Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo gets past Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)AP
MILWAUKEE — Just about nobody seemed to be happy about how the referees called Game 3 between the Celtics and Bucks. The sold out Fiserv Forum crowd of 17,736 had a few chants and jeers whenever they thought they were wronged on a call.
The Bucks had at least a few issues with the refs as coach Mike Budenholzer was visibly angry at them during different points of the game. Both Ime Udoka and Marcus Smart publicly disagreed with the non-shooting foul call where Smart only got two free throws instead of three, as they wanted.
So there wasn’t much love thrown around to the refs. Giannis Antetokounmpo considered criticizing the refs when asked about how the game was called Saturday. But he didn’t want to get fined by the league. He even asked some Bucks personnel during his postgame availability how much it would cost if he did get fined.
Antetokounmpo chose not to say anything because he wants to “save my money” and “I got to pay for diapers.” He went with a more diplomatic response. It probably helped that the Bucks beat the Celtics 103-101 to take the 2-1 series lead.
“I just have to play through it,” Antetokounmpo said of the physicality. “We all got to play through it. There’s going to be sometimes they’re going to call it. Sometimes they’re not going to call it.”
Antetokounmpo, for his part, was the best player on the court by far Saturday. He led the Bucks with 42 points, putting together his first efficient contest of the Eastern Conference semifinals. He broke through against the C’s defense, shooting 16-for-30 from the field while adding 12 rebounds and eight assists.
The two-time MVP looked more like himself throughout Saturday’s game. While he might have some other comments he would want to say about the refs, his physicality showed up throughout Game 3. He bulldozed his way to the bucket multiple times regardless of whichever Celtic was in front of him.
“I just try to read whatever is in front of me,” Antetokounmpo said. “Play to my strengths as much as possible. I know what my strengths are. … I just play with my instincts. Sometimes I go make the right play, sometimes I go make the wrong play.”
The Celtics have the defensive personnel to slow him down as seen in Games 1 and 2, but Antetokounmpo’s physicality was noticeably different Saturday. That helped him score as much as he did, including the go-ahead bucket with less than a minute in the game.
Antetokounmpo didn’t hit many 3-pointers — he was 1-for-6 from behind the arc — but he did hit a few midrange jumpers to keep the Celtics at least a little honest defensively. Then the natural scoring instinct took over as his 16 made field goals helped carry the Bucks to a victory.
“At the end of the day, it’s what Jrue (Holiday) said: It’s playoff basketball and it’s going to be a little more physical,” Antetokounmpo said. “But if you’re about that, you’re about that. If you’re not, you’re going to shy away from it. I don’t think any of our teammates shy away from it.”
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