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with Jim Paschke

Michael Redd certainly gave us a Veteran’s Day to remember with his Bucks single game record 57 point against Utah on Saturday night.

In my 21 seasons with the Bucks, perhaps the two grittiest games I’ve seen have both come in losses. Until Saturday, the Bucks fourth playoff game against Detroit in the 1988-89 Conference Semi-finals topped my list.

You’ll recall that the Bucks lost Paul Pressey to a separated shoulder late that season, ironically in Detroit. In game three against Detroit, Bill Laimbeer ended the playoffs for Larry Kystkowiak after they knocked knees just above the north end free throw line at the Bradley Center.

All of that, and a couple of other injuries set up game four. The Bucks had just eight players available that night. Fred Roberts scored 33 of the toughest points I’ve ever seen as the Pistons swept the Bucks 96-94. Fred Roberts averaged 9 points a game in his Bucks career. It was simply such a great team effort under duress that the crowd of 18,633 gave the Bucks a standing ovation as they left the court for the last time that season.

Michael Redd’s 57-point game against Utah was equally impressive. The Bucks had fallen behind by 24 points in the second quarter. Quite frankly, their only hope was Redd and he took it upon himself to bring the team back as he has done so often. Perhaps there is a lesson in the fact that a 57-point game wasn’t enough to overcome a deficit like that.

After Michael got to 45 points, one of the best defensive teams in the league started to tighten things up. The Jazz began double teaming Michael as they realized what he was trying to do. They couldn’t stop him with two defenders. Redd simply willed his shots through the basket. The focus and resolve he displayed were un-paralleled in my experience.

It’s not just about scoring a lot of points. I would suggest that Redd’s 57 is more impressive than Kobe Bryant’s 81. The Lakers were winning; Kobe was toying with Toronto and the Raptors provided little if any resistance. 81 points is obviously impressive, but Michael Redd scored 42 of his 57 points in the second half of a highly contested game against a great defense.

I witnessed Karl Malone’s 61-point game against the Bucks in Salt Lake City. It was impressive, but again, Malone was motivated by an All-Star snub not by trying to beat a fierce double-teaming defense all night long.

I have always said the greatest attraction of sport is the possibility that you may see something that has never happened before, or that you have never seen before. The fans in attendance Saturday have an incredible Bucks memory to savor. Who knows, maybe Redd’s record will last as long or longer than the one he broke. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 55-point Bucks record lasted nearly 35 years.

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