Bucks get a stamp of approval
Co-owner Lasry pleased with how team has played
LOS ANGELES - The Milwaukee Bucks sent two on-court representatives to Los Angeles for all-star weekend, so it should come as no surprise that the two of them went one-onone in order to get prepared.
Obviously, Giannis Antetokounmpo was one of those players. The other? NBA Celebrity Game veteran Marc Lasry. You know, one of the billionaire co-owners of the Bucks and a former Division III basketball player at Clark University in Massachusetts.
“I feel if I can score on him I can score on anybody," Lasry, 57, said with a smile heading into his third celebrity game.
And how did that practice against the 6foot-11 Bucks star go?
“Well," Lasry said. "We’re having a good time.”
With practice and his past experience, Lasry entered Friday's showcase — which included former NBA players Tracy McGrady, Paul Pierce and Nate Robinson as well as celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Quavos from the rap
group Migos — with confidence. He also had a pair of goals.
“I think really all you want to do is you don’t want to embarrass yourself," Lasry said. "I wish it was more complicated than that. You want to make sure when you shoot they’re going in. My goal this time is to try to get double figures, so we’ll see if that happens.”
What transpired was a 75-66 loss for his Lakers-themed squad to a team clad in Clippers red and blue. Lasry didn't score in double figures, finishing with three points all tallied in the fourth quarter. But he didn't embarrass himself either, which represents a positive, glass-half-full start to the all-star weekend.
Looking on the positive side is also how Lasry views the Bucks at the unofficial midway point of the season.
There undoubtedly have been ups and downs for the franchise throughout the past year. Milwaukee used a late surge last season to earn a trip to the playoffs, where the Bucks went up, 2-1, before falling to the Toronto Raptors in six games. Then over the summer, the team needed to remake its front office after the departure of general manager John Hammond.
Back on the court with essentially the same team as last season, the Bucks hovered underwhelmingly around .500 before the firing of coach Jason Kidd last month.
While the Bucks fell to the Denver Nuggets, 134-123, on Thursday in their last game before the break, Lasry's happy with his team's 9-3 push over the past 12 games. That stretch included a pair of wins in New York City that Lasry attended, with the team visiting Lasry's Manhattan home after their win over the Brooklyn Nets to watch the Super Bowl together.
“I think everything’s been going pretty well," Lasry said. "I think in the beginning (of the season) we were kind of a little disappointed with how things were going. We sort of felt the team could play a little bit better. As luck would have it, they’ve been playing really well.”
Milwaukee's 9-3 record over the past 12 games has come since the organization's decision to fire Kidd — a call made by GM Jon Horst with the unanimous approval of ownership. For Lasry, that was a difficult situation due to his longstanding friendship with Kidd going back to Kidd's days with the New Jersey Nets and Lasry's partial ownership stake in that team.
“It was hard," Lasry said. "Jason and I have been friends a long time. Look, I think for us, we sort of tried to do what we felt was the right thing to do. It didn’t mean it wasn’t difficult to do.”
With his all-star responsibilities done, Lasry is looking forward to watching what his training partner — Antetokounmpo — will do with his chance on the big stage before both turn their attention to the final 25 games of the season and a playoff run in the Eastern Conference.
"I think it’s great for him," Lasry said of Antetokounmpo's ascent and second successive all-star start. "He’s actually one of the nicest guys, he has a heart of gold and you’re happy to see him succeed.”