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Three words, Bucks fans. EASTERN. CONFERENCE. FINALS. It’s happening.
It was loud to start this one off — and rightfully so. When your team is on the brink of advancing to the ECF for the first time since 2001, you get amped. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Fiserv Forum get louder than they did when Eric Bledsoe sank that corner three to go up 8-0. Milwaukee would carry that start off to a 22-19 lead moving onto the second quarter.
Malcolm Brogdon would enter to start the second quarter, a sight all Bucks fans have been waiting to see. How would the Bucks respond? How does quickly rattling off 10 points sound? They’d quickly propel past the frigid-shooting Celtics and take that momentum into the locker room with a 52-39 lead.
Nothing too much would change in the third quarter. It was somewhat ugly at times, with both teams going on some brief scoring spells. The Bucks would eventually click things into a higher gear, something that has become a tradition in this series during the third quarter. Transitioning into the final quarter, the Bucks were owners of an 80-62 lead.
From there, my yearlong saying occurred— “SMOOTH SAILING AHEAD.” The Bucks would sit back, kick their feet up, and advance to the EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS for the first time in 18 years with a 116-91 victory. It’s time to celebrate, Milwaukee.
Stat That Stood Out
Oh, how fun was it to see Boston shoot 31 percent? Not only was it Kyrie Irving, but the whole Celtics team was plagued with the cold hand. They literally couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn if they tried. Right out of the opening gates, you could tell that there was going to be a lid over the hoop for them. Granted, the Bucks didn’t have the greatest shooting night at times either, but it’s pretty easy to eclipse an opponent’s 31 percent. I could’ve designated this solely for Kyrie Irving, so let me mention his stat line on the evening as well! How does 15 points on 6-of-21 shooting with a single rebound and a single assist sound? Yiiiiiiiiiiikeeeeesssss. I think the likelihood is quite strong that this was his last game wearing the Celtics green and white.