1. As Brad Stevens said postgame: this wasn’t a discouraging loss like some of the more recent defeats have been for Boston. In the second half, they played Celtics basketball. So, despite it being Boston’s fifth loss in their last seven games, it’s a lot easier to swallow.
However…Stevens and the Celtics know what works against the Bucks. They did it throughout the regular season in 2018-19 and in Game 1 of the 2019 Playoffs matchup, before everything went off the rails. Then in the first meeting this season, Boston waged a massive comeback for the win.