Energy, Attitude Key Bucks' Win Over Golden State
In winning a surprising 41 games a year ago, the Milwaukee Bucks may have won as many games with their effort and attitude as they did with skill. So far in the 2015-16 season, it's felt like that has been missing.
On Saturday night against the defending champion Golden State Warriors - touting a 28-game win streak - those intangibles returned to Milwaukee in a big way.
There have been plenty of questions lately surrounding the Bucks as they've stumbled out of the gate to a 10-15 mark. The best thing Jason Kidd and company can do now is use this as a jumping off point for a turnaround - not in terms of strategy or stats - but as an example of resolve.
At times on Saturday, the Bucks looked like a high-quality team with the tools to beat a 24-0 juggernaut like Golden State. Other points of the game had that same ugly feel we've seen too much this season.
Two things that never wavered, however: Energy and resiliency.
As has been the case for much of the year, the 3rd quarter was problematic for Milwaukee. After taking an inspiring 58-47 lead into the locker room, the Bucks got sloppy on the offensive end and watched the Warriors outscore them 29-21 in the frame.
The key was never losing that lead and letting the Warriors find that last gear to pull them in front.
Despite a handful of second half runs by Golden State - a group never out of a game - Milwaukee came up with defensive stops when they needed them. Running hard at Stephen Curry and ensuring inside shots were tough, the Bucks forced the Warriors to use up the gas they had left.
Again, it wasn't the Bucks' superb defensive strategy or skill sets, but the intensity in which they closed out on shooters, bodied up inside, and exploded to the ball throughout.
It was the first time since last April that Golden State fell short of 100 points. And while there's no doubt their double-overtime road game on Friday hurt the Waririors - along with Saturday being their 7th straight away contest - the Bucks made sapped their last remnants of hope.
Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of highlights on the Bucks' end, including Giannis Antekounmpo's first career triple-double (11 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) and Greg Monroe's game-high 28 points (11 in the 4th quarter).
However, in the end, it was the team's tone and vigor that secured the huge victory.
Feeding off the electric crowd, the players pushed forward and hounded this great offensive team until the final whistle. Milwaukee held the Warriors to just 23.1% shooting from beyond the arc - nearly 20% below their average - and only 18 points in the final quarter. Getting pumped up to play a squad like Golden State is easy, so now the question becomes whether or not the Bucks can find some consistency against everyone else when it comes to execution...but maybe more importantly, energy and attitude.
Much like the Green Bay Packers' exhilarating Hail Mary win over the Detroit Lions, the value of beating Golden State will be determined by what happens the rest of the season.