Former Celtics forward Paul Pierce was under the impression that Boston would handle the Milwaukee Bucks with relative ease in their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup. The Celtics won Game 1, and Pierce was already writing Milwaukee off.
“Boston is just going to out-talent (Milwaukee),” Pierce said after Boston's Game 1 victory. “I don't know where Milwaukee goes from here. I think it's over.”
The series didn't go as Pierce thought it would, however. In fact, it went in the opposite direction. Following Boston's win in Game 1, Milwaukee went on to win four straight by a combined 65 points.
“I think our mindset changed,” Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo told ESPN after Game 5. “In the first game, we weren't focused enough. We weren't ourselves. The next four games, we came out with a different approach, a different mindset.”
The Bucks took note of Pierce's remarks in the early stages of the series. After Wednesday night's series-clinching win, the team's Twitter account sent out a video that highlights some of his ill-advised comments:
Truth hurts @PaulPierce34.#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/g24XCzaExZ
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) May 9, 2019
The Celtics had no answer for the Bucks in Game 5. Seven Milwaukee players scored in double-digits, including Antetokounmpo (20), Khris Middleton (19), Eric Bledsoe (18) and George Hill (16). Furthermore, Milwaukee held Boston to a 7-of-39 mark from beyond the arc (17.9 percent).
“Everybody was ready to play,” Bucks guard George Hill told ESPN. “Everybody was ready for the opportunity to put them away as quick as we can.”
The Bucks now await the winner of the Philadelphia-Toronto series. The Raptors are leading in that series, 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday night.
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