Paul Pierce: “It’s over”

[gouki88]

I think it is over.

Game 1 is over. 

Giannis played about as bad as he can possibly play.  He's been able to cook us normally.  Gonna be hard to get him to keep playing that bad.  Maybe he got use to playing trash Detroit defense and needs to adjust.

Giannis did not play "about as bad as he can possibly play". He scored 4 less than he's been averaging this post-season run, which has mainly been games against a weak Detroit team where the points have come easy. He shot worse than usual, but he also hit 3x the amount of threes he normally would. His foul shooting has been bad all postseason.

He's coming up against an elite defensive coach who has had days to figure out what amounts to a plan to stop Giannis, and Al + Baynes executed it perfectly. Giannis shot 2-10 when defended by those two. He didn't play excellently, but I'm not sure you're giving Stevens and our players enough credit. I'm not sure what Giannis can do to get back into the 25-35 point range. Hit more threes??

Sure, he might hit a few more of those contested layups, but I don't think the difference between him being somewhat shut down vs him scoring 30 is what made us victorious by 22.

[GreenFaith1819]

Series isn't over but I love PP34's enthusiasm.

MIL will make adjustments...they have quality coaching and of course - Greek Freak and Kris.

With THAT being said MIL hasn't had to deal with a nearly fully healthy (and hungry) Gordon Hayward - off the bench, no less.

MIL also has to adjust to a healthy (and equally as hungry) Kyrie Irving.

Rozier still has a lot to prove - especially based off of his good game today.

Big Al continuing his STRONG PLAY against the League's best - as always.

BOS is HUNGRY, folks - media has written us off...Giannis was supposed to go THANOS on us...snapping his fingers and all....but Big Al said NOT SO......

Series FAR FROM over but MIL has to make MORE ADJUSTMENTS than BOS......

And we will SOON get Smart back



And once THAT happens we WILL be ready to take this thing into Middle June.....

[KGs Knee]

Giannis is still the best player in this series, but Boston clearly is the more talented team.  This was always true, it's why Boston was the favorite in the East to start the year.  But Boston underachieved big time this season, so people wrote them off.

The thing is, once a team this good finds it's stride, it's usually lights out for anyone in their way.  I would not be at all surprised if Boston ended this series quickly.  It's more likely it goes 6 or 7, and Milwaukee could still win, but Boston has the talent on paper to put the Bucks away.

[LarBrd33]

I think it is over.

Game 1 is over. 

Giannis played about as bad as he can possibly play.  He's been able to cook us normally.  Gonna be hard to get him to keep playing that bad.  Maybe he got use to playing trash Detroit defense and needs to adjust.

Giannis did not play "about as bad as he can possibly play". He scored 4 less than he's been averaging this post-season run, which has mainly been games against a weak Detroit team where the points have come easy. He shot worse than usual, but he also hit 3x the amount of threes he normally would. His foul shooting has been bad all postseason.

He's coming up against an elite defensive coach who has had days to figure out what amounts to a plan to stop Giannis, and Al + Baynes executed it perfectly. Giannis shot 2-10 when defended by those two. He didn't play excellently, but I'm not sure you're giving Stevens and our players enough credit. I'm not sure what Giannis can do to get back into the 25-35 point range. Hit more threes??

Sure, he might hit a few more of those contested layups, but I don't think the difference between him being somewhat shut down vs him scoring 30 is what made us victorious by 22.

He's a 58% shooter and we held him to 33% shooting.  He shot 33% or worst exactly 1 time this season.

It was a game gainst Miami's "air-tight" defense that kept him to 9 points on 3-12 shooting.  Bucks beat them by 38 points next game.  Game after that Giannis dropped 33 on them in a win.  Game after that, Giannis dropped 27 on them in a win.   

Yeah, tonight was about as bad as Giannis can get.  Hopefully Horford can keep it up. 

[jpotter33]

Yeah, I cringed when hearing him say that.

[Phantom255x]

Yeah IIRC, I think Pierce also stated something similar (though less definitively) about the Nets-Sixers series pretty much being over after Game 1. We all know how that series ended... 

[angryguy77]

We made some tough shots that helped build a lead, which I don't see them maintaining. Games should be tighter going forward. Key thing is they played controlled and didn't settle into hero ball whenever the bucks started to show life.

I picked the bucks in 6 before the series, but I also believed if boston stole 1 of the 1st 2 then it would be over like paul says.

Watching this game reminded  me a little of how they used to guard Leroid. They walled off the paint and made him shoot. Giannis is going to have to make them pay from outside if MKE has a chance. Given how unlikely that is, the Truth is speaking the truth.

[GreenFaith1819]

Just stay hungry, BOS....don't rest on your laurels just yet...

Take GAME TWO and break their necks!!!

[GetLucky]

I think it is over.

Game 1 is over. 

Giannis played about as bad as he can possibly play.  He's been able to cook us normally.  Gonna be hard to get him to keep playing that bad.  Maybe he got use to playing trash Detroit defense and needs to adjust.

Giannis did not play "about as bad as he can possibly play". He scored 4 less than he's been averaging this post-season run, which has mainly been games against a weak Detroit team where the points have come easy. He shot worse than usual, but he also hit 3x the amount of threes he normally would. His foul shooting has been bad all postseason.

He's coming up against an elite defensive coach who has had days to figure out what amounts to a plan to stop Giannis, and Al + Baynes executed it perfectly. Giannis shot 2-10 when defended by those two. He didn't play excellently, but I'm not sure you're giving Stevens and our players enough credit. I'm not sure what Giannis can do to get back into the 25-35 point range. Hit more threes??

Sure, he might hit a few more of those contested layups, but I don't think the difference between him being somewhat shut down vs him scoring 30 is what made us victorious by 22.

Besides all of the stats LarBrd33 already mentioned, Giannis also played only 28 minutes per game in the Detroit series. He averaged 33.5 per 36 minutes.

[Fierce1]

What's surprising is how well the Celts are rebounding in the playoffs.

In Game 1 against the Bucks, Celts got 51 rebounds.

This is a different Boston team we're seeing in the playoffs.

[gouki88]

I think it is over.

Game 1 is over. 

Giannis played about as bad as he can possibly play.  He's been able to cook us normally.  Gonna be hard to get him to keep playing that bad.  Maybe he got use to playing trash Detroit defense and needs to adjust.

Giannis did not play "about as bad as he can possibly play". He scored 4 less than he's been averaging this post-season run, which has mainly been games against a weak Detroit team where the points have come easy. He shot worse than usual, but he also hit 3x the amount of threes he normally would. His foul shooting has been bad all postseason.

He's coming up against an elite defensive coach who has had days to figure out what amounts to a plan to stop Giannis, and Al + Baynes executed it perfectly. Giannis shot 2-10 when defended by those two. He didn't play excellently, but I'm not sure you're giving Stevens and our players enough credit. I'm not sure what Giannis can do to get back into the 25-35 point range. Hit more threes??

Sure, he might hit a few more of those contested layups, but I don't think the difference between him being somewhat shut down vs him scoring 30 is what made us victorious by 22.

Besides all of the stats LarBrd33 already mentioned, Giannis also played only 28 minutes per game in the Detroit series. He averaged 33.5 per 36 minutes.

Yeah, I get that. What I'm saying is that Giannis didn't just mysteriously play badly. He was able to coast against a handicapped Detroit team who has no wing defence and an interior presence prone to mental collapses.

Now he comes up against a fearsome defence with players equipped to both defend him and defend his shooters. I just don't expect Giannis to play much better barring terrible officiating / an injury to Al. Regardless of his freakish nature he has quite a limited offensive game.

Happier we're playing him than Kawhi.

[CelticSooner]

What's surprising is how well the Celts are rebounding in the playoffs.

In Game 1 against the Bucks, Celts got 51 rebounds.

This is a different Boston team we're seeing in the playoffs.

This is the team we expected before the season.

[Celtics17]

Come on Paul, you of all people should know, this series is far from over! Playoff teams often win big one game then lose big the very next. Giannis is possibly the best player in the game and while he was taken out of his game today it wont last.

I predicted a Celtics series win in 7 and am sticking to that. All of the above being said, I sure hope Paul is right! A lot of people think a game isnt good if it's not close but I enjoy a C's blowout just as much, maybe more.

[nostar]

Pierce is a terrible analyst. He just dumps hot takes and plays contrarian. Much as I loved him as a player, he is really not great on TV.

The thing Milwaukee can do is regress too their mean. They are a better team than showed up today, and we'll see it on Tuesday.

[makaveli]

He is really putting himself out there, first with the D-Wade thing, now this.

at the begining i thought he did a nice job with a great personality but now he just sounds liks stephen A smith