This game looked weird early on - for a while the Celtics were only taking threes and Milwaukee was missed everything from the field but Giannis was hitting his free thrws. At one point, the Celtics had a 9-6 lead that was 3 Celtics threes to 6 Giannis FTs.
After an even first, the Celtics defense locked down in the second quarter, holding Milwaukee to 17 points and expanding their lead to 10 at the half. At times in this quarter, Tatum seemed to be playing at a different level than he had been earlier in the series, but he also seemed to take himself out of his own zone with his incessant complaining about not getting calls. He finished with 18 at the half, and his performace in the was very good, maybe his best of the series to that point.
Third quarter, Tatum had his best quarter of the game to that point (13 points), the Celtics built their lead to 18, and then they let up, allowing Milaukee back into it. With 7:20 left, Brown knowcked down a deep 3 to put the Celtics up 18. Milwaukee answered with a 12-2 run over the next 4 minutes and it felt like the Celtics were about to give up another one. But they closed out the quarter 13-8 to build the lead back to 13. Whoops, actually a 12 point lead because someone, I thik Tatum, had a foot on the 3 point line.
Celtics up 82-70 in the 4th, and after a Brown layup to build the lead to 14 at 11:25, they go ice cold for a 2.5 minute stretch where their only offense is a single Tatum free throw and they allow 11 points (Giannis +1, Connaughton 3, Giannis free throws, Giannis 3) to cut the lead to 4, 85-81. And that is where the magic happens.
The Celtics have a bad offensive set that leads to them needing to inbound with onlt 2 or 3 seconds on the clock. Smart inbounds to Tatum on the right side and he drills a difficult, contested 16 footer - that's his 3rd straight Celtic point counting the earlier free throw. Connaughton scores, Tatum comes back and hits a three, six straight. Celtics get a stop, Tatum hits a 7-footer, for 8 straight. Giannis dunks, Connaughton scores, Tatum drills a three, 11 straight, and Celtics up 8. 3.5 minutes from Giannis' three to cut the lead to 4, Celtics are back up 8.
After a stop and a timeout, Ime draws up a perfecr ATO, with Tatum as a decoy to get Brown a wide open catch and shoot three, which he drills, for an 11 point lead. Smart hits a jumper for 13. With 3:25 to go, Giannis hits a pair of free throws to cut it to 11. Celtics call their "use it or lose it" TO to get Tatum some rest. Then at 3:02 the Bucuks call their "use it or lose it" TO to get Giannis some rest.
At 2:38, Tatum pretty ices it with a drive from the top of the key that shows just how good he had it going. Milaukee has left the lane wide open and Tatum from above the 3 point line at the top of the key, drives past his man and goes up for what is intended as a thunderous dunk. Late arriving help fouls Tatum and stops him from dunking but he is able to lay it in through the contact and hit the free throw. Jrue answers with a three, Tatum misses a three, but White pulls down a huge offensive rebound, Tatum gets fouled, hits his free throws. 13 point lead, under 2 minutes left, Jrue misses another three, and that is basically all she wrote.
One weird little footnote: at 1:24, Bud emptied his bench, and Milwaukee's scrubs, led by Thanasis "My brother is really fucking good" Antetokounmpo, really got after it, pressing the Celtics deep bench, playing like there was a championship at stake. Not much happened with the scoring and the game ended with a 13 point win.