Jayson Tatum leads Celtics defensive charge against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee Bucks

The number one storyline coming out of the Nets series for the Celtics was their defense. We knew it was good coming into the playoffs, but the way it stifled Kevin Durant was eye-widening stuff. 

“Everybody, every time was engaged in the positions they needed to be, in the spots that we needed to,” Al Horford said of their defense. “And that started with Jayson with us, with Jayson Tatum and the way that he rose up in this series and took on the challenge. This year, defensively, he's taken a huge leap. And we've all seen it. But it's just special to see because he was the one that set the tone for us.”

Tatum in the second round will be asked to reprise his defensive masterclass against Durant; to use his length and quickness to be the point-of-attack defender on Giannis Antetokounmpo. The hope is that he can bother Antetokounmpo into some of the same mistakes as Durant.

It probably won’t look the same, for a variety of reasons. Most notably,