Milwaukee Bucks Grades and Reactions to 94-88 Win Over the Chicago Bulls In Game 5

Apr 27, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard O.J. Mayo (00) is defended by Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) and forward Tony Snell (20) in game five of the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at United Center. The Bucks won 94-88. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Reactions: The Good

• Michael Carter-Williams was phenomenal, but it was Zaza Pachulia who threw in two ridiculous bank shots. He even drew the and-one on the second. Check them out.

• The Bucks didn’t miss a free throw. They shot 16-16, including ten in the second half. Remember when the Bucks shot 14-25 (56%) in a double overtime thriller? The Bucks sure do. They shot 15-22 in Game 4 (68.2%) before tonight’s perfect line. The Bucks were in the Bulls’ faces all night, earning foul calls and playing with a higher level intensity than their Chicago counterparts.  Expect more of the same in Game 6. Hopefully the Bucks bring their stellar free throw shooting back to Cream City on Thursday night.

• Jimmy Butler is a great player, with the chance to be special. Apparently he’s also a bit of a trash talker. Here he is talking a little bit of trash to Giannis Antetokounmpo after forcing a turnover, claiming he has the “clamps” on Giannis. About an hour later Giannis took home a win on 5-12 shooting with two turnovers, while Jimmy Butler took his “clamps” back to the Bull’s locker room. He shot 5-21 with two turnovers. Who, Jimmy Butler, had the clamps on who now? Thanks for firing up Giannis.

• Speaking of fired up Giannis, here he is making a huge fourth quarter layup. Tell us more about those “clamps”, Jimmy Butler. Oh wait, you traded them for concrete galoshes.

• John Henson was an absolute monster in the fourth quarter. He scored four points on 2-3 shooting (including what felt like a KO put-back slam); but where he really excelled was on the glass. He hauled in TEN rebounds in the final period (one less than the entire Bulls team). This is the version of John Henson that Bucks fans have been waiting for his entire career. We’ve seen flashes of his strong play in the past, but never for a sustained period of time. He’s showing plenty now. He’s playing aggressive basketball, refusing to shy away from contact while using his immense length to claim 50/50 balls. Then there’s his defensive presence which never stops.

• Big ups to O.J. Mayo for getting in Jimmy Butler’s face in the first half after drawing a foul. The Bulls like to play the role of bully and their on-court personas support that attitude. Mayo essentially told the Bulls that the Bucks weren’t going to simply roll over and die, and they’re a lot tougher than anyone outside of Milwaukee thought. Bigger ups to Mayo for inducing “Mayo sucks” chants throughout the United Center crowd. Mayo’s doing it right.

Next: Reactions: The Bad