Everything you need to know about the Bucks beating the Celtics 116-91 with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Kyrie no-shows in potentially his last game as a Celtic: The worst series of the point guard’s career ended with an embarrassing thud on Wednesday night as he scored just 15 points on 6-of-21 shooting with a team-low minus-25 plus/minus in a crushing loss to the Bucks. Irving was far from the only player who struggled on the worst shooting night of the year for the Celtics with Al Horford (4 of 13), Jayson Tatum (3 of 10) and Gordon Hayward (3 of 9) and Jaylen Brown (3 of 9) all giving the C’s next to nothing on the offensive end in a must-win game. Giannis Antetokounmpo (20 points) led six different Bucks scorers with 20 points in a balanced offensive effort as they cruised for the second half after building a double-digit lead in the tail end of the first half.
The start of a huge offseason ends on sour note: The Celtics will look nothing like this when the next season begins but in a season full of turmoil and disappointment, the playoffs confirmed what the regular season told us about this group. All of the attention will be on Irving’s future but the dominoes that follow will be crucial for this group as Al Horford (player option), Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier and several others hit free agency. Trades for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will certainly be on the table if Danny Ainge decides to go big-game hunting but none of them have improved their trade stock during this season. With some many balls in the air ahead of the NBA Draft
TURNING POINT
The Bucks closed the first half with a 9-0 run before a Gordon Hayward 3-pointer, extending their lead to 13 points heading into intermission. The Celtics could not cut the deficit below double digits in the second half.
ONE UP
Marcus Morris: One of the few guys that showed up in this series. He was sent to the bench for added offense but the Celtics starting five would have been better off keeping his shooting rather than watching the offense shoot itself into an early hole.
TWO DOWN
Gordon Hayward: Just gave the Celtics absolutely nothing in the last four games of this series. His drive and kick game became predictable and unable to punish with the Bucks predicting his passes and rotating accordingly. After a strong series against the Bucks, this was a major step back.
Irving: Easily his worst game of this series and that’s saying a lot given how bad he was. His shot selection was brutal out of the gate and he did not record an assist for the entire first half. His defense was just as bad as it's been for the past two games. He was the C’s biggest problem in this series and if he does sign in a new destination, this might be the ugliest departure we’ve seen in Boston on the way out the door.
TOP PLAY
Kyrie to the RACK ? pic.twitter.com/hSE0K6gBit
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 9, 2019
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
This is the worst-case scenario for the Celtics: The Bucks are a very good team and played very well over the last four games but the one thing that Celtics fans were counting on in this one was a fight. They couldn’t even deliver that thanks to a dismal effort from their three highest-paid players who couldn't hit shots. The season ends with uncertainty surrounding all three of these players. Irving is the chief concern with his inability to be a valid No. 1 option on a contender and was honestly a net negative in this series when you factor in his defense. Even if he does re-sign, there will be a big contingent of the Celtics' fanbase that will not be eager for his return. If Irving walks, Horford's future suddenly looks murky as well since he's looking to win a ring and this roster does not have the pieces to do that if the team's lone All-Star walks. Hayward's whole season was a disappointment for obvious reasons and his contract looks like a net negative for the Celtics until he gets closer to his former self. All of these issues make the Celtics offseason a total wildcard with how it could take shape over the next two months.
In a bad year for Brad Stevens, he made the wrong starting switch: The idea of starting Aron Baynes was not a bad thought in theory to protect the rim but benching the team's most consistent starter this series (Morris) in order to do so did not work out very well as the Celtics dug themselves into an 8-0 hole out of the gate that forced them to play catch up for the remaining 45 minutes of the game. He did not have many appealing options in this series with Irving and Hayward struggling to the extent they did but he did not lean on the players that were giving him the best minutes enough. That wasn't necessarily the difference in this series but his faith in guys that weren't producing results ultimately ended up producing an ugly exit for the Celtics.
