2015 Playoffs

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The  words “Own the Future” made their way onto sidewalks, billboards, T-shirts,  television and the Internet during the course of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2014-15  season. The franchise’s new ownership group is doing everything it can to  generate a new excitement for Bucks basketball across the state of Wisconsin  and beyond.

The  Bucks players have not only made a substantial investment, but reaped earlier  dividends than most expected.

Milwaukee  made a single-season upgrade of 26 victories during the 2014-15 regular season  and earned the sixth seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Playoffs.

The  youngest team in this year’s playoff field didn’t stop there. The Bucks won  Games 4 and 5 of their opening-round series against the third-seeded Chicago  Bulls before their season drew to a close with a Game 6 loss at the BMO Harris  Bradley Center on Thursday.

Eight  players on Milwaukee’s roster had never participated in an NBA playoff game  before this series began, but one of them – arguably the most even-keeled  member of the Bucks contingent outside of Head Coach Jason Kidd – made it clear  that he wasn’t simply along for the ride.

“We  believe that we can beat this team,” said guard Khris Middleton, who paced the Bucks  with averages of 15.8 points and 2.33 steals in the series.

Milwaukee  guard Michael Carter-Williams let his play speak volumes during the Bucks’  94-88 Game 5 win in Chicago on April 27. He hit 10-of-15 shots from the floor,  scored his series high of 22 points, and accumulated eight rebounds and nine  assists.

Carter-Williams  also helped frustrate Bulls guard Derrick Rose, who made only 5-of-20 shots  from the field – including 0-for-7 from 3-point range – and committed six turnovers.

The  23-year-old point guard, whom the Bucks acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers  along with Tyler Ennis and Miles Plumlee from the Phoenix Suns in a Feb. 19  trade that sent Brandon Knight and Kendall Marshall to Phoenix, said his first  playoff experience has been an eye-opener.

“It’s  been a learning experience,” said Carter-Williams, who averaged 12.2 points, 4.5  rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.40 steals during the series. “I’ve learned a lot.”

The  2013-14 NBA Rookie of the Year noticed a stark contrast between regular-season  and playoff basketball immediately.

“I  think the pace of the game is a little faster,” he said. “But the biggest  difference is you’re playing for something more, and I think you’ve got to dig  deeper in these games.”

Bucks  forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, another one of Milwaukee’s first-time playoff  competitors, scored a team-high 25 points during the Bulls’ 113-106  double-overtime victory in Milwaukee in Game 3 of the series on April 23 to  establish his playoff career high, eclipsing the 12 points he scored in Game 1.

At  20 years and 138 days, Antetokounmpo became the youngest NBA player to post a  25-point game in the playoffs since Stephon Marbury, who at 20 years and 62  days scored 28 points on April 24, 1997, with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Antetokounmpo  also became the youngest player to post a 25-point, 10-rebound game in the  postseason in 30 years.
  “The  Greek Freak” has tried to follow the advice of his veteran teammates.

“The  most valuable advice the veterans have given me is that every possession  counts,” Antetokounmpo said. “They keep telling me be aggressive and play my  game.”

Antetokounmpo,  who averaged 11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the six playoff  games, developed some instant impressions of the differences between regular season  and postseason play, too.

“Playoff  games are much different,” Antetokounmpo said. “The intensity and the way teams  approach playoff games is much different. There’s much more focus on the  opponent.”

Like  Carter-Williams, Antetokounmpo saw the Bucks learn and apply their lessons  adeptly enough to force a six-game series.
  “We  improved game by game and got more comfortable,” Antetokounmpo said. “When you  do things over and over again, you become more comfortable doing them.”

Bucks  forward/center John Henson, another vital component of Milwaukee’s young  nucleus, saw four games of playoff experience during the Bucks’ last trip to  the playoffs in 2013, but played just 33 minutes during the team’s first-round  series against the Miami Heat.

Henson  emerged as one of the key characters in the Bucks’ series against the Bulls,  contributing 8.8 points and team-highs of 8.0 rebounds and 1.67 blocks per game.  He set playoff career highs of 15 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in Game  3 on April 23, becoming the first Bucks player with a double-double and at  least three blocks in a game since Ervin Johnson on May 28, 2001.

Henson  considered his first playoff experience invaluable, and he has built upon that  foundation.

“I  think, even though I didn’t play much in the playoffs as a rookie and wasn’t a  big factor in us winning or losing, the experience of being in that atmosphere  was so valuable,” Henson said. “Playing the little time I did helped me a lot.”

Henson  shared one of Antetkounmpo’s observations of playoff basketball.

“For  me, it’s a lot easier when you have a team you can key in on every night,” he  said. “I’ve just tried to play hard, play smart and bring energy. In the  playoffs, you have to play with a sense of urgency.”

Forward/guard  Jared Dudley, the second-oldest player on the Bucks’ roster at a mere 29 years  of age, enjoyed seeing his younger teammates’ playoff introduction.

“They’ve  come to realize how tough it is,” Dudley said. “Teams will try to take your  strengths away and dial in on you every single game. You learn what it means to  go on the road, and how every possession counts. You learn how you have to  value the ball, and how you can be exploited if you don’t follow the game plan.

“I  think them going through this experience, with all the highs and lows, is so  valuable. You can be up by 18 and all of a sudden, it’s gone. When you give  away big leads, it’s hard to sustain what you want to do. Michael has learned a  lot about managing the game, and Giannis is learning to take his game to the  next level.”

Guard  O.J. Mayo, a key contributor to both of Milwaukee’s playoff victories, shared  Dudley’s sentiments.

“For  a lot of guys, this is their first playoff experience,” Mayo said. “‘Duds’ made  a comment in the huddle in the locker room that the toughest thing to do is win  your first game. You’ve got to understand how to win it, and how much you’ve  got to pay attention to details to win the game.

“I’ll  tell you one thing: We have such a good, young core. It was very exciting to  come to practice every day, because you see them getting better, you want to  get them better, and at the same time, we still can play. That’s mentally the  kind of mindset we have. We just want to get each other better.

2015 Playoffs

Playoffs Brought Payoff

Entertainment - Bucks vs Bulls - 04/30/15

Dancers - Bucks vs Bulls - 04/30/15

Game Action - Bucks vs Bulls - 04/30/15

Plumlee Puts It Back

Miles Plumlee Obliterates Taj Gibson at the Rim

Giannis With the Block and Acrobatic Save

MCW Stuffs Rose