I’m never one to blame the officials, because there’s always something else that the team could’ve done to change the outcome of the game. However, a lot of fans are upset on Twitter tonight after the final play. Before I get into that, let’s take a look at how things got to that point.
The Celtics played a solid first quarter, and kept the Bucks in check. They were able to open up an 11 point lead early on, but unfortunately let the Bucks right back into it. After that, the teams continued to battle it out in the second quarter. The score went back and forth until the C’s went up 2 with about 2 minutes left in the quarter. Milwaukee then responded with an 8-0 run to finish off the half. After half time, both teams struggled to put the ball in the basket. Boston and Milwaukee combined for just 40 points in the third, and only shot 30% from the field. The Bucks still took a 4 point lead into the final frame. They did a good job of keeping their distance from Boston in the fourth. They maintained an 8 point lead for quite some time, but then the C’s stormed back. The Celtics went on a 13-4 run to take a 90-89 lead with just under 3 minutes to go. After that the two teams traded baskets down to the wire.
So, now we’re in crunch time. Kyrie just made a sweet layup to bring the game within a point. The Bucks ran down the clock to 3.7 seconds before Marcus Smart was able to force a jump ball with just 0.2 seconds on the shot clock. The shot clock expired just after the tip and the C’s regained possession.
Here’s how the final play went:
The main complaint that fans had was with the no call on Kyrie’s shot. To that I say you can’t expect a call on a game winning shot. It just doesn’t happen.
However, there was another no call that fans are upset with. Watch the replay again, but focus on Marcus Morris and Khris Middleton. They’re closest to the camera on the sideline.
Middleton grabs onto Morris as he beats him on a cut. This literally happened right in front of the referee. The play appeared to be for Morris to seal Middleton underneath, but he wasn’t able to get there in time because he was held. Kyrie then had to improvise and take the shot he did because there was so little time left on the clock.
So, did the Celtics get screwed tonight?
On that play? Yes.
For the entire game? No.
Fans are quick to complain about a no call on the final play, but had the Celtics played a better game they wouldn’t have been in that situation.
They shot just 38% from the field all game, and weren’t able to take advantage of Milwaukee’s mistakes. If you just go back and watch the fourth quarter, there are times that they get a stop and go down the other way and take a bad shot.
Kyrie had a great ending to the game, but he wasn’t very good before that. In the first half he scored just 2 points on 1-10 from the field. If he had played a better first half the Celtics would’ve probably been able to either hold the early lead that they built or been able to build a bigger one. His play down the stretch was phenomenal though, take nothing away from him. Irving was the main reason that the C’s were able to keep up in crunch time.
Us fans shouldn’t be too upset with the loss. Sure, the ending was heartbreaking, and the outcome could’ve been different had calls been made, but that’s not what happened. It’s best if we all focus on the good things that came from this game.
To start, the C’s had a rough game offensively and still almost beat the top team in the league on their home floor. To add on to that, Kyrie had a rough game and shot just 9-27 from the field. The defense was good enough to make up for the poor offense. Milwaukee only managed 98 points when they average about 117 per game.
Al Horford was also amazing tonight. He scored 21 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Al pulled down 7 of those on the offensive end, earning the C’s some extra possessions. The aggression that he brought tonight should encourage fans and even Horford himself because he showed he’ll come to play in big games come playoff time.
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