Bucks aim to be ahead of Suns, not themselves
MILWAUKEE — High atop the outside of Fiserv Forum — way above even a leaping Giannis Antetokounmpo’s reach — blares the Milwaukee Bucks’ postseason motto.
“HISTORY IN THE MAKING” it reads, a sign and a situation that’s impossible to ignore. And yet, that’s exactly what the Bucks are trying to do.
They can indeed make history Tuesday night as Milwaukee’s first NBA champion since 1971. But the Bucks have to resist thinking about what happens if they beat the Phoenix Suns in Game 6.
“It’s hard not to get ahead of yourself. But this is the time that you’ve got to be the most disciplined,” Antetokounmpo said Monday.
The Bucks have won the last three games to set up a potential party 50 years in the making.
Around 17,000 fans are expected inside the arena and the Bucks announced that the Deer District has been expanded to allow up to 65,000 fans to stand shoulder to shoulder outside.
It’s a scene that couldn’t have happened for much of this season that has been played during the coronavirus outbreak. The Bucks began permitting a limited number of fans at games only in February, nearly two months after the season began. Even when postseason play started in May, capacity was capped at 9,100, a little above 50%.
Whatever the number is Tuesday, it will sound a whole lot louder if the Bucks are lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
“But we got to focus, we got to do our job,” Antetokounmpo said. “Then they can do their job celebrating at the end. But we got to do our job first.”
Rivals to teammates
The Suns’ Devin Booker is competing with the Bucks’ Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton for an NBA title, but they’ll become teammates as soon as the Finals end when they head to Tokyo to join Team USA for the Olympics.
“We haven’t said a word to each other. I’m sure we won’t be best buddies during Team USA, but we’ll be teammates, for sure,” Middleton said. “We’ll be on the same path, talking basketball Xs and O’s, trying to get the job done.” Booker agreed. “It’s never personal between who you’re going with, unless lines are crossed,” Booker said. “Those guys aren’t that type and I would never go that way with them, because there’s a high respect level for each other.”
Hey, I know that guy
Antetokounmpo said he noticed LeBron James sitting courtside for Game 5 but didn’t speak with him.
“It doesn’t really matter who — it might be my mother sitting courtside — I don’t engage while I’m playing,” Antetokounmpo said. “I just try to focus as much as possible. But this is crazy. This is a great story. This is not a promo. The night before, I was watching ‘Space Jam’ on HBO. I was watching ‘Space Jam,’ and there he goes in the courtside seat.”
James is the star of “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” which premiered over the weekend.
Introducing Unseld
Wes Unseld Jr. was introduced as the new coach of Washington, the franchise his father starred with and led to its only NBA championship in 1978.
A Hall of Famer, Wes Unseld died last year.
“I know my dad’s up there smiling down,” said Unseld, a first-time coach taking over the team that allowed the most points in the NBA this season. “He’s probably chuckling, thinking, ‘You moron, I told you not to do this.’ ”