Celtics (62-16) at Bucks (47-31) Game #79 4/9/24

[SparzWizard]

Bucks fans are a bit more chuffed about beating us than we are unconcerned of losing to them. They feel that they have the wood over us.

I like how Bucks fans still think of themselves as contenders.  Unless Milwaukee winds up in the 4-seed, we won’t be seeing them in the postseason.

Correction: we won't be seeing them in the postseason because they will have already been eliminated in first round while the Celtics advance deep in the playoffs 

[Celtics2021]

Bucks fans are a bit more chuffed about beating us than we are unconcerned of losing to them. They feel that they have the wood over us.

I like how Bucks fans still think of themselves as contenders.  Unless Milwaukee winds up in the 4-seed, we won’t be seeing them in the postseason.

Correction: we won't be seeing them in the postseason because they will have already been eliminated in first round while the Celtics advance deep in the playoffs 

Also likely.  They’re not getting past the second round in any case, be it vs. or anyone else.

[Phantom255x]

Seeing Giannis go down last night kind of reinforced my thinking that we should just be sitting most of our guys. Could you imagine if someone like Tatum or Porzingis suddenly got a serious injury when we have like a 14-game lead in the East and already clinched the best record in the league. These games mean nothing to the C's, and how they've played lately reflects it too.

At this point I wish we could just flip a switch and fast forward to the playoffs. Even these final 3 games, there's really nothing to care for. Who cares if they get a blowout win or a blowout loss.

[celticinorlando]

Bucks with a very gimpy Giannis have no chance vs the sixers and would be in trouble vs the pacers.

They might have won a meaningless late season game vs Boston. But that win keeps them in line to play the sixers and also Giannis has an injury that doesn’t heal in a quick manner.

I would think Bucks fans would be more worried about that.

[Phantom255x]

The good news is, Giannis passed the Achilles test so it's not a major injury there. Typically a soleus strain is 1-2 weeks of rest/rehab, more severe cases can be 3-6 weeks but usually not more than 4. That said, the first round starts in about 1.5 weeks so he might still be affected by it at least early in that series. For reference, Giannis suffered a back injury early in the Heat series last playoffs and obviously it affected him and his team during the series.

[SparzWizard]

The good news is, Giannis passed the Achilles test so it's not a major injury there. Typically a soleus strain is 1-2 weeks of rest/rehab, more severe cases can be 3-6 weeks but usually not more than 4. That said, the first round starts in about 1.5 weeks so he might still be affected by it at least early in that series. For reference, Giannis suffered a back injury early in the Heat series last playoffs and obviously it affected him and his team during the series.

If I'm the opposing team, if Giannis is playing, I'd target his affected leg 24/7. Make it bother him and slow the team down.

[Phantom255x]

The good news is, Giannis passed the Achilles test so it's not a major injury there. Typically a soleus strain is 1-2 weeks of rest/rehab, more severe cases can be 3-6 weeks but usually not more than 4. That said, the first round starts in about 1.5 weeks so he might still be affected by it at least early in that series. For reference, Giannis suffered a back injury early in the Heat series last playoffs and obviously it affected him and his team during the series.

If I'm the opposing team, if Giannis is playing, I'd target his affected leg 24/7. Make it bother him and slow the team down.

If the team plays fast pace they can overwhelm the Bucks. Butler and the Heat did the same thing to them, they hit 3s but also played fast-pace and in transition.

Even last night did it look like the C's were engaged? Felt to me the C's were "playing it safe" and not really going all out. I doubt that'll be the case in an actual playoff series where we'll also have Porzingis + Horford

[Celtics2021]

The good news is, Giannis passed the Achilles test so it's not a major injury there. Typically a soleus strain is 1-2 weeks of rest/rehab, more severe cases can be 3-6 weeks but usually not more than 4. That said, the first round starts in about 1.5 weeks so he might still be affected by it at least early in that series. For reference, Giannis suffered a back injury early in the Heat series last playoffs and obviously it affected him and his team during the series.

If I'm the opposing team, if Giannis is playing, I'd target his affected leg 24/7. Make it bother him and slow the team down.

If the team plays fast pace they can overwhelm the Bucks. Butler and the Heat did the same thing to them, they hit 3s but also played fast-pace and in transition.

Even last night did it look like the C's were engaged? Felt to me the C's were "playing it safe" and not really going all out. I doubt that'll be the case in an actual playoff series where we'll also have Porzingis + Horford

C’s were playing to not get hurt.  Which, as we saw with Giannis, was fine by me.  It wasn’t only Marc Davis that we got 0 FTs, although it was partly Marc Davis.

[Redz]

Nothing to say about this one.  Their intensity was at about a 2.5/10, so no need to read into anything. 

I do hope Giannis is okay.  I want to boot Milwaukee from the playoffs because they suck, not because Giannis is injured.

The only intensity jump I saw all night was when the first wave of subs came in and that lasted about 60 seconds.  Let's play out the string and get to the real games healthy.

The one interesting thing last night was Kornet taking (and hitting a 3).  This was his first 3 attempt of the season. He took 13 last season, but has basically removed this from his game.  When he first came in the league he was taking 3-4 3's per night in 15 MPG. He's been so disciplined this year.  I wondering if he's trying to sneak this back into his game for the playoffs? More likely it was just part of the exhibition game intensity level the Celts were showing all night. 

[SHAQATTACK]

It will funny watching 76ers who fired Doc pound the Bucks with Flake Rivers

[W8ting2McHale]

How did Tillman look against Giannis?

I didn’t see the game, and know that Giannis left with an injury, but he shot 7-11 before then.

I was hoping after acquiring Xavier Tillman that he would be this year’s X-factor guarding Giannis, like some of the previous wide bodies we’ve thrown at him the past 3-4 seasons.

Was he guarding Giannis or did someone else get that task? If he did, was he at least competent or disruptive, or was Giannis getting an easy path to the basket? A small sample size, I know, and the box score says he didn’t slow him down much, other than his shot count was lower than usual.

[ozgod]

How did Tillman look against Giannis?

I didn’t see the game, and know that Giannis left with an injury, but he shot 7-11 before then.

I was hoping after acquiring Xavier Tillman that he would be this year’s X-factor guarding Giannis, like some of the previous wide bodies we’ve thrown at him the past 3-4 seasons.

Was he guarding Giannis or did someone else get that task? If he did, was he at least competent or disruptive, or was Giannis getting an easy path to the basket? A small sample size, I know, and the box score says he didn’t slow him down much, other than his shot count was lower than usual.

Even if he started off guarding Giannis it’s very easy to switch a defender off you to get a favorable matchup these days, so we would probably have to look at advanced stats to see who was actually defending him when he shot his 7-11

[Vermont Green]

Nothing to say about this one.  Their intensity was at about a 2.5/10, so no need to read into anything. 

I do hope Giannis is okay.  I want to boot Milwaukee from the playoffs because they suck, not because Giannis is injured.

The only intensity jump I saw all night was when the first wave of subs came in and that lasted about 60 seconds.  Let's play out the string and get to the real games healthy.

The one interesting thing last night was Kornet taking (and hitting a 3).  This was his first 3 attempt of the season. He took 13 last season, but has basically removed this from his game.  When he first came in the league he was taking 3-4 3's per night in 15 MPG. He's been so disciplined this year.  I wondering if he's trying to sneak this back into his game for the playoffs? More likely it was just part of the exhibition game intensity level the Celts were showing all night.

I think he got excited seeing Lopez hit all those 3s at the start of the game.

[Neurotic Guy]

Nothing to say about this one.  Their intensity was at about a 2.5/10, so no need to read into anything. 

I do hope Giannis is okay.  I want to boot Milwaukee from the playoffs because they suck, not because Giannis is injured.

The only intensity jump I saw all night was when the first wave of subs came in and that lasted about 60 seconds.  Let's play out the string and get to the real games healthy.

The one interesting thing last night was Kornet taking (and hitting a 3).  This was his first 3 attempt of the season. He took 13 last season, but has basically removed this from his game.  When he first came in the league he was taking 3-4 3's per night in 15 MPG. He's been so disciplined this year.  I wondering if he's trying to sneak this back into his game for the playoffs? More likely it was just part of the exhibition game intensity level the Celts were showing all night.

I think he got excited seeing Lopez hit all those 3s at the start of the game.

He is such a solid FT shooter and some history as an OK distance shooter.  I love that he’s focused on the other aspects of his game, including defense, but at some point maybe he adds back the three.

The one he took was desperation, end of shot clock, but it wasn’t a heave/prayer, he looked good taking it.

[W8ting2McHale]

How did Tillman look against Giannis?

I didn’t see the game, and know that Giannis left with an injury, but he shot 7-11 before then.

I was hoping after acquiring Xavier Tillman that he would be this year’s X-factor guarding Giannis, like some of the previous wide bodies we’ve thrown at him the past 3-4 seasons.

Was he guarding Giannis or did someone else get that task? If he did, was he at least competent or disruptive, or was Giannis getting an easy path to the basket? A small sample size, I know, and the box score says he didn’t slow him down much, other than his shot count was lower than usual.

Even if he started off guarding Giannis it’s very easy to switch a defender off you to get a favorable matchup these days, so we would probably have to look at advanced stats to see who was actually defending him when he shot his 7-11

TP. Good point.