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The Boston Celtics fell to defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks in game three of their second-round playoff matchup on May 7.
A poor performance from rising star Jayson Tatum was symbolic of how the Celtics failed to find top gear against the reigning champions, as the team was constantly fighting off the back foot throughout the game.
Derrick White, who has struggled at times since joining the Celtics at the trade deadline, was one of Boston’s best players throughout the contest, as he consistently pressured the rim and found some success from outside the perimeter. Unfortunately, outside of Jaylen Brown and Al Horford, no other Celtics player was able to match White’s performance levels, and the team’s offense sputtered as a result.
When speaking to the media on May 8, White was forthcoming about the improvements the Celtics need to make ahead of game four, noting that the entire team needs to improve their collective performances if they want to tie the series up before heading back to the TD Garden.
“Obviously a tough game, a lot of stuff that we’ve watched film on and learned from. I feel like we haven’t really played our best over these last few games, we just need to tighten up our offense, man, make sure we’re getting into something and getting a good look every possession,” White said when asked about how the Celtics can improve heading into game four.
Three-Point Shooting Continues to Hurt Celtics
Boston’s limitations when shooting the three-ball have been well documented throughout the season and led to Brad Stevens converting Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet from two-way contracts into full-time NBA deals mid-way through the season.
However, with neither of those players likely to see the floor in the playoffs, Boston’s perimeter play has been rather hit-or-miss throughout the post-season. The Milwaukee Bucks are a team that dares teams to shoot threes, lots of them, and will live or do by the results of that gamble. In game one of the Celtics series against the Bucks, they shot just 18-for-50 from deep, giving them a conversion rate of 36%.
Luckily, in the second game at the TD Garden, Boston was far superior when shooting from the perimeter, making 46.5% of their 43 three-point attempts. Unfortunately, game three saw a return of Boston’s inability to take their chances from beyond the arc, as the team shot a series worst 26.5% on 34 three-pointers.
Al Horford Enters History Books
Sometimes a player seems to defy the aging process. We’ve seen it all season from LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, but looking a little closer to home, Al Horford has been exceptional since returning to the Celtics this past summer.
On May 7, in-game three against Milwaukee, the veteran big man was one of the best players on the floor and ended the contest with 22 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks while shooting 57.1% from deep and 52.9% from the field.
According to Taylor Snow of the Boston Celtics, Horford’s performance placed him in the history books, alongside some stellar names. Following his stat-stuffing performance, Horford became the 13th player over the age of 35 to record a statline of 20-points and 15 rebounds in a playoff game, joining the likes of LeBron, Dirk Nowitzki, and Bill Russell.
Boston will need Horford to continue producing at a high level if they want to tie up the series on May 9 before heading back to the TD Garden with hopes of regaining dominance in what is fast becoming a battle of attrition between these two stellar teams.
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