Officiating has been a hot topic in the NBA this postseason and Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals proved to be no different. The TD Garden crowd watched with plenty of dismay as Giannis Antetokounmpo tied a career-high with 22 free throw attempts in the Bucks' 123-116 win over the Celtics, drawing the ire of the coaching staff and players for large chunks of the second half. Kyrie Irving (29 points) took the most noteworthy shot at the refs in the aftermath of the defeat.
“A guy comes down, six times in a row, gets free throws, what are you really going to do?” Irving said. “It’s slowing the game down, so, the run you would hope to make in a quarter like that doesn’t happen, I mean, shot 22 on the game, I mean, it’s getting ridiculous at this point. It's just slowing the f****** game down.”
While the Celtics were on the receiving end of some tough calls throughout the third quarter, pointing the fingers at the officials for this one is a copout, something that Brad Stevens acknowledged in the aftermath of the defeat.
“I don’t complain about officials,” he said. “We have a lot of stuff we have to do better, and they have a hard job. We focus on us and the controllables. That’s the bottom line.”
Even though Antetokounmpo (game-high 32 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists) was treated like an MVP by the zebras for most of the night, that did not prevent the Celtics from controlling a large chunk of this game. In fact, the Celtics led by a point late in the third quarter as the Greek Freak rested, having kept pace with the constant flow of Bucks points with hot shooting of their own from various members of the starting five (100 of 116 points on night scored by starters).
For a team that was supposed to be able to beat opponents on the strength of its depth, it was that specific area among many that got exposed in Game 3 on Friday night.
George Hill and Pat Connaughton soundly outplayed the likes of Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier and that was a huge difference-maker in a pivotal Game 3 loss for Boston.
There were problems spread all across the roster that deserve attention before the officiating is even brought up. Irving delivered another subpar outing after the opening period, going just 4-of-15 from the field over the last three quarters while giving up more on the defensive end (to Hill, among others) than he gave back with his points.
For a guy that talked up the importance of the postseason, a pair of consecutive lackluster performances are not going to get the job done against the NBA’s best team. The Bucks successfully lulled Irving into tough jump shots that led to transition opportunities the other way when they didn't go down. Irving's six assists in a series-high 41 minutes were indicative of a lack of ball movement that Boston reverted to while falling into a double-digit second-half hole. He's also missed plenty of open ones like this:
Bucks are in an odd place guarding Kyrie/Horford pick and rolls, especially when Horford mixes in a roll now and then. Looks like Lopez is trying to recover, Bledsoe might be thinking it's a switch. More Horford can mix it up the better. Also you can't get a much better look. pic.twitter.com/w0wa9MPWWH
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) May 4, 2019
Celtics haven't found a way to make Milwaukee pay in the second half. On Kyrie's drive he forces help. Milwaukee is in full rotation as Horford kicks it out. Rozier passes to Brown and he takes a contested 3 instead of attacking. Milwaukee wants you to take contested jumpers.
pic.twitter.com/NAxeE2bejj
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) May 4, 2019
Really good defensive possession by Brook Lopez here. Switches on to Hayward in pick and roll. Slides his feet to keep him in front, pressures once he picks up the dribble. Good stuff. Give the man his credit. Also Celtics have to get more out of Bucks switches. pic.twitter.com/be7omozJ9R
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) May 4, 2019