Bucks Game 5 success over the Celtics highlighted by defensive brilliance

The dating between Giannis Antetokounmpo and teammate Khris Middleton, now 9 years in, is well-known for its depth and trust.

But about that Jrue Holiday dating …

“It’s blooming, it is blooming!” Antetokounmpo said after the Milwaukee Bucks completed off a jaw-dropping show of seizing play in stealing a 110-107 Game 5 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night time to grab a 3-2 series lead.

“I love him.”

Antetokounmpo, the space over his right eye caked in skin glue after several attempts to shut an oozing laceration that plagued him in the course of the dramatic fourth zone, had wrapped Holiday up in a hug moments after the final buzzer — and rightly so.

The Bucks traded 3 first-round alternatives for Holiday in 2020 — a deal for a then-30-yr-old shield that turned into wondered at the time — and in the end signed him to a $135 million extension remaining yr. Those felt like bargains after he added another in what has ended up an extended list of protective gems. In this example, one is a diamond, the opposite is a ruby.

The nuanced greatness of the play he made with 8 seconds left and the Bucks up by means of one point — after a dramatic putback by means of Bobby Portis that merits its own novella — is difficult to communicate even in case you noticed it after which replayed it.

Holiday become protecting Jaylen Brown, who scored sixteen of his 26 factors in the 0.33 sector. But the Celtics had spent the fourth attacking the simpler mark, Pat Connaughton, and that is in which Marcus Smart went for a potential recreation-triumphing shot. It had labored, sort of, because Smart changed inside the system of getting an easy look while Holiday broke off from Brown.

What took place subsequent is all will, instincts, and fortune favoring the prepared. Holiday said within the moment he believed Smart would not be able to see if Brown become open. Holiday became proper; in fact, Smart in no way even saw the blur wearing No. 21 that cleanly ripped the shot out of his fingers earlier than it is able to input Celtics lore as a game winner.

But instead of swatting it and risking knocking the ball out of bounds best to stay with Boston and another threat to win, Holiday grabbed the ball in midair to try and hold ownership. As he landed from his bounce, he was close to the baseline and needed to dance to manipulate the ball and stay in bounds. But Holiday gathered the ball and controlled to throw it off of Smart to retain ownership and end off one of the most swish thefts you’ll ever see.

Smart, the simply-named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, was speechless.

“It’s not like I planned it out or anything,” Holiday said. “I just went after it; it was instinctual.”

The Celtics nevertheless had a threat to tie the score with 5.9 seconds left, down 3 factors after Holiday’s compelled turnover created loose throws for vital separation for Connaughton. But Holiday iced Smart once more, choosing his pocket as he raced up the floor looking for a way to get the Celtics a 3-pointer. Within seconds, Holiday became in Antetokounmpo’s hands, and the Bucks had been one win from taking this first-rate collection..”He’s a winner. Jrue Holiday is a winner,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Ask any player in this league, any coach in this league, he’s a winner.”

All of this overlooks that Holiday scored 8 of his 24 points in the fourth sector, which includes a three-pointer with 42 seconds left that tied the score to complete a 14-factor Bucks comeback. With Middleton sidelined by way of a sprained knee, the Bucks have needed Holiday’s offense as well as his protection.