Terry Rozier and Eric Bledsoe spent seven games trash-talking through the media and pretending not to know each other’s names.
When it was over
Lions Cheap Jerseys , they gave each other a quick hug – and a smile.
”Just respect,” Rozier said after scoring a career playoff high 26 points in Game 7 against Bledsoe’s Bucks on Saturday night to help the Celtics beat
Milwaukee 112-96 and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second
straight year.
”You’ve got two guys that want to win, two chippy guys, two short point guards,” Rozier said. ”We were just out there having fun. If it takes for us to
go back and forth, jawing back and forth to battle, push each other, that’s just
part of the game. We talked after the game, no stuff.”
Rozier added nine assists, Al Horford had 26 points and eight rebounds, and even Giannis Antetokounmpo tipped in a basket for the Celtics
Cheap Nick Nelson Jersey , who will meet the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round.
Game 1 is in Boston on Monday night.
”We’re going to have to play great,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who was already without would-be starters Gordon Heyward and Kyrie Irving when Jaylen
Brown left Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury. ”That’s just another thing.
Somebody else is going to have to step up and play great. But we’ll get
ready.”
Khris Middleton scored 32, Bledsoe had 23 and Antetokounmpo had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Bucks. Milwaukee has advanced from the first round of the
playoffs just once since 1989, losing nine straight playoff series since Ray
Allen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell brought George Karl to the Eastern
Conference finals in 2001.
Jayson Tatum added 20 points for the Celtics, who rode the home-court advantage to win all four games in Boston.
”Wasn’t able to win on the road, but we pushed the series to Game 7,” Antetokounmpo said. ”A lot of the guys in the locker room have never been in
Game 7s. It’s a new experience. Now we know now what it takes to win a Game 7.
You’ve got to come out, hit first.”
Playing in their NBA-record 31st Game 7, the Celtics improved to 20-4 at home and 23-8 overall in best-of-seven clinchers. It was the second Game 7 at the TD
Garden this week
http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-p.j.-hall-jersey , with the Boston Bruins beating the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night to
advance in the NHL playoffs.
”It’s more than you can imagine, just a great feeling,” Horford said. ”Our fans really gave us that energy. This is why you work so hard in the regular
season, to put yourself with home-court advantage.”
BLEDSOE AND BLEDSOE
When he was at Louisville, Rozier was compared to Bledsoe, who had left Kentucky a few years earlier. But the two did their best to work up a friendly
hatred during the series.
It started when Rozier referred to his Bucks counterpart as ”Drew Bledsoe” – confusing him with the former New England Patriots quarterback. Since then,
Bledsoe has pretended he doesn’t know who Rozier is.
Celtics fans joined in by chanting ”Who is Bledsoe!” in the first half. And during a fourth-quarter break, the scoreboard showed a video of Drew Bledsoe
holding up one of his Patriots jerseys and proclaiming himself ”the original
Bledsoe.”
”Man, that was special,” Rozier said. ”I don’t know who thought of that, but that was nice.”
FIRST HALF RUNS
Tatum had nine points in the first
Youth New York Jets Jerseys , when the Celtics scored 15 straight points – including a tip-in by Antetokounmpo into the Boston hoop – and 20 of the last
22 to end the quarter with a 30-17 lead. Milwaukee scored 11 in a row at the
beginning of the second to make it a two-point game, but Boston answered with
nine in a row to make it 41-30.
The Celtics led 50-42 at the half despite going 1-for-12 from 3-point range. Horford had 14 points and seven rebounds at the break, and Bledsoe had 12 points
for the Bucks. But both Antetokounmpo and Bledsoe had three fouls at
halftime.
Milwaukee cut the deficit to three points early in the third but Boston scored 11 of the last 15 points in the quarter. The Bucks never got within
single digits in the fourth.
HAMMY TIME
Jaylen Brown limped off to the locker room late in the second quarter, then came out to test his sore right hamstring just before the start of the second
half. But he left the floor and went back into the tunnel; after riding the
stationary bike for a few minutes and getting checked out in the locker room,
the team said he was available to return, but he did not.
”I was told that if we got in a pinch he could play,” Stevens said. ”I decided that’s not going to happen. With hamstrings – let’s see how he feels
tomorrow.”
Brown said it was diagnosed as a Grade 1 sprain. He will have an MRI tomorrow.
”Whatever it takes. I wouldn’t miss this series for the world,” he said, vowing to be back for Game 1. ”That’s my goal.”
TIP-INS
Bucks: Have an 0-18 record in playoff series in which they’ve lost the first two games. They are 2-8 in Game 7s. … Bledsoe picked up a technical foul in the
first quarter after complaining about a foul call. … C John Henson missed his
fifth straight game with a sore back. … Scored zero points on fast breaks.
Celtics: Hayward, Irving and Daniel Theis were all at the game. Theis, who has been out since March 11
Youth Mason Cole Jersey , recovered enough from left knee surgery to ditch his crutches for the first time on Friday. … Also in the crowd: Red Sox
owner John Henry and Patriots owner Robert Kraft. … Red Sox manage Defensive end
Cliff Avril was released by the Seattle Seahawks on Friday with a failed
physical designation due to a neck injury that cost him most of the 2017
season.
Avril's release was expected and likely means the end of a 10-year career during which he was a standout player for the Seahawks and the Detroit
Lions.
Avril was injured in Week 4 last season while trying to chase down Indianapolis quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The back of Brissett's foot caught
Avril in the chin as he lunged to make the tackle. Avril was seen shaking his
arms and flexing his hands after the impact.
While the play looked innocuous, Avril's head snapped back violently and he suffered a neck injury. Avril never revealed the specific diagnosis for his
injury but coach Pete Carroll repeatedly called it a serious situation. Avril
had neck surgery following the season.
Carroll praised Avril after Seattle concluded the first day of its rookie minicamp.
"He's been a great leader. He's been a bit of a statesman for us. He always says the right thing, stands for the right stuff and been a really high
character guy that you can always count on," Carroll said. "A great competitor
in the program. I love him and would like to keep him connected with our club as
long as we can because he's just exactly what you hope to represent you. He's
had a great career with us."
Avril arrived in Seattle before the 2013 season and instantly helped transform the Seahawks defense into one of the best in recent memory. He was
part of a rotation at first but became a full-time starter in 2014. His best
season came in 2016 when Avril had a career-high 11 ? sacks and was voted to the
Pro Bowl for the only time in his career.
Avril spent five seasons in Detroit before coming to Seattle. He was a third-round pick out of Purdue and suffered through a 0-16 season in his rookie
year with the Lions. He became a standout in Detroit but experienced his
greatest team success in Seattle, helping the team win the Super Bowl in his
first season with the Seahawks. He made a return trip to the championship game
with the team the following year.
"Thank you 12s for making the last 5 years in Seattle so amazing!" Avril wrote in a post on Instagram . "Your cheers on Sundays are unmatched, and you
guys are by far the best fans in the NFL! Most importantly, I appreciate and
value the lifelong friendships I've made. You all have supported my family, my
foundation (the Cliff Avril Family Foundation), and I throughout my entire
tenure, and I could not have asked for more! THANK YOU to the entire Seahawk
organization as well as my teammates. You all made me a Pro Bowler and a Super
Bowl Champ! I am forever grateful."
Releasing Avril will save Seattle about $6 million against the salary cap. But the Seahawks will also be faced with replacing another productive standout
from a defense that had already seen the departures of Michael Bennett and
Richard Sherman earlier this offseason.
.
