The Boston Celtics took down the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup. Kyrie Irving led the way for the Cs, finishing with 26 points and 11 assists. Jaylen Brown knew how big it was.
Irving's solid performance earned praise from Brown, who told The Athletic's Jay King that the All-Star guard's all-around game is what makes him special.
“As a player, Kyrie is one of the best players in the world. The whole package. Everything — the attention he draws once he gets off it, his basketball mind, his IQ is off the charts so it makes my job easy.”
Kyrie Irving was almost unstoppable on the offensive end, shooting 57 percent in the series opener. The Bucks tried to focus their defense on him, but when the double-teams arrived, Irving just passed the ball to his open teammates.
With Irving carrying the scoring load for the Celtics, his teammates turned their attention on defense, putting a lot of effort in stopping Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Although the Greek Freak finished with 22 points, he made only seven of his 21 shots. The Celtics made him work hard for all of his points, and their team defense worked well. Giannis found it hard to score inside the paint. Scoring near the rim is something he has been able to do with ease all season long.
Kyrie Irving and the Celtics will try to carry their momentum to Game 2 on Tuesday, as they attempt to head back to Boston with a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
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