Giannis Antetokounmpo powered his way to the rim, trying to keep the Milwaukee Bucks’ title defence alive. Again and again, the ball just wouldn’t drop.

In the fog of the Celtics’ Game 5 loss to Milwaukee that dropped his team into a 3-2 series hole, Boston coach Ime Udoka made a prediction.

Also read: Shooting near Deer District after Bucks game sends crowd scurrying. Video

Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven 3-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and Boston set a Game 7 record with 22 3-pointers to eliminate the NBA champion Bucks 109-81 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Celtics will face top-seeded Miami beginning Tuesday in a rematch of the 2020 East finals. The Heat beat the Celtics in six games in that series at Walt Disney World.

Also read: From Lionel Messi to Roger Federer: The 10 highest-earning athletes in the world in 2022

Layups, putbacks — shots that are usually automatic for the two-time MVP and reigning NBA champion — bounced fruitlessly away. And the Bucks kept dropping further behind.

“I’d rather miss a bunch of shots and keep playing, keep coming and keep being aggressive … than go into passive mode,” the Bucks star said after the Celtics won Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals 109-81 on Sunday to end Milwaukee’s hopes of back-to-back titles.

Also read: Memphis Grizzlies rout Golden State Warriors 134-95 to avoid elimination

“I can live with that. I can live with giving everything for the game,” Antetokounmpo said. “Shots that I usually make weren’t going in. But that’s basketball. That’s sports. … You’ve just got to live with it.”

One year after leading Milwaukee to the NBA title and being voted finals MVP, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks wilted in the final quarter of their final game. The Greek Freak scored 25 points with 20 rebounds and nine assists in all, but he shot 10 for 26 in the game, missing six of seven shots in the fourth quarter — four of them from inside of 6 feet.

Also read: Milwaukee Bucks stun Boston Celtics, take 3-2 lead

Asked if his legs were heavy after playing a season-high 43 minutes, 9 seconds — including all of the second half until the game was out of reach — Antetokounmpo said: “Legs heavy. Body heavy. Mind heavy. Everything was heavy.”

“I was just trying to be aggressive,” he added. “At the end of the day, it’s Game 7 and I’m not going to hold the ball and not look at the rim.”

Also read: NBA legend Bob Lanier’s journey through the years

Antetokounmpo still had a series for the record books, recording a triple-double in Game 1 and missing one in the finale by a single assist. He scored 40 or more points three times, and had 20 rebounds twice.

Over the seven games, he averaged 29.6 points, 14.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists. He is the first player in NBA history to record 200 points, 100 rebounds and 50 assists in a playoff series.

“The way Giannis evolved throughout this series, the way Giannis played against a very good defensive team, against a lot of good individual defenders, was like another one of those growth moments, growth opportunities,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

Also read: NBA: Boston Celtics rout Milwaukee Bucks 116-108, level series 2-2

“I thought he was phenomenal. His scoring, his attacking, his playmaking, his unselfishness,” he said. “I was beyond impressed.”

After winning his first NBA title — and the Bucks’ first since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then still Lew Alcindor) led them to the championship in 1971 — Antetokounmpo averaged 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists this season. He was second in scoring, sixth in rebounds and third in the MVP voting while leading Milwaukee to 51 wins and a No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Also read: Stephen Curry takes charge, Warriors rally past Grizzlies 101-98

The defending champions eliminated the Bulls in five games and opened a 3-2 lead in the second round. But the Celtics ran away with Game 6 in Milwaukee, and did it again in the clincher.