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2019 NBA Playoffs: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics preview

By Shea Norling

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 21: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics during a game at Fiserv Forum on February 21, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 21: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics during a game at Fiserv Forum on February 21, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Photo By Christopher Evans/Digital First Media/Boston Herald via Getty Images
Photo By Christopher Evans/Digital First Media/Boston Herald via Getty Images /

Key Question No. 1: Can Semi Ojeleye and Al Horford really limit Giannis again?

Nobody can stop Giannis. It’s not possible. His combination of speed, athleticism and power has been seldom seen in the history of the association. He’s not the likely league MVP for no reason; he’s really, really good at basketball.

A season ago, however, he found himself facing a test he’d rarely seen, as the Celtics sent center Al Horford and forward Semi Ojeleye as the primary defenders against the Greek Freak. Giannis had a very good series, despite one of the better defensive performances against him, but his contributions still felt considerably more limited than they were against Detroit in the first round this year.

It comes as no surprise that the Celtics, both last year and this year, are a considerably better team than the Pistons. However, Giannis is rolling into this series with a fair amount of swagger. After being caught on camera mouthing “I’m f***ing unstoppable” in Game 1, the Greek Freak closed out the series with a dominant 41-point drubbing in Game 4.

He will need that swagger if he’s going to avoid what happened a season ago, when Ojeleye and Horford rendered him (relatively) stoppable. The numbers showed a more mortal version of Giannis during last year’s first round series between the Celtics and Bucks.

Per NBA’s stat tracking, Horford saw 199 possessions as the Greek Freak’s primary defender. Giannis scored just 53 points on those possessions, but still converted 56 percent of his attempts. Ojeleye was more effective in limiting shot attempts, as he found himself as the primary defender on 93 possessions while allowing only nine points on five total shot attempts. Perhaps more importantly, Ojeleye was able to draw a charge, and never committed a foul while defending Antetokounmpo.

This season, Giannis has been a completely different beast than he was a year ago. That’s not to say he wasn’t good; in fact, he was terrific. This year, he has been transcendent.

Giannis has compiled numbers that have never been seen before in the league. He is the first player in NBA history to put together a 27-13-6 line since assists began being tracked. He is also the only player not named Shaquille O’Neal to average 27-13 with at least 1.5 blocks per game while shooting over 55 percent.

Horford and Ojeleye, and Boston as a whole, may be the best-equipped to slow down Giannis. The question is, can they really slow him down to the extent they did last year? If they can, look for the Celtics to head to their third straight conference finals. If they can’t, look for Milwaukee to end this series in a hurry.