2022 East Second Round – Page 7

Celtics injury update: Bucks’ Khris Middleton out for Games 3, 4 but return to East semis not ruled out

Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer hinted a series return might not be out of the question — but is it gamesmanship?

The Boston Celtics have had the luxury of not having to worry about All-Star Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton in their Eastern Conference semifinals series with the defending champs with the Bucks sharpshooter out rehabbing a sprained MCL.

But after Game 4, Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer hinted that Middleton might still be able to return to action later in the series after the team’s practice on Thursday following an update on the forward’s progress being circulated in a press release that shared Middleton’s “steady progress on his left knee injury rehabilitation.”

Budenholzer ruled out the All-Star for Games3 and 4 on Milwaukee’s home court, but was terse but provocative in his response when asked about whether Middleton might return beyond that, saying only “we’ll see,” according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jim Owczarski.

Celtics Lab 108: Which version of the Boston Celtics will we see in Game 3 vs. Milwaukee with Max Lederman https://t.co/gjyVY2dxWL

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 5, 2022

Is there a chance for the latter two contests (if needed) of the series to get much more difficult for the Celtics? Or is this just the East semis version of Ben Simmons being just a game or two away from suiting up?

Only time will tell for certain.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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How Grant Williams’ shooting, defense are keeping the Boston Celtics right with the Milwaukee Bucks in the East semis

The Tennessee product has been a key part fo Boston’s postseason on both ends.

The outstanding play of Boston Celtics reserve forward Grant Williams this postseason is likely going to put the Tennessee product in line for a big paycheck either this offseason when he becomes extension-eligible for the Celtics or the offseason after next season when he becomes a restricted free agent. And it isn’t just front offices taking note of the Charlotte native’s growth as a player on both ends of the court.

His excellent defense and ability to help contain Giannis Antetokounmpo is helping keep Boston in their East semis series with the Milwaukee Bucks, a role he played in the first round against the likes of Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant. And his 3-point shooting has been a blessing on a Boston roster that needs shooting if it needs anything.

The eponymous host of NBC Sports Boston’s “Forsberg’s Four” segment Chris Forsberg dedicated his weekly show to Williams this week in a similar vein; check out the clip embedded below to hear what he is loving about the former Vol’s game of late.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Ime Udoka, Brad Stevens, and Marcus Smart give updates on Smart’s recovery from injury ahead of Game 3 vs. the Bucks

There is hope the Flower Mound native will be ready to return to the court by Saturday.

One of the biggest question marks looming over the next game of the East semis series between the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks is whether injured Celtics point guard Marcus Smart will have healed enough to play in Boston’s road tilt with the Bucks on Saturday night.

The Oklahoma State product exited the Celtics’ Game 1 loss with both a shoulder stinger and a quad bruise, the latter of which in particular kept Smart out of the second installment of the second-round series. Thus, the veteran guard’s availability for Game 3 was a popular topic on Thursday, starting with team president Brad Stevens being asked about it during his weekly appearance on the WEEI “Toucher and Rich” radio show.

“Marcus was in the gym yesterday, on an off day for the rest of our team, and got in some work in the weight room and looked like he (was) a little bit better (than he had) been,” suggested Stevens.

Celtics Lab 108: Which version of the Boston Celtics will we see in Game 3 vs. Milwaukee with Max Lederman https://t.co/gjyVY2dxWL

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 5, 2022

How the Celtics’ defense contained Giannis in Game 2 of the Boston – Milwaukee Bucks series

It might have seemed like a minor adjustment, but it paid off big time.

How did the Boston Celtics disrupt the best-laid plans of Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo on offense in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series with the defending NBA champs? How did it differ from the way the Celtics guarded the Greek Freak in Game 1? And what can we expect to see in the rest of the series moving forward as the East semis head to Wisconsin for a pair of games on Milwaukee’s home court?

These are the array of questions tackled recently on the Volume “Hoops Tonight” podcast, which saw host Jason Timpf dive into all things Celtics – Bucks on the most recent episode of his pod.

After Game 1, it looked like Boston might be out of their depth, and the script was flipped with Game 2’s blowout win in favor of the Celtics.

Check out the clip embedded above to get Timpf’s take on how things might unfold in the future of the series.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Celtics’ Al Horford named among 2022 playoffs’ biggest surprises by NBA

Horford finding the fountain of youth in these playoffs has been a key part of Boston’s success.

Fans of the Boston Celtics might take the late-career excellence of veteran big man Al Horford for granted more than they ought to, but the Florida product’s outstanding play this season has been a critical part of the Celtics’ success in recent months, particularly in postseason play where he seems to have found a fountain of youth on the court.

That is getting him the attention of the national media, and Horford’s play has even been called one of the 2022 NBA Playoffs’ “biggest surprises” by NBA.com’s Shaun Powell. Alongside the playoff success of the Golden State Warriors, the outstanding play of Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson, and the disappointing play of Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets (which Horford had a hand in), the Celtics center has played his way into elite company since the start of the first round.

Powell begins by asking us to “examine the curious career path of Horford,” tracing his path through a personal wilderness era back to the Celtics after leaving in free agency to join the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019.

Celtics Lab 108: Which version of the Boston Celtics will we see in Game 3 vs. Milwaukee with Max Lederman https://t.co/gjyVY2dxWL

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 5, 2022

Is Boston’s Grant Williams the Celtics’ Giannis stopper in their series with the Milwaukee Bucks?

Or did he just have a particularly outstanding game?

One of the best surprises of the Boston Celtics‘ East semis series with the Milwaukee Bucks so far has been how effective of a player reserve forward Grant Williams has been in helping to contain Milwaukee star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo on defense.

With the Celtics switching away from their usual approach of sending help to stymie the perrenial MVP candidate now that the Greek Freak has shown an increased ability to pass out of double-teams, players with the strength and defensive awareness of Williams have become a critical part of that scheme. Is it fair to say the Tennessee product has become the team’s new Giannis stopper?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Garden Report” podcast recently dove into Williams’ excellent defense in Game 2, and how he helped Boston even the series.

Can he be depended on to play up to this standard against Antetokounmpo moving forward? Check out the clip embedded above to hear what they have to say.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

Celtics Lab 108: Which version of the Boston Celtics will we see in Game 3 vs. Milwaukee with Max Lederman

Will the Bucks take Boston by surprise on their home court? Or have the Celtics figured out Milwaukee?

The Boston Celtics looked like two very different teams in Games 1 and 2 of their second-round series with the Milwaukee Bucks, first getting blown out by the Bucks and then blowing out Milwaukee in return. What impressions can we take away from this series given how disparate the first two games were from one another, and what can we expect to see from both teams moving forward?

How will the health of Marcus Smart’s thigh contusion and Jaylen Brown’s hamstring tightness affect the series? What can the Bucks do in order to adjust to Boston’s single-man coverage of Giannis Antetokounmpo? Will the Celtics keep firing away from beyond the arc at historic rates, or will they look to score in other ways?

On this episode of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast, we enlisted the help of NBC Sports Boston’s Max Lederman to get our bearings on a very closely matched Eastern Conference semifinals series.

Join Lederman and your usual hosts Alex Goldberg and Justin Quinn as we take stock of Bucks – Celtics as the series heads to Wisconsin for Milwaukee’s two-game homestand.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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In Boston’s Game 2 win over Milwaukee, ‘the game-changer was Jaylen Brown,’ says ESPN’s Jalen Rose

It was a world of difference from his Game 1 performance.

If there was any doubt as to whether it was possible for Boston Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown to play at the level his team needed to when called on given his lingering hamstring tightness, the Cal-Berkeley product answered back in a big way in Game 2 of the Celtics’ Eastern Conference semifinals series with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Brown was a key part of Boston’s 109-86 win over the Bucks on Tuesday as he came to life in ways he simply did not in Game 1 of the second-round series, scoring a game-high 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists on 11-of-18 shooting overall, a sizzling 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.

The hosts of the ESPN show “Get Up” recently got into Brown’s Game 2 performance, with Jalen Rose, in particular, seeing the Georgia native as a “game-changer”.

Check out the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say about Brown’s play in the series so far.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Ime Udoka credits his team’s defensive adjustments on Giannis for helping secure Game 2 win vs. Bucks

Not doubling the Greek Freak can be a recipe for disaster, but it worked well for Boston.

In Game 1 of the Boston Celtics’ East semis series with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Celtics were able to slow Milwaukee star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo on offense with double-teams, but the Greek Freak’s passing game got his teammates open for easy buckets often enough for the Bucks to steal a game on Boston’s home court.

But the Celtics adjusted in Game 2 and shifted to have one of a select few players on the team cover the former MVP by themselves with only occasional help, which Boston head coach Ime Udoka discussed with the media after the Celtics blew out Milwaukee 109-86 on Tuesday.

“We talked a little bit about guarding him more one on one,” explained Udoka of how Boston approached Game 2 in terms of planning.

Boston Celtics set team record for most 3-pointers in a playoff game in Game 2 vs. Milwaukee Bucks https://t.co/nuLbsrDqJn

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 4, 2022

Boston Celtics set team record for most 3-pointers in a playoff game in Game 2 vs. Milwaukee Bucks

See all of Boston’s 20 treys against Milwaukee in Game 2 in this clip.

The Boston Celtics found themselves bothered by the elite defense of the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of their 2022 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals series on Sunday, the Bucks especially adept at taking away shots in the paint and in the perimeter from their opponents. But the Celtics went back to the film room and found ways to use their own elite ball movement to break down Milwaukee’s 3-point defense, and ended up making history as a result.

Boston launched 14 treys in the first half of their 109-86 Game 2 blowout of the Bucks on Tuesday, and then 6 more for good measure in the second half of the game. The combined 20 shots from beyond the arc set a Celtics franchise record for the most successful attempts from 3-point range in a playoff game in the history of the storied franchise.

Perhaps fitting for the team that made not only the very first 3 in league history but also the first trey in an All-Star game; check out the link embedded below to see Boston make history yet again courtesy of the folks at the NBA themselves.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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