This has been an up and down year for the Milwaukee Bucks as evidenced by their 15-15 record, but last night’s victory surely has brought a ton of optimism to a team loaded with potential.
This squad has been one of the biggest surprise stories this year even though at times their defense has seemed impenetrable, other times it leaks like a sieve. Some nights their offense can be explosive, and on others they seem to completely misfire. I’ve lost count of how many times this season the Bucks has carried huge leads against some of the best teams in the league, and taken them right down to the wire, just to blow the game at the very end.
I’ve been impressed by the fact that even in the midst of this see-saw season, this young, fairly inexperienced team seems to be unshaken by anything, and no matter win or lose, they come out focused the next game. Jason Kidd, who is in his first year as Bucks Head Coach, seems to have this team focused and ready for anything.
On Friday night they showed off their true potential as they busted out and destroyed the Hawks in Atlanta behind perfect shooting from reserve forward Jared Dudley. Dudley scored a season high 24 points, on 10-10 shooting from the floor, and was 4-4 from three point range.
Before Friday’s game the Hawks look almost unbeatable, having won 5 in a row, 14 of their last 15, and where an incredible 13-2 at home. It would have been easy for a young team like the Bucks to be shaken and falter on the road in front of a sell-out crowd. Instead, the Bucks held the Hawks to a season low 77 points, as they handed a 117-77 point loss to the team who’s last five victories where against the Bulls, Cavs, Rockets, Mavs, and Clippers.
Being .500 after thirty games isn’t all that impressive until you realize that the fifteen wins match the Bucks total from a complete season last year, and they’ve done it with teamwork, and without the help of a true superstar.
This season, the Bucks have counted on quite a few different players to carry their scoring load, and Friday’s game wasn’t any different as they had six players in double figures.
Losing Jabari Parker ,who was leading all rookies in scoring before he went down for the season, appeared to be a possibly devastating blow, but instead it seems to have awakened some of the other young Bucks who were just waiting for a chance to shine.
It may be too early to get overly excited since this season isn’t even half over, but it seems this team is gearing up for a great ending, and they appear to only be getting better, more focused, and most importantly, more experienced, as the season progresses.
If you’re looking for a bandwagon to jump on and a fun team to get excited about you may want to climb on board. If not get ready to, Fear the Deer!
Thank you for reading. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
