2 keys for the rest of the Boston Celtics-Milwaukee Bucks series

The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks continued their titanic struggle on Saturday in Game 3 of their second-round series. Despite a late Celtics surge, the Bucks held on after a game-tying tip-in from Al Horford was ruled to have come after the final buzzer.

Going back to Game 1, the Bucks’ defense was all-conquering, keeping the Celtics to a near-record-low ten made two-point field goals and just 33.3% from the field overall. Boston responded in Game 2, breaking the game open early by making 13 of their 20 first-half three-point attempts.

Two key elements will determine the outcome of the Boston Celtics-Milwaukee Bucks series, both of which signify the contrast in styles between the two teams.

2 keys for the rest of the Boston Celtics-Milwaukee Bucks series

The first is the reliance on three-point shooting – will Boston shoot themselves in the foot like in Games 1 and 3, or shoot the lights out like in Game 2? Milwaukee has made 24 of their 86 three-point attempts (27.9%) across the first three games.

In comparison, Boston took 50 attempts alone in Game 1, followed by 43 in Game 2, but just 33 in Game 3. They’ve made 47 of those 126 attempts (37.3%).

Overall, Boston’s 126 three-point attempts account for just over 50% of their overall field goal attempts. This number sat at just 42.5% in the regular season, signifying the Celtics’ intent to shoot from deep and Milwaukee’s focus on defending the paint.

Again, in contrast, the Bucks 86 three-point attempts account for just 32.8%…