BOSTON- Boston Celtics guard Jrue Vacation nonetheless loves the Milwaukee Bucks. He spent three seasons with them and even gained his first Larry O’Brien championship trophy on the Fiserv Discussion board in downtown Milwaukee. Paradoxically, that love for the Bucks additionally fueled his aggressive fireplace Friday night time, when the C’s beat their Midwest opponent 111-105 at TD Backyard.
Simply earlier than the beginning of the shut victory, Vacation joked with the Bucks heart Brook Lopez. Regardless of this signal of friendship, Vacation was extraordinarily desirous to defeat his outdated staff and conquer his outdated mates.
“I like him, it’s nice to see him,” Vacation stated of Lopez. “However each time I play it, and doubtless much more so as a result of they love my brothers, I need to scream their tail at them each time. They usually comprehend it too. They really feel the identical manner about me.
The vacation balanced kindness and fierceness with ease on Friday. After being mates with Lopez, the Los Angeles native produced 20 factors, six assists, 5 rebounds, a steal and a block in 34 minutes of play.
“I simply need to win,” he emphasised throughout his post-match press convention. “Between these strains, from the buzzer to the buzzer, I need to win.”
The 2-time NBA champion did an ideal job displaying his thirst for victory. Vacation’s late floater with 26 seconds left within the fourth quarter put Boston in prime place to win. Though the Bucks star Khris Middleton responded with three free throws to chop the Celtics’ result in two, Vacation responded with two free throws to seal the sport with 15 seconds remaining.
“I respect [the Bucks] pushing us,” he stated after the shut competitors. “I believe that’s what makes the sport enjoyable. I believe that is what makes us able to face the long run.
Why Celtics-Bucks was a bit of spicier than ordinary
It wasn’t all amicable between the C’s and the Bucks. At the beginning of the third quarter, the Celtics star Jaylen Brown obtained by the cornerstone of the Bucks franchise Giannis Antetokounmpo for a layup. Brown made a transfer implying that “The Greek Freak” was too small to protect and seconds later, the reigning NBA Finals MVP acquired a technical foul.
Brown and Antetokounmpo engaged in a confrontation the final time they met as effectively, however no actual struggle resulted. Nevertheless, the quite a few technical issues that occurred throughout earlier clashes between the Celtics and the Bucks reveal dangerous blood.
In reality, Friday’s showdown was significantly heated, however the inexperienced staff was all for it.
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“I believe the refs allow us to play,” Vacation advised reporters. “Simply the historical past between the 2 groups and it comes right down to an in depth recreation like that. Each groups are rivals, so on the finish of the day we need to win the sport as a lot as anybody else. I believe generally video games will get hectic. And actually, I believe as gamers we like it.
There isn’t any scarcity of latest historical past between the Celtics and Bucks. In 2018, the C’s eradicated the Bucks in seven video games within the first spherical of the playoffs. The next season, Antetokounmpo and firm bought their revenge by crushing Boston in 5 video games within the Japanese Convention semifinals. Nevertheless, the Celtics had the final chuckle as they triumphed in seven video games towards the Bucks within the 2022 Japanese Convention Semifinals and, extra importantly, are the reigning NBA champions.
As for the common season, Boston’s newest conquer Milwaukee marked the Bucks’ first common season sweep in over a decade. The Celtics, now 19-4, are only one recreation behind the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers, whereas the Bucks have fallen to sixth place within the Japanese Convention and are again to .500 (11-11) this season.
Though Vacation did not face his former staff within the playoffs since he was traded to Beantown in 2023, that is once more an actual chance. The Celtics and Bucks have the expertise to achieve the playoffs and compete for a hoop. In the event that they find yourself going through one another, it is secure to say Vacation may have no downside torching his outdated buddies on the sector, as a result of he is aware of they’d like to do the identical to him.
