The cliche is that a playoff series doesn’t start until the road team wins a game.
Apparently, at least in the eyes of ESPN analyst Paul Pierce, a series is actually over if the road team wins a game.
Pierce declared the second-round series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics “over” after the fourth-seeded Celtics upset the top-seeded Bucks in Game 1. To Pierce’s credit, it was a display of dominance from Boston that resulted in a 112-90 blowout win, but the Bucks also featured the best record in the NBA during the regular season.
“I think it’s over.”
– Paul Pierce following the Bucks’ 22-point loss to the Celtics in Game 1
All it will take from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. is one win in Boston to steal home-court advantage back, and Milwaukee is 2-0 away from home in these playoffs.
This is far from Pierce’s first hot take to make waves this season, as he also said he was better than Dwyane Wade despite the fact the Miami Heat legend had a far better resume.
Wade was a three-time champion, eight-time All-NBA selection, 13-time All-Star, an NBA Finals MVP, a scoring champion and a three-time All-Defensive selection, while Pierce was a one-time champion, NBA Finals MVP, four-time All-NBA selection and 10-time All-Star.
Pierce also played 15 of his 19 seasons on the Celtics, so he’s not exactly an objective source when it comes to evaluating Boston’s chances against the Bucks. Still, the series will be “over” if the Celtics continue to play like they did Sunday.
But Milwaukee had the look of a championship contender during the regular season and will have plenty of chances to make this a battle.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
The Bucks and Celtics are two powerful teams with a bunch of talents. The bucks maybe slightly better offensively with Giannis surrounded with three point shooters while defensively the Celtics must have an edge. To win over the other I think it all comes down to adjustments especially in-game adjustments. The strategy to stop or limit each other might be the key to win this series.