Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Game Thread (Dec. 21)

The Milwaukee Bucks (13-11) will tip off against the Boston Celtics (13-12) for the fourth time in 24 games, but at least this time we can take comfort in knowing that it will be the last regular season meeting between these two teams. Milwaukee claimed wins in two of the first three meetings, so they can clinch the season series with a win on Friday.

Larry Sanders torments the Celtics' offense. When he's on the floor, the Celtics can't score in the paint. They just can't. It's impossible. Okay, here are the actual numbers for 2012: the Celtics have converted only 49.0% of shots within five feet of the basket (25-of-51) when Sanders has been on been on the floor. When Sanders has watched from the bench, Boston found a way to hit 70.4% of their attempts inside five feet (19-of-27). If you're sick of watching the Celtics, at least you can enjoy watching the Cs squirm when Larry is in the game.

The Bucks dominated the paint in the first matchup and embarrassed Boston at the TD Garden on Nov. 2. Then on Nov. 10, the Celtics upended the Bucks thanks to a fourth-quarter surge fueled by hot jump shooting from Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Finally, Sanders helped to lift the Bucks to a 91-88 win on Dec. 1 by posting a career-high 18 points along with 16 rebounds and five blocks.

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Steve's Song of the Day (in honor of the ESPN game)