The Bucks return to the playoffs Sunday with a 6 p.m. date with the defending champion Miami Heat. If you follow basketball, you know all about the Heat. If you’re a casual fan, they’re very, very good. However, there are many reasons to be excited for playoff basketball in Milwaukee and here are seven reasons I’ll be watching.
1. Higher Ground
We’re talking playoffs and the atmosphere is completely different this time of year. Everyone steps things up about 25 notches because big moments from the postseason last a lifetime. The players, coaches and fans all recognize it – the beer vendors probably recognize it too.
The hype and excitement around the 2009-10 "Fear the Deer" squad was incredible. If the fans are even half as excited to see the Bucks play the top-seeded Heat, the home games in this series will be a lot of fun.
2. Anything Goes
Brandon Jennings is really entertaining to watch because he’s so unpredictable. He’s capable of doing really brilliant and frustrating things – sometimes within seconds of each other. He’s not perfect, but as someone who stuck with the team through some rough Bucks basketball in the mid 90’s (their best record from 1991-98 was 36-46), I’ll take the entertaining moments along with some of his bad tendencies.
The playoffs will make things even more interesting for Jennings. He wants to be a franchise player and earn a big contract this offseason. Couple that with the fact that he’s an underdog facing the defending champs and LeBron James on national television, he’ll have all the motivation he needs. Can he rediscover the sense of the moment he displayed as a rookie?1
Everything comes down to this for Jennings - if he plays well, the playoffs will stick in the mind of NBA executives. They’ll remember his rookie season, the fact that he’ll be just 24 in the fall and then the price on Jennings’ next contract will go up considerably.
3. Enter Sandman
Enter Larry Sanders, a breakout sensation around the country. Sanders has turned heads this season nationally, being profiled in Sports Illustrated and named one of the NBA’s best interior defenders at an MIT sports conference2.
This is Sanders’ first playoff experience and dealing with the likes of James and Chris Bosh will test him immediately. Maybe the increased intensity will inspire him and launch him to bigger things in his career - it has happened with young players before. His composure will also be tested and this is an opportunity to see how he handles himself before, potentially, signing him to a contract extension (his contract runs through 2014-15).
No matter what happens, sit back and enjoy the show (assuming he’s healthy). Even when he gets thrown out of games, it’s hard for me to be completely upset when he does stuff like this.
4. Good to See You
Milwaukee hoops fans can remember the days when Ray Allen wore a Bucks jersey and Dwyane Wade played for Marquette. They may be the most popular visiting players at the Bradley Center.
5. C.R.E.A.M.
Cash Rules Everything Around Milwaukee, at least in terms of the Cream City’s basketball team. There are six players who will be free agents at the end of the season and Monta Ellis can terminate his deal. This means you’ll see these players going all out with the hope that it will earn them extra money in the offseason.
It’ll make for entertaining basketball and it will have an impact on who you’ll see returning to the team next season. Ellis3, Jennings and J.J. Redick are the three players to watch since it’s unlikely all three will return, but Mike Dunleavy has played well as a sixth man the last two seasons.
Adding to this theme is rookie John Henson showing some real potential and earning more minutes next season in a frontcourt that has Sanders, Ersan Ilyasova and Ekpe Udoh under contract next season. Decisions on the roster and their head coach, Jim Boylan, could be made based on what happens in this series.
6. You’re the Best Around
James is on an incredible run right now. You could probably throw high school players out there with him and he’d find a way to win. People still haven’t completely forgotten the way he handled "the decision" but he has won many people over the last two seasons. He’ll bring a lot of hype and media attention to the series and the NBA will be focused on Milwaukee when Miami visits. We should embrace that and hope that our team and fans represent those nights.
7. The Underdog
The Bucks have nothing to lose and, as we’ve discussed, several players have millions to gain. The Heat are the best team money can buy and may not "Fear the Deer." That doesn’t mean we can’t embrace the role of underdog (who doesn’t love the underdog?), go out there with a chip on our shoulder and make the most of the playoffs.
1. For those of you who need a reminder, here are some of the highlights from his rookie season… he nearly became the second player in NBA history to have a triple double in his first game, scored 55 in his seventh career game and had 34 as a rookie in his playoff debut (two off an NBA record).
2.See here for more on stat geeks loving Sanders.
3. Ellis’ other playoff experience was as a member of the "We Believe" Golden State Warriors in 2007. The eighth seeded Warriors defeated the number one seeded Dallas Mavericks. The fans went crazy that series and at 1:43 of that clip even Snoop Dogg nods in approval.
Adam Rose is a lifelong Milwaukeean an is currently a copywriter for a marketing after working seven years in the NBA.
