Destiny theirs to carve
The match was all but over by the time Giannis Antetokounmpo left it with 10:08 left in the fourth quarter. Playing on the second night of a back-to-back set, the Bucks didn’t quite have their A-game; he was himself decidedly pedestrian, putting up 11 (on five-of-13 shooting), three, and two in 30 minutes of play prior to heading to the locker room for good. And so out of it were they that coming back from a 17-point deficit would have been a minor miracle even if he hadn’t been compelled to leave the court following a hit to the head.
Still, it’s fair to argue that the Bucks thought they would be more competitive heading into the Little Caesars Arena. After all, they faced the sagging Pistons, who had lost three consecutive outings and six of seven in the last two and a half weeks. The swoon threw shade on what looked to be a major turnaround inspired by the arrival of five- time All- Star Blake Griffin. Disappointing turns against the Raptors and Celtics, not to mention such seemingly easy prey as the Hawks and Hornets, underscored the extent of the work that still had to be done in Motor City.
Parenthetically, the Bucks themselves have issues to contend with. Projected to be beasts in the East in the face of Antetokounmpo’s ascent to superstardom, they have instead floundered. They thought a change in head coaches would help, and, for a while, it did. Along with Jason Kidd’s departure late last month went the scrambling defense that was evidently ill-suited for the pace-and-space era; in its place were switch-heavy sets that worked because of the presence of their Most Valuable Player candidate. Nine victories in 11 contests under erstwhile assistant Joe Prunty certainly highlighted their potential. And then came reality, with yesterday’s blowout extending their dubious slate of setbacks to three straight and four of five.
All things considered, the Bucks are far from a lock for the playoffs. They’re currently seventh in the conference, just four games ahead of the ninth-place Pistons with 21 to go. On the other hand, they’re merely three and a half games behind the third-running Cavaliers. Which, in a nutshell, means their destiny remains theirs to carve. Their negative point differential puts up a red flag, but there are many flaws the presence of an otherworldly player can mask. It’s all up to Antetokounmpo, then, and if the green and white don’t want an early exit, he will have to stop coming up with clunkers like the one that doomed them yesterday.