to get everybody in their spots, to run the plays. That’s just part of being a point guard -- protecting the ball. I’m going to do what I can to protect the ball and get my guys open to make plays and put us in the position to win. That’s just part of it.

"I don’t notice stuff like that with the turnovers, but that’s a good thing to have, and I just want to keep it going.”

The intriguing part about Rozier’s development is he played with this same kind of efficiency during last postseason, just in a smaller role. After an up-and-down year two, he entered the playoff rotation in Game 2 of the Bulls series and proved to be one of the most reliable contributors for Stevens off the pine in wins over the Bulls and Wizards. He was accurate from 3-point range, didn’t turn the ball over and played gritty defense.

A major challenge for any young player is to try to maintain strong play when handed a bigger role. However, Stevens never doubted the Louisville product would be up to the task.

"You never doubted Terry, when given the opportunity, (that) he'd really be able to play at a high level," Stevens said after Game 1. "I think we saw that right when Kyrie went out for those games in January, that three-game stretch when we played at home when Shane (Larkin) and Marcus where both out too where Terry basically was our only point guard on our roster. He was incredible in those three games. But that's been building from the time he got here."

Against a Bucks team that’s got great speed and athleticism in Bledsoe in the backcourt, Rozier has proven to be able to neutralize him on the defensive end. Bledsoe has nearly as many turnovers (six) as assists (eight) and those struggles have prevented the rest of the Bucks supporting cast from gaining much of a rhythm.

As the series shifts to Milwaukee, the C’s will have their hands full in trying to contain Antetokounmpo and Middleton on their home floor. Still, as long as they keep beating expectations in other head-to-head matchups, they’ll remain in position to beat a more talented Bucks team.

“I think it’s part of the motivation,” Rozier admitted. “Everybody is writing us off. Everybody’s got the negative things to say. Like I was just saying, we got each other, and that’s the main important thing.

"That’s who we are: We play hard, we play defense, and keep it going. It doesn’t matter what nobody says -- you still gotta play in the long run to beat us.”