After a dominant victory in Game 3 over the Raptors, the Milwaukee Bucks must now meet the expectations and prove that they belong here for good.
After dismantling the Toronto Raptors in front of a wild crowd at the Bradley Center with a final score of 104-77 – that still somehow feels closer than the game ever was – the Milwaukee Bucks head into Game 4 facing their toughest opponent yet – themselves.
Thursday night’s Game 3 was over by the time the buzzer rang out the first quarter, with the Bucks carrying a 20-point lead and all-world superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo putting all doubts about whether he would rebound from a poor first half in Milwaukee’s Game 2 loss to rest early on.
Giannis finished with 19-8-4 and two assists and two blocks, but he could have easily had another 19 if his team had needed them. They didn’t, thanks in part to Khris Middleton’s continued hot streak in the series (he finished with 20, most of them coming in the first half when the Bucks made sure to put the game away) and some fantastic bench performances, led again by Greg Monroe (16 points, 7 rebounds).
The quick offensive pace set by Antetokounmpo and rookie Malcolm Brogdon, who continues to play beyond his years (7 rebounds, 9 assists), was too much for a Raptors’ defense that looked like it had solved Milwaukee in their Game 2 win.
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Coupled with a return to playoff form (not a good thing) for Raptors’ point guard Kyle Lowry, one of the worst offensive nights of All-Star DeMar DeRozan’s career (0-8 from the floor), and a disappointing showing from Game 2 standout Serge Ibaka, Toronto took themselves out of the game by the second quarter as much as the Bucks had.
You know a playoff team is in trouble when their lone bright spots were bench performances from Delon Wright and Norman Powell.
And just like that, the Milwaukee Bucks find themselves facing expectations, something this young Bucks team has not had to deal with. In the season’s early months, there were many who pegged this team as an upstart with playoff potential, but nobody saw this coming.
The Bucks, who looked a few years away from true Eastern Conference contention, have thus far bypassed the playoff growing pains and now have home courtadvantage and the most dominant showing in the series.
But with such performance comes the burden of following up. For a team that lacks playoff experience and has an average age just north of 24, meeting expectations can often prove more difficult than facing an opponent.
GIANNIS ELBOW BLOCK https://t.co/YbedpIemZh pic.twitter.com/S9qJwOJUZX
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) April 21, 2017
We already saw a little bit of this with their dud in Game 2 after a fairly convincing win in the series opener. This team is on the cusp of contending in the East for years to come, but they’ve first got to do what veteran teams do – act like they belong here. The playful nature of this team on and off the court is fun to watch, but true contenders follow blowout wins with workmanlike performances.
They’ll face a Raptors team that was embarrassed before the opening tip-off had even taken place, one who saw Antetokounmpo block a shot with his elbow, and one with players and a coach with lots to prove before the offseason. They’ll be mad in Game 4, and this young Bucks team can’t afford to bask in the afterglow. They need to bring the same determination and hustle they brought in Game 3, and that’s not always going to be a given for such a young squad.
Milwaukee Bucks Head coach Jason Kidd was a no-nonsense player and must use that same approach to keep this team fresh and hungry when they are now the team being chased. The veteran presence of three bench standouts from Thursday will also go a long way to keeping this team pushing – Monroe, Matthew Dellavedova, and Michael Beasley all have playoff experience and should provide stability to a team that plays with a lot of emotion.
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If they can play it cool, the Bucks will bring even more hype with them to the second round, where they’d most likely play another grizzled playoff machine in LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
For now, let’s enjoy the party and appreciate what we are seeing – a young team going from promising to contending before our eyes.