There’s an old saying that applies to life in the National Basketball Association:
"You've got to dance with the one that brung you."
The implication is clear that if you change what’s been working, you are in danger of failure. And that’s exactly what happened to the Milwaukee Bucks in game two of their playoff series against the Chicago Bulls, and what they have to fix before game three Thursday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
In the second game the Bucks turned into a pack of muggers, playing aggressively and turning the Bulls over. Milwaukee stole the ball and double-teamed just about every possession.
On offense the Bucks were patient, working the ball around until they got a drive to the basket or a good pass to a cutting player.
Milwaukee trailed by three points after three quarters, a shock to everyone in the place, and that may have included the Bucks themselves.
Suddenly the team became passive on defense, allowing Jimmy Butler to run off 14 points in the final quarter. And they became a jump shooting team on offense.
"We win with defense," said coach Jason Kidd. He made some profound adjustments after the first game and put a hammer on Derrick Rose in the first half, when the star guard went scoreless.
"When Derrick is in the game we are tough to beat," said Butler. "He finds me in places where I can score the basketball and that’s why I was able to play so well in the fourth."
The Bucks don’t have a consistent three-point shooter, although they have a few guys who can shoot it – Ersan Ilyasova, O. J. Mayo and Khris Middleton are all adequate. But Milwaukee can’t win with three-point shots, so now it’s back to the drawing board before Thursday night.
Beside being a third game, it is also the first home playoff game for what some people call the new Bucks, and it’s a game that everyone expects to be very popular.
"We need our fans to come out," Middleton said. "That energy really helps."
It’s an open question as to which fuels which. Does an exciting crowd energize a team or does an exciting team juice up the crowd? It's likely a combination, but none of the cheering in the world will make any difference if the Bucks try to be something they aren’t.
"We were 2 of 15 down the stretch tonight," Kidd said after game two. "That’s not us. We need to make baskets at the rim. We missed a bunch of bunnies tonight, and then Butler went off.
"I thought we played a pretty good game, giving us a chance to win on the road. Now we just get ready for game three."
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
