Giannis Antetokounmpo rolled up the right sideline like a jet taxiing for takeoff. Just over halfcourt, he turned slightly to the left and picked up his speed. By the time he got to the free throw line, he was at full throttle.
We’ve seen this before hundreds of times. Might as well call a priest in to administer last rites to the poor soul standing between him and the basket. Bucks fans were probably standing up by this point, mouths open ready to let out an “OHHHHHH” for a highlight about to break the internet.
Not this time.
Grant Williams stood at the dotted lines, a couple of feet below the foul line, and took the oncoming attack square in the chest.
Antetokounmpo never made it past the dots.
“We were defending well initially, and Grant’s a big part of that,” Ime Udoka said after his team’s Game 2 win to even the semifinal series at 1 apiece. “He’s like a mini Al (Horford) out there. We ask him to do the same things and where other guys are making plays. His shot-making ability, he’s been doing that all year, but his versatility and being able to switch onto guards and guard (Antetokounmpo) one-on-one in the post and be physical and frustrate him to some extent is what we need with a player like that. … That’s one of Grant’s many strengths is trying guys like that, him and Al.”
It was clear right away that Boston wasn’t going to help on Antetokounmpo like they did in Game 1. That double-teaming gave Giannis free looks at open teammates who drilled 3-pointer after 3-pointer to help polish off the Celtics. In Game 2, Boston only allowed three bench 3-point attempts.
After the game, Antetokounmpo was defiant, careful not to give Boston too much credit. But he did concede that “it’s kinda tougher to find your teammates because the pass has gotta be late.”
He managed seven assists in Game 2, but none of them were for 3-pointers. The Celtics still have to clean that up, but at the same time, seven of Antetokounmpo’s 12 Game 1 assists were for 3-pointers. That adds up to 55 points created by Antetokounmpo by scoring or assist. Boston cut that down to 42, a 13-point difference.
Again, not ideal, but those 13 points matter quite a bit in a 21-point win.
While the Celtics try to figure out if they can take their help defense to another level, they feel confident in Williams being able to handle his own long enough to give them that chance.
“I view it as guarding him on an island where it’s just you and him and you have to do your job,” Williams said. “For us, that was kind of how we viewed it for this game to see how it would go. He started getting a lot more aggressive in the second half, getting downhill and creating for himself, but it’s just one of those things that you have to kind of hunker down and trust in the work that you’ve done and do your best to contain one of the best players in the world.”
Milwaukee will certainly try some new wrinkles (or dust off some old ones), like using Antetokounmpo more as a screener. Doing so is a bit of a compliment to Williams and Horford because the Bucks are trying to get those guys off Giannis with a switch. If Boston doesn’t switch, the Bucks are taking advantage of the attention paid to Antetokounmpo. In Game 2, that led to a bunch of layups.
This is a simple baseline curl inbounds play. Williams is sticking close to Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum is chasing Pat Connaughton over the top of the screen. Jaylen Brown needs to switch and step up to take the drive away and Tatum can take the inbounder if he pops out to the corner.
If Williams is going to give up his body and take on that assignment, the rest of the Celtics need to do their part to support him. The same goes for this dribble handoff with Grayson Allen.
Brown needs to step up and stop the drive, Payton Pritchard can pick up Jaylen’s man and Tatum and run out to the corner and get there in time to contest a 3 or pick up the man.
The Bucks are trying to figure out how to use Boston’s defensive plan on Antetokounmpo against them. It was easy in Game 1. It was a little more difficult in Game 2, and the Celtics struggled to stop what the Bucks were doing for a stretch of the third and fourth quarters.
But the reason for the change was because of the job Horford and Williams, especially Williams with his strength to stand up to a hard-charging Antetokounmpo, were able to do on the Bucks MVP.
The constant pounding on Antetokounmpo takes its toll. By forcing him to try to beat the Celtics 1-on-1, Boston is daring him to create more of his shots in the half court and expend a lot of energy in the process. If he scored a few times, so be it. He’s Giannis freakin’ Antetokounmpo.
At the same time, Boston is doing well enough to keep Antetokounmpo somewhat in check. And that's all they need to do against a team missing Khris Middleton. All they have to do is keep Giannis from creating 60 or more points between his scoring and assisting.
Antetokounmpo might find his way around Williams from time to time. That won’t be a surprise. But getting through him? That's not happening. It’s adding to what has already been an incredibly impressive defensive playoff run for Williams. We already knew Horford would be a strong defender against Giannis, but the addition of Grant Williams to that wall could be just enough of what Boston needs to get by Milwaukee.
