3 keys for the Milwaukee Bucks to secure pivotal Game 5 win in Boston

The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics are essentially in a three-game series as we’re tied 2-2. Game 5 takes place tonight in Boston, let’s look at three keys for the Bucks to emerge from Game 5 with a 3-2 series lead with a chance to close out the series at home on Friday in Milwaukee.

3 Keys for the Milwaukee Bucks to Win Game 5: Don’t Protect, Expand

My first key for the Milwaukee Bucks is to put the throttle all the way down to finish games. In both games in Milwaukee, the Bucks held leads going into the fourth quarter. In Game 3, the Bucks held a 13-point lead and in Game 4 the Bucks held a seven-point lead. The Bucks have been outscored 77-51 in Games 3 and 4 in the fourth quarter.

In Game 3, Boston didn’t go away and despite a drastic free throw disparity in the final frame (the Celtics had 17 free throws to the Bucks’ zero in the final 16 and a half minutes), Milwaukee emerged victorious by just two points and nearly faced overtime on a tip in by Al Horford that was just a second too late. In Game 4, the Bucks held a seven-point lead, and less than two minutes into the fourth quarter the lead was down to two.

After some back and forth, the Celtics kept scoring, going 16-of-19 from the field, and the Bucks looked so fatigued that they couldn’t keep up. Whether it means rotating players quicker and more often to fight the fatigue or remaining focused on tough defense and contesting shots without fouling, the Milwaukee Bucks need to finish all four quarters, because the Celtics will not go away after three quarters.