Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways From Loss To Boston Celtics
By Adam McGee
Scoring With A Limp
As Michael Beasley burst out of the blocks, getting buckets with an ease that only he can, nobody was particularly surprised. If it was unexpected earlier in the season, Bucks fans have certainly adjusted to the Beasley experience in the time since.
Furthermore, this was game 82. This is where Beas thrives. As Rodger Sherman noted in a piece on The Ringer earlier on Wednesday:
"“Beasley is the Game 82 MVP: Two of the top-five scoring performances in his 500-plus-game career have been in the final game of his team’s season.”"
If anything, it was a little disappointing then when Beas petered out to finish up with only 15 points, although it seems as if he may have had good reason.
There have been a couple of occasions since his return from a nasty hyperextended knee when Beasley has looked far from comfortable moving up and down the court, and although not much has been made of it officially, the forward’s role has been inconsistent. That was most obvious when he picked up a DNP against the Philadelphia 76ers last week.
On Wednesday in Boston, there was no mistaking that Beasley wasn’t feeling entirely healthy, though. Beas spent much of the second half moving up and down the court with a pronounced limp, making it all the more surprising that he ultimately maxed out at 35 minutes.
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Beasley is by no means the key to a potential Milwaukee upset in round one, but if he’s going to play, the Bucks need him to be healthy enough to contribute at his best. The jury remains out on whether that will be the case by Saturday, but it’s certainly a concern for the Bucks.