The Celtics punched the Bucks in the mouth in Game 1, but Milwaukee responded with a haymaker of its own in Game 2, sending the teams’ best-of-seven NBA playoff series back to Boston tied 1-1.
So, is the glass half-full or half-empty for the C’s?
On one hand, Brad Stevens’ squad managed a split on the road against the Eastern Conference’s No 1 seed. But on the other, Kyrie Irving and Co. are coming off a blowout loss and squandered an opportunity to take a commanding 2-0 series lead before action resumes Friday night in Boston.
Stephen A. Smith has been high on the Celtics all season, even as they’ve hit some speed bumps, yet he believes Boston is in “a world of trouble” after losing 123-102 in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
The contrast between Games 1 and 2 is stark, as the Celtics opened the series with a 22-point victory before suffering a 21-point defeat two days later. It should serve as evidence, though, that momentum can swing rather quickly as teams inch closer to the NBA Finals.
After all, Paul Pierce declared after Boston’s Game 1 win that the series was “over,” yet Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee responded in a big way, perhaps opening the door for a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle moving forward.
