How Bucks’ Reported Adrian Griffin Firing Could Affect Celtics
The Milwaukee Bucks didn’t waste any time and fired Adrian Griffin, according to multiple reports. And it could have a sharp effect on the Boston Celtics.
Doc Rivers is viewed as a strong candidate to replace Griffin, according to multiple reports. Joe Prunty is expected to take over as the interim head coach.
If you watched any Milwaukee basketball this season, the franchise’s decision shouldn’t come as a surprise. Griffin’s first season as head coach looked good on paper, but the team was a mess defensively and felt like it simply wanted to coast into the postseason.
That evidently wasn’t enough for the front office as it looks for answers to help win the franchise’s second title in four seasons. Whoever the next head coach will be, it’s championship or bust for that person.
Boston has plenty of pressure on itself, too. Head coach Joe Mazzulla improved in his second season as head coach, but he, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown must deliver a title soon or the supermax contracts and the heavy investments into the team aren’t going to look so great.
Any team with Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t one to scoff at, and the embarrassment the Bucks delivered to Boston on Jan. 11 is a slight concern. However, as things stand heading into the All-Star break, a seven-game series between the sides looks to be in Boston’s favor.
Griffin was 12-9 against teams with a winning record, and the Celtics are 19-8 against winning teams as of Tuesday, which is the best win percentage in the league. To their credit, Tatum and Brown generally step up to the plate when there’s a big matchup on the schedule.
Khris Middleton still seemingly hasn’t recovered from his injuries, and Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez aren’t reliable enough to count on in a playoff series. Milwaukee doesn’t have a ton of flexibility, but without a move at the trade deadline or buyout market, the Bucks look destined for a second-round exit.
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The cards look well for the Celtics to take the East and deal with whoever makes it out of a competitive Western Conference. The New York Knicks’ move for OG Anunoby in the short term worked, but Julius Randle needs to show it in a seven-game series. The same goes for MVP-favorite Joel Embiid. He might be able to have his way against the bottom barrel of the league, but he’s yet to show he can do it throughout a playoff run.
Miami again might be a bugaboo for Boston. The Terry Rozier trade increases the Heat’s ceiling, and as long as he’s not a turnstile on defense, a potential Boston-Miami matchup again could go seven games.
Before this season, the Celtics and Bucks were seen as the class of the Eastern Conference, but at the halfway point, Milwaukee will try its best not to look like frauds when the postseason arrives.