Kyrie Irving was at the heart of the Boston Celtics’ rollercoaster season, so it only was fitting that he was right at the core of Boston’s season-ending loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Irving finished 6-for-21 as the Celtics got demolished by the Bucks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, 116-91. The All-Star point guard was a combined 25-for-83 in his final four playoff games, but gave credit to the Bucks during his postgame press conference.
“They showed all year why they were who they were,” Irving told reporters in Milwaukee, as seen on NBA’s postgame coverage. “They were very dominating in this series after Game 1. They played hard. They did unbelievable things with their rotations. … I give them credit. They came back after Game 1, getting punched in the mouth, and responded the way a team that deserves to win should.”
As for factors off the basketball court, Irving’s pending free agency looms. The 27-year-old sidestepped any questions about a likely-eventful offseason, after complimenting Milwaukee’s performance.
“I’m going to be honest with you, I’m just trying to make it back to Boston first safely,” Irving said. “See my family. Decompress. Do what human beings do.”
The season was a rollercoaster to put it politely, but Irving says he took lessons from it, despite the final result.
“Just a lot of lessons to take from this season, from day one of training camp all the way to now,” he said. “It just felt like a rush. Just tried to enjoy any moments that I could. It really comes down to great team basketball and who’s playing better at a certain time of the year.”
Here are some more notes from Celtics-Bucks Game 5:
— The Celtics’ final loss of the regular season was highlighted by a lack of effort, but that wasn’t the case from Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris.
Both players provided a much-needed spark off the bench, especially when the energy was lacking on the defensive end. Without them, this game would have gotten out of hand much sooner than the fourth quarter.
— Al Horford was one of the Celtics’ most consistent factors all season long, but even he didn’t seem like himself Wednesday.
Horford snapped on an official in front of the Boston bench when he wasn’t even in the game, which is very rare for Horford. Check out his reaction here, which would result in a technical:
— Giannis Antetokounmpo did everything for the Bucks in Game 5, just as he has all season.
The MVP candidate finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists. He’ll be a force for whichever team Milwaukee gets in the Eastern Conference finals.
— Horford shared this tweet following the loss, apologizing to Boston fans.
— Jayson Tatum laid it out simply in the postgame locker room:
— Next up: The Draft Lottery on Tuesday, May 14.
