The Bucks logged an impressive home victory over the Spurs on Wednesday night, coming back from a 13-point halftime deficit. (Getty)

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November 13, 2008

MILWAUKEE -- John Wayne would have appreciated this one.

The Milwaukee Bucks' 82-78 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 11 at the Bradley Center didn't have the sharpshooting of Wayne's many classic westerns, but it could have been titled after one of his finest, "True Grit."

In an answer to the movie's grueling trail rides, its fisticuffs and its gunshot wounds, the Bucks delivered start-to-finish persistence, hard fouls, charges taken and floorburns. Both the film and the basketball game featured a relentless pursuit, plenty of heroics and a happy ending for the "good guys."

Following a scattershot first half in which they made just 34 percent of their field-goal attempts, the Bucks faced a 43-31 deficit. But they overcame those deficiencies by sticking to their guns defensively, and eventually their shots began to find their target.

Most NBA veterans who have played on championship-caliber teams take more rewards from a gritty win like this one than any other variety. Bucks forward Richard Jefferson, who scored 16 of his team-high 19 points during Milwaukee's second-half surge, confirmed that afterward.

"I would agree 100-percent, especially when you're playing against a quality team like San Antonio," Jefferson said. "They're a championship-level team. They were short-handed, but we were short-handed also, and coming off a back-to-back where we didn't really feel like we gave our best. We'd lost a few in a row.

"To be down by double digits at halftime, I think we showed that this team has a no-quit mentality. That's the way we're going to play this year, and that's what we're all about."

The Spurs' 78 points were the fewest they have scored in seven games this season and the fewest the Bucks have allowed in their nine outings.

"The second half was the best stretch of defense yet this year," Bucks Head Coach Scott Skiles said. "The players had good, active hands. We did a good job defending on Tim Duncan.

"We got up. We got into the Spurs. We had such a hard time the last couple games making our shots, and it had an effect on our defense. Tonight we were able to shake it off, and as is always the case with our defense, we were able to create some easy opportunities."

Before the Bucks played a minute of that defense or took their first shot, they had to be ready to compete, and they were well aware of that.

"People will say that the Spurs didn't have Parker and Ginobili," Bucks center Andrew Bogut said. "But they still have a Hall-of-Famer (Tim Duncan) playing for them, and we knew this game was going to be tough. We couldn't afford to look past the Spurs to the next game. We're not in a position to look past anyone."

Jefferson concurred.

"San Antonio isn't at full strength, but they're a very disciplined team," he said. "They're going to win a lot of games at half-strength because they're so disciplined. This was a time where you had to come and execute because you knew they were going to come out and play."

Bogut believed the Bucks were on the right track defensively in the first half. He was glad they didn't let their shooting woes detour them.

"We didn't come out the best, but I think we still believed we were in the game, even though things weren't going our way," he said. "In the second half, we got a couple of lucky bounces and a couple of calls, and the game turned like somebody flipped a switch.

"Our defense was great, our rebounding was unbelievable. We drew a couple of charges and made a couple of steals. If we can do those things every night, we have a chance to be good."

Just nine games into the 2008-09 season, the Bucks just might have more floorburns than they sustained all of last season.

Jefferson grinned at that observation and replied, "That's what it's going to take. There aren't too many good teams out there that just go out and coast. If you want to be a good team, you're going to have to fight. If we want to reach the position we want to be in at the end of the year, we're going to have to take something from somebody else.

"This is a whole new team with a whole new dimension and a whole new staff. So there shouldn't be any comparisons anyway."

Bogut feels like he has waited a long time to be part of team with a floorburn fraternity, and he is enjoying the experience.

"It's great," he said. "And not just that; rebounds, guys getting hard fouls ... it was like a college basketball game -- just going out there and playing basketball and enjoying it. It's much more enjoyable playing like that than any other way."

Indeed.

Even after the second-half rally during which the Bucks outscored the Spurs, 25-4, during one stretch, Milwaukee shot just 41.3 percent from the field.

The most telling statistics on this night were Milwaukee's 47-37 rebounding advantage and its 25-9 edge in free-throw attempts.

The 47 rebounds were the most any team has had against San Antonio this season. Bogut led the way, ripping down a season-high 17 boards, but nine of the 10 Bucks who saw action contributed to the total. Rebounding is usually a byproduct of commitment on the defensive end, and it certainly was in this instance.

"This was probably the best defense we've played," Bogut said. "The second half, they didn't get the ball inside as much as before and didn't really penetrate. Obviously they were missing Parker and Ginobili, who do a good job of that for them. Our team rebounding, steals and defense were great in the second half."

"And if we can at least be even with the free-throw disparity, we'll win games. Too many times, we've lost the free-throw battle. If we can at least even that out, it'll help us win more games."

As the Bucks made more stops and drew more fouls in transition, their offensive production went up. In the games they have won, they have attacked the basket, and second-year guard Ramon Sessions has usually been one of their most aggressive attackers. He was at it again on this night, scoring all 13 of his points during the pivotal second half.

"He's a different kind of guy to guard on the pick-and-roll," Bogut said of Sessions. "He's not a real speedy guy, but he's strong and athletic and surprisingly gets in the lane a lot.

"We know what he's capable of, so he doesn't surprise us, but it was great to see him respond at an important time in the game. That gives us all confidence."

Bogut realizes how important confidence will be as the Bucks move forward.

"The Spurs were a couple of men down, but this was a big win for us in a way," he said. "At the same time, we can't take a lot out of this. We still have a long way to go to be where we want to be.

"Our defensive principles and foundation were there in the first half. We just have to keep believing in the system. We have veterans who've done different things in past years, and the young guys may have done different things in college. It's just a mind-set of us all focusing on the same page and committing to that defense that Coach Skiles has been playing. The numbers from his past show that it works, so there's no reason why we shouldn't keep playing it."

The Bucks' Bradley Center crowds were sparse last season, and the audience for the Spurs game was sparse, too. But there was a dramatic difference.

If the Bucks had shot 34 percent or scored 31 points in a first half last season, they would have heard a chorus. And it wouldn't have been a curtain call for former Brewers great Cecil Cooper ringing in their ears.

The Nov. 11 crowd, for the most part, stayed in the Bucks' corner because, even though their shots weren't falling, they were hustling at the defensive end and crashing the boards. And when the Bucks were rewarded for their persistence in the second half, the fans were vocal about rewarding them, too.

"That's great," Jefferson said. "One thing we have to understand about the fans is as they see us get better and see how hard we work, they'll start cheering for us. When you get down, instead of hearing boos, you'll hear cheers, and that says, 'Hey, we're with you. Keep going out and playing hard.'

"That's how a crowd can really pick up a team. I think they're starting to believe that we're a different team and they understand that we're going to work hard. It doesn't matter if you're talking about baseball, football or basketball. If fans come out and see a team work hard, they respect that and they get behind that team."