Celtics extend Bucks' playoff woes, draw Sixers in 2nd round

The Boston Celtics eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks with a strong 112-96 victory in Game 7 on Saturday night. While the Celtics must now turn their attention to a conference semifinals matchup with the red-hot Philadelphia 76ers, the Bucks have yet another letdown in the playoffs on which to meditate for the next six months or so.

The Bucks' malaise in the postseason has been well established. Despite reaching the playoffs in eight of the past 17 seasons, the franchise has yet to win a playoff series since 2001, when Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, and Glenn Robinson went the distance with Allen Iverson's Finals-bound Sixers before losing in seven games in the Eastern Conference semis.

Interim head coach Joe Prunty joins a bevy of Bucks coaches - including George Karl, Terry Porter, Terry Stotts, Scott Skiles, Jim Boylan, and Jason Kidd (twice) - who were able to get the team to the dance but saw it wilt like a daffodil under the spotlight.

Despite forcing Game 7, the Bucks' latest postseason run ended with yet another whimper. Franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo, hampered with foul trouble for much of the game, finished with 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting, nine rebounds, and five assists, but was minus-16 in his 42 minutes on the floor. Jabari Parker, the No. 2 pick in 2014 and once considered a pillar of the Bucks' rebuild, was minus-24 in 29 minutes, proving incapable of containing the relatively starless Celtics when it counted.

Antetokounmpo's status as the fulcrum of the franchise remains unchanged, and the oft-injured Parker could be granted another opportunity yet. Whether Prunty survives the summer - or week - in America's Dairyland is less certain, as the Bucks' latest effort further illustrates the team's need for a shakeup to see if they can finally exorcise their playoff boogeyman.