Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks Take 3-1 Series Lead vs. Kyrie Irving, Celtics
The Milwaukee Bucks seized a commanding 3-1 lead in their second-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics and continued their road dominance with a 113-101 victory in Monday's Game 4 at TD Garden.
Milwaukee has yet to lose a road game these playoffs and is one win away from its first Eastern Conference Finals since 2001.
Giannis Antetokounmpo played like the MVP candidate he is and finished with 39 points, 16 rebounds and four assists, while George Hill (15 points and five assists) and Khris Middleton (13 points and seven assists) provided support.
Kyrie Irving led the Celtics in scoring with 23 points and 10 assists, but he shot just 7-of-22 from the field with four turnovers.
Kyrie's Boston Legacy Will be Remembered As a Failure
Irving had it made as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He reached three straight NBA Finals playing alongside LeBron James and was perfectly positioned to be the one to carry the torch after the King either left or moved past his prime. He was already a legend from his winning shot in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals and could only add to his status with memorable performances while opposing defenses focused on James.
However, that wasn't enough.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported in 2017 that the point guard asked for the Cavaliers to trade him because he no longer wanted to play in James' shadow. They granted his wish and traded him to Boston, although injuries prevented him from playing in his first postseason with the Celtics.
Boston still reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals without him and Gordon Hayward, and it seemed primed to take the next step when they returned. That was especially true when James went out West, seemingly clearing the path for Irving to lead a team of impressive role players into the Finals.
So much for that.
Since Boston went up 1-0 in this series, Irving scored nine points on 4-of-18 shooting (22.2 percent) in Game 2, went 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) in Game 3 and shot 7-of-22 (31.8 percent) from the field and 1-of-7 from deep in Monday's contest.
The showings are poor enough without taking into account the fact Milwaukee is playing without point guard Malcolm Brogdon and has relied on a combination of Hill, Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton handling the ball for extended stretches.
Irving has still struggled on defense and found himself in foul trouble in Game 4, having to play without any aggression in crunch time after he picked up his fifth foul in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Monday's contest ultimately boiled down to one superstar rising to the occasion and the other one coming up short. Boston featured a balanced attack with all five starters scoring 16 or more points, while Middleton was an ugly 4-of-19 from the field as Milwaukee's secondary option.
Marcus Smart's return from an oblique injury helped slow Middleton after he shot 65 percent from three-point range in the first three games, and Boston's fifth-leading scorer (Jaylen Brown with 16 points) would have been Milwaukee's second-leading point-producer.
Yet Antetokounmpo has consistently risen to the moment and did so again in Monday's game. Boston could not say the same about its superstar, which is all the more disappointing because it dealt with rumors about his future and teammates growing frustrated with his constant comments for much of the season.
This is the situation Irving sought. He has his own team, is matched up with one of the league's elite playmakers and must come through for his team to advance.
He is failing miserably, and one series win against an Indiana Pacers team without Victor Oladipo does not make a legacy. Not for a franchise that has 17 championship banners hanging in the rafters.
There is a very real chance Irving has one more game left in a Celtics uniform before he enters an offseason in which he can decline his player option and depart. If he leaves, he will finish a brief two-year window on one of the NBA's tentpole franchises with one playoff series victory and a costly showing against the Bucks for a team that advanced further in the postseason without him last year.
What's Next?
The series returns to Milwaukee for Wednesday's Game 5.
