Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled mightily in Game 1 versus the Boston Celtics. It seems he was caught off guard by just how tenacious the Celtics defense would be to start the series.
Milwaukee was able to contain Antetokounmpo with a number of different looks on defense. He admitted that he is going to have to step up his game in order to overcome Boston's defense, via jsonline.com:
“They were loading a lot of guys in the paint,” Antetokounmpo said. “Whenever I got in the paint, when I spin or try to change direction, the second guy was right there. If they are going to play like this the whole series, I have to be able to make the right pass and trust my teammates to knock down shots.”
The Bucks had been pegged as the favorites to win the East after finishing the regular season with the No. 1 seed on the back of an MVP-caliber outing from Antetokounmpo. However, the Celtics managed to make a statement in Game 1 by handing them their worst home loss of the year. There is no question that a major part of Boston's success came from containing Milwaukee's superstar.
Antetokounmpo finished the game with just 22 points on 7-for-21 shooting. He was uncharacteristically blocked on five of his shot attempts and was unable to get anything going inside the paint. The Bucks success relies heavily on him establishing his will inside. He will need to find a way to make it happen if he hopes to help Milwaukee split the series at home.
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