Milwaukee Bucks Best and Worst: December 23 – 29
By Adam Coffman
Best: Where’s The Beef?
The Bucks’ back-to-back against the Cleveland Cavaliers will be remembered for some star performances from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker as well as their thrilling (or crushing, depending on your view) defeat in the first game.
However, we may look back on this series as the point when the Bucks gained some leaguewide notoriety and clout. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James made headlines by calling out the Bucks following their meeting with the team, specifically the aforementioned young duo.
Then, after the Bucks’ dismantling of the Wizards in their first matchup, a disgruntled Washington team responded with more than just a close victory at home, adding some extracurricular contact and on-court disputes to the second game.
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Before you worry that the Bucks are turning into a dirty or disrespected team, don’t – both instances come more out of frustration than anything else. The Cavs couldn’t stop Giannis from getting to the free throw line, and his miss at the charity stripe was the only thing that kept Giannis from putting 40 on the Wizards.
Let’s frame this in another way: no one complained after facing the 2015-16 Bucks. Bad teams without star talent simply don’t get in the heads of their opponents, and certainly not the likes of Lebron.
Right now, it’s hard to describe the Bucks as anything but pesky in relation to the league’s elite, but considering where we were to start the season, pesky works.