The Celtics closed the door on a talented Bucks team at the Garden on Saturday night. With a quick turnaround looming to a second-round matchup with the Sixers, a few parting thoughts on the series with Milwaukee.
1. Al Horford silences his critics once more: The 31-year-old had his ups and downs during the second half of the regular season, but just as he was the most valuable player on the Celtics during last year’s Eastern Conference Finals run, he answered the call yet again against the Bucks. He finished with a team-high 18.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, shot 58 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from 3-point range, all while spending half of the series guarding one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Those numbers are worthy of a max contract by any metric and the fact that he did it with a shorthanded supporting cast just adds to his brilliance. In a town where stepping up your game in the postseason is what fans remember most, Horford is building a strong track record. The Bucks had no answer for him all series long and the C’s biggest problem on offense some nights was simply not getting him enough shots. That wasn’t an issue in Game 7 (13-of-17 from the field) and the C’s were able to win comfortably because of it.
2. Terry Rozier’s emergence as a 3-point specialist:
The 24-year-old took 7.7 3-point shots per game in Round 1, the fifth-highest number among players in the postseason. That type of high output is critical as long as it comes with high efficiency and that’s exactly what he was able to provide in this series. He capped off a playoff career-high of 26 points in Game 7 with five more 3-point field goals, giving him a 38 percent shooting mark from downtown for the series. Jaylen Brown found similar success (37 percent on 6.4 attempts per game) from deep, giving the Celtics’ offense the stretch element it needed in the backcourt despite missing two All-Stars. Rozier’s work against Eric Bledsoe was especially sensational in Game 7, as he routinely drifted from the ball watching guard to find openings within the Bucks defense. The next step for the guard will be bringing some of that shooting success on the road in the second round (50 percent shooting at the Garden), but his quick shot release and accuracy is an essential element to this offense.
3. The under-the-radar importance of Aron Baynes: The center lost his starting job in the Bucks series, largely due to factors beyond his control. The Bucks were punishing him in switches and Al Horford was having trouble slowing down Giannis Antetokounmpo for 30-plus minutes a night. Still, the big man didn’t disappear after his demotion, once Stevens went with a more switchable starting five. Instead, Baynes re-emerged as a force on the glass. He grabbed 17 percent of all available offensive rebounds when he was on the floor during the Bucks series, the highest mark among any player in the postseason that had played 100 or more minutes. That sensational output was capped by an eight-point, seven-rebound performance in Game 7 that included five offensive rebounds in just 15 minutes. The Bucks had no one strong enough to box Baynes out all series long and he did a great job of maximizing that advantage whenever he was in the game. After shooting a team-high 63 percent from the field against Milwaukee, his role should increase again as the challenge of Joel Embiid looms in Round 2. Luckily for Boston, Baynes is playing some of his best basketball of the year at the right time.
4. Marcus Smart needs to reel in his miscues: The guard made a tremendous impact against the Bucks and the Celtics probably don’t win the series without him. Still, the floor general was a bit of a turnover machine over his last three games, posting a team-worst 25 percent turnover rate over that stretch. Some of those miscues are excusable when you factor in his thumb and rust issues, but that’s a considerably higher number than his regular season average. The Celtics are going to have a tall hill to climb against a formidable Sixers defense and they must value every single possession they have. Giving them away with ill-advised passes is a recipe for disaster and Smart has done a little bit too much of that while (understandably) struggling with his shooting (26 percent). Boston can deal with a bad shooter or a bad decision maker at times. They won’t be able to overcome both.
Paul George’s free agency looms in wake of nightmare season for Thunder
The team that was widely lauded as having the best offseason of the summer saw their season come to an early end on Friday night in Utah. Despite adding Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to the roster, the Thunder found themselves in the same exact spot they were last year: an easy first-round exit.
The situation is the true nightmare scenario for general manager Sam Presti as he faces a bloated payroll, a superstar free agent and very limited flexibility heading into the summer of 2018. To add insult to injury, the two young pieces he traded away for George (Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis) last June are still playing for an overachieving Pacers team that has pushed LeBron James and the Cavs to the brink.
While it’s completely unfair to take Presti to task for the George move, (everyone thought it was a no-brainer last summer), his situation remains a caveat against the dangers of trading for a star on an expiring contract. After a rocky regular season that saw the Thunder win just one more game than last year’s squad, the case for George remaining in Oklahoma City took a serious hit with such an underwhelming playoff performance by the team.
As George debates his options, the Thunder are left with nearly no flexibility in pursuing other options. Carmelo Anthony will likely opt into his $27 million player option, which will put the Thunder near luxury tax territory even before George potentially re-signs. With no appealing trade chips on the roster outside of a pricy Steven Adams and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder seem destined for a future of mediocrity if George walks off into the sunset.
Other Quick Hitters
- The Bucks would be wise to go after an offensive mind like former Hawks head coach Mike Budenholtzer in the wake of their disappointing first-round exit. They need more shooters around Giannis Antetokounmpo and less predictable to their halfcourt offense.
- Steph Curry remained on the sidelines for Game 1 of the Warriors’ series against the Pelicans as he continues his recovery from a knee injury. Golden State may be better off keeping him there and letting him rest up for the Conference Finals after their demolition of New Orleans in the opener.
- Look for some kind of shakeup with the Wizards this offseason after another ugly first-round exit that had John Wall calling for changes. They have a bloated payroll and limited assets, so moving one of their big three (Wall, Beal, Porter Jr.) is likely the only way they can make a move of significance.
- Boston College standout Jerome Robinson will be staying in the NBA Draft after a successful three-year run at BC. Look for the shooting guard to be a late first-round or early second-round pick.