Final grades
Beat writer Charles F. Gardner looks back on the Bucks’ season
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Bucks were 22-30 after a disappointing home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in early February.
Just two nights earlier, they had lost forward Jabari Parker to his second anterior cruciate ligament tear in three seasons.
Despair could have taken over a team that had lost 12 of its last 14 games and appeared headed for another draft lottery appearance.
Instead, the Bucks finished the season with a 20-10 record in their last 30 games and reached the playoffs as the sixth-seeded team in the Eastern Conference.
It was a remarkable turnaround that the Bucks hope they can carry into next season and beyond. How did they do it? Coach Jason Kidd got major contributions from rookies Thon Maker and Malcolm Brogdon, starting both of them in the final month of the season and in the playoffs.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was sensational as a point forward and Khris Middleton returned from injury to give the Bucks another scorer and a solid defender.
Tony Snell continued his steady play on the wing and grew more comfortable in the offense
while defending elite scorers every night.
Greg Monroe and Matthew Dellavedova led the bench effort and Jason Terry was a key figure in the locker room and on the court.
Even though the Bucks did not break through to win a playoff series, they showed enough against the Raptors to provide optimism for the future.
They won Game 1 in Toronto and missed two open three-point looks
that might have won Game 2.
They won in a rout in Game 3, showing off their athleticism and youth. But the Raptors found their defensive bearings and won Game 4, then crushed the Bucks in Game 5 at the Air Canada Centre.
Milwaukee’s miracle comeback from 25 points down in Game 6 ultimately fell short, but it showed the Bucks were willing to feel the pain. Kidd told them during a third-quarter timeout that it would hurt if they wanted a chance to extend the series. An exhausted Antetokounmpo, who played 47 minutes, knew what his coach was talking about.
“I was just thinking about doing whatever it takes to help my team win,” Antetokounmpo said. “Not just me. Everybody was tired. Delly was tired; Khris wasn’t feeling great. I’m really proud of my teammates and the coaching staff. I think they did a great job all year.”
Kidd believes the postseason experience will pay off soon.
“You’re never promised to make the playoffs,” Kidd said before Game 6. “To have these two guys (rookies) playing and playing major minutes, it can only help the franchise going forward.
“For everyone (it’s valuable). This is Giannis’ second playoff series, Moose’s (Monroe’s) first. We’ve got a lot of guys that are young playing at this time of the year.”
The critical in-season turnaround came on the team’s longest trip of the year, a six-game journey that started in Memphis and swung to the West Coast.
It didn’t start well with a lopsided loss in Memphis.
Four days in Los Angeles proved to be great therapy, starting with a one-point win over the Clippers at the Staples Center on March 15. The Bucks did not play as well two nights later but hung on to beat the Lakers.
After losing at Golden State, the Bucks won a close one at Portland and dominated at Sacramento. A 4-2 trip meant the Bucks returned home with a 36-35 record and riding a wave of confidence.
“It all started back in February and March, understanding the situation we were in,” Kidd said. “They never blinked.
“They went out and continued to believe they can play with the best and found themselves in the playoffs.”