Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from Game 5 closeout win vs. Celtics
By Ananth Para
2. The other guys stepped up too
Much has been made of the brilliance of The Greek Freak and his co-star Khris Middleton, but sometimes it’s about the “others,” as NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal puts it.
Everyone outside of the fanbase should take a minute and appreciate how great the Bucks bench has been throughout the duration of this series.
After losing Brogdon for a hair short of two months, the midseason acquisition of George Hill and the underrated growth of Pat Connaughton have proven to be invaluable, as the Bucks managed to neutralize Boston’s pick-and-roll game and blanket the guards with relative ease.
Furthermore, each member of that backup tandem provided something unique in the balanced barrage the Bucks offense unleashed against the Celtics. Connaughton provided stellar rebounding for a guard and added the threat of an off-ball slasher against a weak defensive team on the interior. Meanwhile, the ever-steady Hill provided a floor general that the second unit had been sorely missing.
Not only did the backup guards exceed their expectations, but longtime Buck Ersan Ilyasova provided a spark off of the bench with his extremely underrated pick-and-roll defense and knockdown 3-point shooting.
Coach Bud on Giannis’ play in Game 5, the @Bucks’ bench and the turning point of the series as his team is heading to the Eastern Conference finals: pic.twitter.com/vU4NsTpoeW
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) May 9, 2019
No other testimony can be as strong as the Bucks’ Game 5, with seven players scoring in double digits in the closeout game.