Hey All You BUCKS Fans
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Bucks belong in NBA Finals 
Milwaukee is better than Philly and Game 7 is final chance to prove it
COMMENTARY By Bill Williamson
MSNBC contributor
MILWAUKEE, June 1 — Whether they’re swept away as Southern California road kill is inconsequential. The Milwaukee Bucks belong in the NBA Finals.
THEY ARE THE second-best team in the league. Friday night’s throttling of the MVP and the Iversonaires wasn’t accidental. The surprisingly spectacular Bucks, winners of a mostly laughable 110-100 Game 6, are better than Allen Iverson’s Philadelphia 76ers.
Thus, Game 7 on Sunday is theirs to lose.
Who cares that it’s in Philly? So what that Iverson, the most dangerous NBAer who doesn’t wear purple and gold, is in the way. He's not enough. He’s close, but he’s not enough.
This is Milwaukee’s series to win. The suntan lotion is packed and ready for the trip to Los Angeles to try to buck the Lakers’ sweeping success.
Will, however, the Bucks close the deal? Who knows?
If we learned anything about George Karl’s team in the postseason (other than it's the deepest offensive team in the league), it’s not to assume anything as a result of its most recent action.
''We are experts at blowing leads — that's our forte,'' said Karl, who hopelessly watched Iverson score 26 of his 46 points in the fourth quarter and cut the lead to 10 points. ''One of our strengths is going from a 18-point lead to cut it to six. We explode and then fall asleep and then we hopefully explode again.''
Karl knows the truth. If Milwaukee knew how to keep the good times rolling, there’d be a bratwurst fry in downtown instead of a trip East.
This has been the Bucks’ series all along. They’ve been better, stronger and tougher. Yet Friday, Wisconsin sat on the brink of officially starting Packers season as the Bucks unnecessarily found themselves staring at a 3-2 disadvantage.
Philadelphia could have closed out the Bucks on Friday. But it responded by being humiliated by a team that has been clearly superior, highlighted by Ray Allen’s 41 points.
The only bitterness in Beer City on Friday night was the nagging fact that this should have been a series clincher, not a life saver.
The Bucks, who led the series 2-1, squandered double-digit leads in two of their loses. Wednesday in Philadelphia, Milwaukee displayed its advantage with a 26-13 lead in the first quarter, only to succumb by one point. The Bucks’ closest victory was by six points, while the 76ers’ most lopsided victory this series has been by a whopping eight points.
This will go down as the most lopsided seven-game series in memory. Still, the Bucks, who led by as many as 33 points Friday, are not guaranteed to advance.
Yet, it’s theirs if they want it.
So how does Milwaukee, which won Game 2 in Philadelphia, finally swat away the 76ers?
By just being themselves.
The Bucks, who bounced back from a 3-2 series deficit in the Eastern Conference semifinals against Charlotte, have to realize not only are they finals’ worthy, but they are a cut above their current opponents.
''Every night we try to play the way we want to play,'' Karl said. "Making shots and playing with the lead makes them play our tempo ... Its pretty simple stuff.''
No one should be surprised that Milwaukee heads into the series decider with the momentum.
Sure, we label the Bucks as underdogs and as overachievers. Perhaps it's because Philadelphia is the No. 1 seed in the conference and they are No. 2. Perhaps it's because Iverson is the league MVP and the Bucks are merely a collection of sharp shooters who rotate in degrees of temperature.
The assumptions are wrong.
Milwaukee is better than Philadelphia. As long as the Bucks finally realize it — it should have been recognized a week ago — they will move on.
Still, the Bucks don’t have to be as good as they were Friday, a night in which Karl said his team couldn't play any better in the first three quarters. Devastation isn’t necessary.
The Bucks simply need Allen, Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson, Scott Williams and Ervin Johnson to be smart and stay reasonably hot offensively.
As they showed throughout the series, including the fourth quarter Friday when Iverson put a knot in the Karl’s stomach, the Bucks have a difficult time shaking their opponents. But if they can control the pace for much of the Game 7, they will prevail.
Thus, Milwaukee must play within itself, knowing it is in control. It’s possible. While stars Allen and Robinson are playoff pups, this team has championship scars.
Cassell and Williams have rings and Karl has coached in the finals. They all know how close the Bucks are. They all know this series is theirs if they want it.
‘‘When we play the way we’re capable of playing, we don’t have to worry about anything else,’’ Allen said. ‘‘Not the referees, not our opponent.’’
Sure, the MVP does stand in their way. Iverson’s stunning fourth-quarter performance was an example that he will not succumb until it’s too late.
But Iverson, fighting injuries that would hospitalize some, has been pesky all series. Yet, the Bucks are deeper and better.
Sunday is their chance to finalize it. While winning even one game in the finals is another issue, Sunday is one game the Bucks should win.
Bill Williamson writes regularly for MSNBC.com and is a reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer-Press.
Milwaukee is better than Philly and Game 7 is final chance to prove it
COMMENTARY By Bill Williamson
MSNBC contributor
MILWAUKEE, June 1 — Whether they’re swept away as Southern California road kill is inconsequential. The Milwaukee Bucks belong in the NBA Finals.
THEY ARE THE second-best team in the league. Friday night’s throttling of the MVP and the Iversonaires wasn’t accidental. The surprisingly spectacular Bucks, winners of a mostly laughable 110-100 Game 6, are better than Allen Iverson’s Philadelphia 76ers.
Thus, Game 7 on Sunday is theirs to lose.
Who cares that it’s in Philly? So what that Iverson, the most dangerous NBAer who doesn’t wear purple and gold, is in the way. He's not enough. He’s close, but he’s not enough.
This is Milwaukee’s series to win. The suntan lotion is packed and ready for the trip to Los Angeles to try to buck the Lakers’ sweeping success.
Will, however, the Bucks close the deal? Who knows?
If we learned anything about George Karl’s team in the postseason (other than it's the deepest offensive team in the league), it’s not to assume anything as a result of its most recent action.
''We are experts at blowing leads — that's our forte,'' said Karl, who hopelessly watched Iverson score 26 of his 46 points in the fourth quarter and cut the lead to 10 points. ''One of our strengths is going from a 18-point lead to cut it to six. We explode and then fall asleep and then we hopefully explode again.''
Karl knows the truth. If Milwaukee knew how to keep the good times rolling, there’d be a bratwurst fry in downtown instead of a trip East.
This has been the Bucks’ series all along. They’ve been better, stronger and tougher. Yet Friday, Wisconsin sat on the brink of officially starting Packers season as the Bucks unnecessarily found themselves staring at a 3-2 disadvantage.
Philadelphia could have closed out the Bucks on Friday. But it responded by being humiliated by a team that has been clearly superior, highlighted by Ray Allen’s 41 points.
The only bitterness in Beer City on Friday night was the nagging fact that this should have been a series clincher, not a life saver.
The Bucks, who led the series 2-1, squandered double-digit leads in two of their loses. Wednesday in Philadelphia, Milwaukee displayed its advantage with a 26-13 lead in the first quarter, only to succumb by one point. The Bucks’ closest victory was by six points, while the 76ers’ most lopsided victory this series has been by a whopping eight points.
This will go down as the most lopsided seven-game series in memory. Still, the Bucks, who led by as many as 33 points Friday, are not guaranteed to advance.
Yet, it’s theirs if they want it.
So how does Milwaukee, which won Game 2 in Philadelphia, finally swat away the 76ers?
By just being themselves.
The Bucks, who bounced back from a 3-2 series deficit in the Eastern Conference semifinals against Charlotte, have to realize not only are they finals’ worthy, but they are a cut above their current opponents.
''Every night we try to play the way we want to play,'' Karl said. "Making shots and playing with the lead makes them play our tempo ... Its pretty simple stuff.''
No one should be surprised that Milwaukee heads into the series decider with the momentum.
Sure, we label the Bucks as underdogs and as overachievers. Perhaps it's because Philadelphia is the No. 1 seed in the conference and they are No. 2. Perhaps it's because Iverson is the league MVP and the Bucks are merely a collection of sharp shooters who rotate in degrees of temperature.
The assumptions are wrong.
Milwaukee is better than Philadelphia. As long as the Bucks finally realize it — it should have been recognized a week ago — they will move on.
Still, the Bucks don’t have to be as good as they were Friday, a night in which Karl said his team couldn't play any better in the first three quarters. Devastation isn’t necessary.
The Bucks simply need Allen, Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson, Scott Williams and Ervin Johnson to be smart and stay reasonably hot offensively.
As they showed throughout the series, including the fourth quarter Friday when Iverson put a knot in the Karl’s stomach, the Bucks have a difficult time shaking their opponents. But if they can control the pace for much of the Game 7, they will prevail.
Thus, Milwaukee must play within itself, knowing it is in control. It’s possible. While stars Allen and Robinson are playoff pups, this team has championship scars.
Cassell and Williams have rings and Karl has coached in the finals. They all know how close the Bucks are. They all know this series is theirs if they want it.
‘‘When we play the way we’re capable of playing, we don’t have to worry about anything else,’’ Allen said. ‘‘Not the referees, not our opponent.’’
Sure, the MVP does stand in their way. Iverson’s stunning fourth-quarter performance was an example that he will not succumb until it’s too late.
But Iverson, fighting injuries that would hospitalize some, has been pesky all series. Yet, the Bucks are deeper and better.
Sunday is their chance to finalize it. While winning even one game in the finals is another issue, Sunday is one game the Bucks should win.
Bill Williamson writes regularly for MSNBC.com and is a reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer-Press.
