“Come further up, come further in!,” – C.S. Lewis. Taking the advice of the wise English author I’ve spent the majority of my Bucks time writing for Fansided’s BehindtheBuckPass.com, largely eschewing contributions to this site. Having said that, let’s talk some basketball.
Despite losing Larry Sanders to general instability and Kendall Marshall to an ACL tear–the Milwaukee Bucks continue trudging through their January schedule playing .500 basketball at 6-6. That’s not a bad rate for a team missing two opening day starters, Sanders and Parker, and a solid bench player in Marshall.
But when you step back and look at who the 6 January wins have come against: New York (2), Minnesota, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Miami–things look less glossy. Meanwhile the Bucks had opportunities against playoff contenting San Antonio, Toronto, and Phoenix before being edged by single digits each game.
In other words the Bucks are too good to be bad and too bad to be good. As all Buck’s fans know–that’s a recipe for NBA purgatory…the 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs.
So why should you embrace this year’s Bucks team when they’re almost inevitably heading toward a six-game series defeat against Toronto, Chicago, Cleveland, or Washington? It’s Jason Kidd.
Outside of Milwaukee few members of the media truly appreciate what Kidd has done with this team. Most panelists gave the Bucks 20-30 wins, low estimate to high estimate this season. And playoffs? They certainly aren’t sniffing that out. But through creative rotations and strong bench play Kidd has done something Milwaukee hasn’t seen in over a decade–he’s created a winning atmosphere.
You can see Kidd’s attitude translated on the court through his player’s demeanor. Take last night’s win against the Heat for example, with special attention to the this section of the third quarter:
| 6:01 | 62-69 | Danny Granger makes two point shot | |
| 6:01 | Khris Middleton shooting foul (Danny Granger draws the foul) | 62-69 | |
| 6:01 | 62-70 | Danny Granger makes free throw 1 of 1 | |
| 6:01 | O.J. Mayo enters the game for Khris Middleton | 62-70 | |
| 6:01 | 62-70 | James Ennis enters the game for Mario Chalmers | |
| 5:45 | John Henson makes two point shot | 64-70 | |
| 5:26 | 64-72 | Hassan Whiteside makes layup | |
| 5:26 | John Henson shooting foul (Hassan Whiteside draws the foul) | 64-73 | |
| 5:26 | 64-73 | Hassan Whiteside makes free throw 1 of 1 | |
| 5:18 | 64-73 | James Ennis personal foul (O.J. Mayo draws the foul) | |
| 5:07 | Brandon Knight bad pass (Danny Granger steals) | 64-73 | |
| 5:01 | 64-73 | Norris Cole misses driving layup | |
| 4:58 | John Henson defensive rebound | 64-73 | |
| 4:56 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes layup (Brandon Knight assists) | 66-73 | |
| 4:56 | Heat Full timeout | ||
| 4:37 | 66-75 | Chris Bosh makes two point shot (Danny Granger assists) | |
| 4:22 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes 12-foot two point shot | 68-75 | |
| 3:54 | 68-78 | Norris Cole makes three point jumper (Hassan Whiteside assists) | |
| 3:31 | O.J. Mayo makes 11-foot two point shot | 70-78 | |
| 3:31 | 70-78 | James Ennis shooting foul (O.J. Mayo draws the foul) | |
| 3:31 | Jerryd Bayless enters the game for Brandon Knight | 70-78 | |
| 3:31 | O.J. Mayo makes free throw 1 of 1 | 71-78 | |
| 3:05 | 71-78 | Chris Bosh misses 19-foot two point shot | |
| 3:04 | Jared Dudley defensive rebound | 71-78 | |
| 2:55 | O.J. Mayo makes 24-foot three point jumper (Jerryd Bayless assists) | 74-78 | |
Notice the score with 5:07 remaining–the Bucks are down nine, just turned the ball over and looked for all the world like they were about to face a double-digit deficit. Having lost a team-record 67 times last season, we almost expected a complete collapse. Not this Milwaukee Bucks team, not Jason Kidd.
Giannis Antetokounmpo took a handle of the game scoring 4 fast points, holding off the Heat just long enough for O.J. Mayo to catch a little fire and bring the Bucks back to within four points. The Bucks would tie the game by the end of the quarter, giving themselves a great shot in the fourth. The Bucks would win the game 109-102. Last year’s team wouldn’t have.
That’s this team in a nutshell–mentally tough, poised, and defensively eager.
So when the Bucks make the playoffs and likely lose in the first round your knee-jerk reaction will be to roll your eyes and say “I thought things we’re going to be different.”
They are. They are.
Bango Crossing 