“You can never step into the same river twice; because it’s not the same river and you’re not the same man.” Well, maybe not valid for the Bucks and the Milwaukee River. Milwaukee stepped into the Fiserv stream 45 times this season and won 36 times, including thrice in the postseason. But after losing game one, the Bucks needed to succeed in the torrent of the more formidable Boston Garden. The water was rather cold last spring, with Milwaukee losing all four matches. An exactly 100% capacity crowd of 18,624 zealots attempted to deter Giannis’s gang. Would the deer run, or trample the evil leprechauns?
Bucks Business Trip
Boston has beautiful sightseeing, but make no mistake: the Bucks are here for two wins, nothing more. No smiles cracked as players solemnly walked to shootaround.
Some fans opined that the first ten minutes would be most important. Unfortunately, Boston zipped out to a 10-2 advantage. Had they stolen momentum? Momentum, shmomentum. The 60-win Bucks didn’t panic about statistical flukes and hung tight for the first quarter and half.
[fvplayer id=”63″]
Boston with the halftime lead? Big mistake. Mike Budenholzer again outcoached Brad Stevens at halftime and Milwaukee rocketed to a 95-87 lead after three. Kyrie Irving was frustrated with the officiating after the game, which is understandable considering how hard he worked. Look how closely he guarded George Hill!
Taking Win Home On The Road
When a Giannis and-one gave his team a 17-point lead with 4:51 left, the Garden’s spring seemed dry.
But the Celtics would not concede. A quick counter-run, capped by an Al Horford three, cut the lead to 121-116. The ball whipped to Giannis, who the Celtics quickly fouled. 6.5 seconds remained, and Boston still had a timeout. The Greek Freak was 14 of 20, for 70% shooting, from the line. Dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble. The shot went up, and it bounced and bounced before falling in. After the second followed in the same manner, the game was officially over. The first 60-win second-round underdog in NBA history had finally silenced unreasonable critics.
The series sure isn’t over, but Mrs. Bango has downloaded the karaoke app. The Bucks proved 2019 is but a shadow of last year’s failure and Boston can’t count on a home win. And even if they bounce back to steal game four? The Milwaukee River has already been green once this spring, and it will be again should the Boston visitors peer in to see their nervous reflections.
