ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s pretty ironic how the Bucks stalled the playoffs even without a prime-time slot in the first round. They are currently the most famous team in professional sport when it comes to going out of court, although they dominate the action all season.
It’s a complex, if not strange, situation for the team with the best record in the NBA and the reigning MVP – and he’s likely to get another award next month – yet here you’re hoping your basketball buzz will somehow and will eventually match whoever surrounds their social justice strike.
By and large, the bucks will do just fine with the story they wrote a few days ago if they don’t make history in October, when the Larry O’Brien trophy is awarded. From Giannis Antetokounmpo to the last man on the bench, they felt a higher calling and a more meaningful purpose than the pursuit of a title. Because of this, they refused to continue their first round of Against Magic, an action that pushed a domino and brought others down, not just on Disney campus but in all other US sports.
It was an emotional decision by the Bucks that seemed right, as was a more rational decision by the NBA players to keep playing seemed right. First, why play a game when your head is in the fog, a distraction caused by a shooting in Kenosha, just down the street from Milwaukee? Second, why pull the plug in the season and go home and lose your visibility and massive platform and cause financial problems for the league? Even Barack Obama reportedly felt the players needed to get back to work.
And now that basketball is back after what Clippers coach Doc Rivers referred to as “a break we all needed”, there are two reasons to be here: Continue dialogue on racial injustice and political and police reform below Use the settings provided by the league … and chase the championship.
Can the goats guilty of pushing for change leave Disney with a pair of crowns?
That would make them a team to remember for all the obvious reasons: the season has been cut off by a pandemic, the playoffs are being played in an NBA ecosystem that was robbing the dollars of the home advantage, and the swirling meteors of social injustice tumbled around them around, outside of Orlando.
When baseball and soccer were closed and declarations were made by teams from all four major sports, the fingerprints of those events belonged to the dollars. You must have started something. But what will they end?
The Bucks closed on Friday when the NBA teams returned to practice. They declined all interviews and refused to elaborate on their actions and the causes of those actions in the sport and in their home state of Wisconsin.
“When we return to court today, our team focus will be on our overall performance and wellbeing,” the team said in a statement.
This is somewhat appropriate as the goats bloomed in relative silence all season. Outnumbered LeBron James and the Lakers, Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, the Celtics and the Sixers, and defending champion Raptors on records, but were barely the favorites of TV or merchandise sales or social media hot-takes.
Giannis is a 6-foot-10 squad on either end who have just been named Kia Defensive Player of the Year despite being one of the league’s top players in terms of rating and rebound. All without the same gloss as LeBron and Luka Doncic – and probably not James Harden either.
The team is based in a small Midwestern town where appeal is mostly confined to the city limits. In addition, there are probably more Bulls fans in Wisconsin, at least if the Bulls win.
The Bucks thrive on 3-point shooting, which is created by the open looks of Giannis Clear-Outs. When those shots are fired, the dollars are impressive. If you fall in love with Giannis too, you are almost unbeatable.
Her defense is solid, not just because of Giannis but Brook Lopez as well. Together they form a wall at the edge. And they are assisted by quick guards who can cover the perimeter, starting with Eric Bledsoe.
The rotation has been largely intact for the past few years, with Malcolm Brogdon being the only noticeable defect. That creates great chemistry and an understanding of how to complement Giannis’ overwhelming presence. Not every superstar is easy for teammates; Giannis is an exception because he doesn’t dominate the ball or play difficult minutes.
All in all, the bucks have these weapons along with great health in their favor. That’s why they’re firmly in the championship mix and maybe the favorite, definitely the team to beat in the east.
Now we’ll see if their strike in one game managed to clear their minds enough for them to refocus and justify their basketball reason for staying in Orlando.
Shaun Powell has been in the NBA for more than 25 years. You can send him an email You can find his archive here and follow him on Twitter .
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