Getty Some Milwaukee Bucks fans felt pretty good after losing to the Boston Celtics.
After a 122-119 loss to the Boston Celtics, on Wednesday, March 20, the Milwaukee Bucks find themselves 11 games behind Boston in the Eastern Conference standings. The Bucks hold the No. 2 seed in the conference and are one game in front of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Playing without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks found themselves trailing by as many as 21 points before storming back and making it a one-possession game in the final minutes before the Celtics secured their seventh straight victory. The loss was the second in four games for the Bucks, but it certainly pumped up plenty of Milwaukee fans.
Bucks Loss to Celtics Gives Milwaukee Fans Hope
The last time the Bucks and Celtics met, the Bucks walloped the Celtics 135-102 back on Thursday, January 11. The Bucks are widely considered to be Boston’s biggest threat in the Eastern Conference, and that 33-point victory sent Boston a little message.
On Wednesday, the Bucks faced a significant challenge without Antetokounmpo, who didn’t make the trip to TD Garden as he nurses a hamstring injury. After a rough start, the Bucks battled back and came up three points short to the best team in the league on the road.
That was enough to have some Bucks fans feeling pretty good about themselves as the playoffs lurk.
“Can’t be mad at this one,” one X user wrote in response to the Bucks’ social-media graphic that showed the final score. “Lost by one possession against the league’s number one team without Giannis, the league’s number one player. Bucks can win in a 7 series.”
“With a certain #34. things would’ve been different,” another Bucks fan wrote. “Nonetheless we can’t complain, they’re top seed for a reason. Lock in a little more on perimeter D and on defensive boards and we’re good. Bucks in 6.”
While some Milwaukee fans were feeling pretty good after their performance against the Celtics, one may have gotten a little carried away.
“Oh we no doubt beat this team in the playoffs,” an X user wrote. “All the pieces are clicking and now we will add a rested & healthy Giannis. Good luck @NBA.”
Head Coach Doc Rivers Liked What He Saw Against the Celtics
“They won the battle tonight. The war’s ahead of us.”
The Bucks have been through a roller-coaster season. They parted ways with first-year head coach Adrian Griffin after just 43 games this season despite having a 30-13 record.
The Bucks replaced Griffin with veteran coach Doc Rivers, who went 3-6 in his first nine games with the team. The Bucks then won eight out of 10 and now stand at 44-25, one game ahead of the Cavs for the Central Division lead.
After the Celtics game, Rivers said he liked what he saw in his team, especially from a confidence level.
“You can feel the confidence in our team,” Rivers said. “Even tonight, no moral victories. I told them that. Let’s not go have a party tonight, because we lost.
“It was just the battle. We didn’t lose the war. It was the battle, and they won the battle tonight. The war is ahead of us.”
To be fair, the Celtics also were short-handed, playing without starter Jrue Holiday.