If you are looking to completely discredit single-game plus-minus numbers, look no further than Brook Lopez’s minus-10 line in the Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 1 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Lopez was a superhero. He was the center of a huge Bucks defense, figuratively and literally, that protected the paint like club bouncers.
Lopez finished with three blocks and 10 rebounds.
Those numbers are misleading as well.
Lopez affected a lot more shots than the three he blocked. Along with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis (who composed the Bucks’ skyscraper-ish starting frontline), Lopez prioritized paint protection in typical drop fashion, for which he has tremendous feel, knowing precisely when to stop giving ground, plant his flag and contest with his 7-foot-6 wingspan. Giannis was equally menacing as not just a rim protector, but an overall shot contester. It felt as if the Celtics were trying to shoot through a field of windmills.
Under Mike Budenholzer, the Bucks have long been willing to concede 3-pointers if it means controlling the paint. The philosophy has come under scrutiny in the past, but not all 3-point attempts are created equal. Sure, if your big is deep dropping on pick and rolls against a great pull-up shooter, and you’re giving up walk-in 3 after walk-in 3, that’s not going to work. But that surely wasn’t happening on Sunday.
Late in the first quarter, the Bucks ramped up their perimeter ball pressure, and that’s where it starts. Lopez isn’t having to ward off penetrators who haven’t had to work to get through the first line of security. This isn’t a Rudy Gobert situation in Utah. Milwaukee’s perimeter guys do their job. Jrue Holiday, Jevon Carter, Wes Matthews and Pat Connaughton sucked out all the air between them and Boston’s ball-handlers. They fought over screens and the wings were on high alert to sink down into driving lanes. If need be, Giannis and…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CBSSports.com Headlines…