Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from Game 1 vs. Celtics

3. Morris a killer off the bench

It’s hard to pinpoint one culprit as the main X-factor behind Milwaukee’s Game 1 defeat when the Celtics had five different players score at least 19 points, but if we had to, it’d be Marcus Morris for the lift he provided off the bench (Horford was their best player, not an X-factor).

Finishing with 21 points and seven rebounds, Mook provided the emotional fire Boston needed time and time again, flashing some trademark attitude to get the TD Garden roaring and knocking down backbreaking shot after backbreaking shot down the stretch.

He only shot 8-for-20 from the field, but he hit down two of his four triples and was a thorn in Milwaukee’s side down the stretch, including this ridiculous fadeaway to put Boston up four points with less than two minutes to play in regulation:

This is troubling, not only because a reserve swung a playoff game out of Milwaukee’s favor, but because bench depth is a huge weakness for the Bucks. They can’t afford for guys like Morris to go off when they’re busy riding the starters into the ground or only feeding Jabari Parker a mere 14 minutes.

Everyone knows the Bucks’ chances of advancing rest solely on Antetokounmpo being the best player in the series by a wide margin, but if Morris is going to be an X-factor and emotional leader off the bench like he was in Game 1, even Playoff Giannis won’t be enough to save Milwaukee’s season.