Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways From Loss To Boston Celtics
By Adam McGee
The Milwaukee Bucks finished the regular season with a fourth quarter collapse in Boston, but should take a lot of confidence from how their reserves competed against the East’s top seed.
The Milwaukee Bucks arrived in Boston with nothing to play for, having secured their postseason seeding and left their best players at home. The Boston Celtics, on the other hand, were looking to secure the first seed in the East and ensure home court through to the Conference Finals.
This game was only ever going to go one way, right? As this is the NBA, the answer was not exactly.
Although the final score would certainly lead you to believe the Celtics had it their own way, Milwaukee’s reserves put up a stern fight until deep in the fourth quarter.
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If anything, the Bucks could have won the game if they had decided to leave key rotation players out there late, as the Celtics did. With a Saturday start to the playoffs, thankfully Jason Kidd decided against that on this occasion.
The Bucks received impressive contributions from rookies Malcolm Brogdon and Thon Maker as they built up a significant early lead, while reliable bench options like Greg Monroe and Michael Beasley also chipped in.
Also worth a special note of praise was the contribution of Rashad Vaughn. I’d be the first to admit that I’m generally very critical of Vaughn, but in his 40 minutes of action here his energy and effort across the floor was impressive. The shooting may have been as inconsistent as ever, but 14 points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block was a nice tally.
With eyes now turning to the playoffs, let’s take a closer look at some of the standout takeaways from this game and the impact they could have moving forward.