Boston’s Al Horford says Bucks ‘had an impact on the game for sure’ with their physical play in Game 1

Boston will need to play more physically and poised if they want to compete in this series.

After sweeping the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs, it seems the Boston Celtics were less than prepared to face a team playing such stout defense as the Milwaukee Bucks did in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series against Boston.

But given what the Nets played barely qualifies as such, it’s an understandable result, even if the Celtics did not seem to adjust to the physical style of play the Bucks played until the game was already more or less decided. That physical defense and how it threw Boston out of their game was something veteran big man Al Horford had plenty to say about after the loss on Sunday.

“You’ve got to give them credit,” explained Horford. “They really came out and set the tone.”