There is no such thing as a moral victory in the world of sports.
So, you might be hard pressed to get anybody associated with the Bucks to admit that the 113-106 defeat in two overtimes to the Chicago Bulls Thursday night was a moral victory.
It doesn’t show up in standings now, but it could well show up in the future, like next year. The Bucks, the youngest team in the NBA, are down, 3-0, to a team many believe could win the Eastern Conference.
But they are not getting blown out. They have played the Bulls tough, going so far as to be one jump shot away from victory in game three and taking the Bulls to two overtimes.
They go into the fourth game of the series Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. The plaza outside the BMO Harris Bradley Center will be alive with a pre-game party for Bucks fans, complete with food, music and lots of high fives. But if the Bucks lose, their season is over.
"We're never going to quit," Khris Middleton said. "We've been in this situation a lot of times before and came back and won a couple games. When we're down like this, we just have to grind it out like we did, find ways to get stops and find ways to score on the other end."
None of the Bucks' players or coaches would dare talk about moral victories, but sports talk radio was full of admiration for the team. And if you watched the game, either in person or on television, you saw a version of this team that has been absent for awhile.
The game gave new meaning to their slogan "Own the Future." Future, promising future, was all over the place. Giannis Antetokounmpo absolutely lit up the opening minutes. Khris Middleton hit crucial shot after crucial shot. John Henson showed signs that he might just be a pretty good NBA center. And, dressed in a suit, Jabari Parker stood and watched closely as plays were diagrammed during timeouts.
By the time the game starts Saturday, the official line will have the Bulls favored by somewhere around two to three points. That’s where the smart money is going.
But we are beginning to see that there might just be something about this team.
"The guys played very hard," coach Jason Kidd said. "They put us the position to win the game at the end. We had a good look, but it didn’t go in."
Kidd and others talk about how young this team is and how this series is a true learning experience for them.
"Maybe we panicked," said point guard Michael Carter-Williams. "We got a little tired at the end, and we made some mental mistakes. We can’t do that."
The game Saturday will be one more chance – maybe the final chance this season – to show this team and organization some love. It will be a contest between teams and between fans of both teams. The Bucks are pulling out all stops to raise the roof.
It’s all part of the pledge to "Own the Future" and "Fear the Deer."
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.
