This is going to be a tough one to come back from. Even for a group as resilient as this Celtics team, that Game 5 loss was about as demoralizing as it gets.
“We gave it away. That’s how we lost it,” Jaylen Brown said. “Give credit to Milwaukee, they played hard for 48 minutes, and we played hard (but) weren’t as purposeful as we needed to be down the stretch, and it cost us. We got to be the smarter team. We got to do what works; I feel like we went away from that at times.”
As much as stats don’t tell the full story of a game, Milwaukee’s 17 offensive rebounds and 20 second-chance points sum up Game 5 pretty well. Especially when you consider Bobby Portis grabbed one of those boards and scored two of those points to give Milwaukee the lead with 11.4 seconds left in the game after Boston led by as much as 14 in the fourth.
“Giving up the rebound on the free throw, that’s a tough one to swallow,” Ime Udoka said of Portis’ big play. “Especially knowing they have a poor free-throw shooter up there. Just got to find bodies and come up with that one.”
Also, Giannis Antetokounmpo had his most efficient shooting performance of the series, scoring 40 points on 16-for-27 shooting (2-for-5 from deep). While the Celtics could have survived a good Antetokounmpo performance — if not for that Portis rebound and some crucial mistakes by Marcus Smart late — that is something Boston needs to address heading into Game 6.
“We were putting him in the same actions (and) defending him at the same level,” Udoka said. “Just felt like we didn’t make those game-clinching plays. When we had the chance to put our foot on the gas and pull away a little bit, we always gave them hope with the rebounds and easy baskets that kept them in it. Any time you got life, you got a little more energy to stay in the game instead of getting depleted energy-wise and putting your head down.”
For all the frustrations that come with this loss, at least one Celtics player seemed comfortable in the wake of the disappointing loss. If there’s one reason to think they can bring the series back to Boston, it has to be Jayson Tatum’s demeanor after Wednesday’s loss.
“I could come up here and pout and be sad, and I’m sure there would be a big story about how we’re defeated and I don’t believe in us,” Tatum said. “Or I could come in how I (did). You can’t change what happened. It stings for sure, but it’s 3-2, and it’s the first to four. There’s no sense in being sad or putting your head down because that’s not going to do anything for next game. Always be optimistic, believe in yourself (and) believe in the group.”
The Celtics have a chance to redeem themselves on Friday in Milwaukee. If they don’t, it’s all over.
“We have a chance to go make up for (this loss),” Udoka said. “We played extremely well for three and a half quarters. Got a little stagnant. Missed some shots in the fourth. But also, didn’t love our defense in those last quarters. But, look at the positives that we did to get that 14-point lead — we had it at 13 in the first half — how we can build on that.
“But we had a golden opportunity, and that’s the story here. It’s going to be tougher now. Got to go get two in a row. But what we’ve done throughout the series and throughout the season is bounce back when we’ve been tested.”