The Game
The game itself started pretty much how’d you expect considering the extenuating circumstances, with a fatigued Warriors team playing against an underdog Bucks team in front of a capacity and riotous Milwaukee crowd.
The Bradley Center is gone and that’s a good thing because the Fiserv Forum is a world-class arena and the Bradley Center was a concrete dump built for hockey, but credit has to be given to how loud the Bradley could get. When the Bucks had a big game and a packed crowd, it was as loud as any in the NBA. I remember just watching this game on TV, this was a loud Bradley Center crowd.
The Bucks jumped out to an early lead, 14-5, and extended it throughout the quarter to 30-18 in the last couple of minutes of the frame. However, Golden State went on a run in the final minutes of the first and in the beginning of the second quarter to take a 33-32 lead. (You’ll be surprised to hear that this run coincided with Rashad Vaughn and Johnny O’Bryant entering the game.)
It seemed like the Bucks had had their early fun and little spark of hope, but Golden State had settled in and was ready to stomp them into dust like they had done to so many opponents.
But then, that didn’t happen. Giannis hit a couple of mid-range jumpers (!) and sparked another run throughout the second quarter that saw the Bucks take a 59-48 lead heading into halftime.
It was the beginning of a pattern that would play out throughout the rest of the game in the second half. Multiple times the Warriors would go on a run to close the lead to a one-possession game or even take the lead, only for the Bucks to answer with a run of their own to stretch the lead back to double digits.
It’s in these instances that the fatigue of the previous night’s fight in Boston, and the entire road trip, and really the entire season playing with the pressure of not only being the defending champs but as a team on a historic winning streak, seemed to set into Golden State.
Their defense was lethargic at best many of the times, as Bucks cutters like Jabari, Carter-Williams and Giannis regularly got baskets off back-door cuts or by simply pushing in transition.
Monroe was also on his A-game and feasting on whoever was matched up with him in the post that night. Whether it was Draymond, Andrew Bogut or Festus Ezeli, Monroe could cook all of them on the low-block on this occasion.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Bucks were up just three and again it felt like the Warriors were on the verge of breaking through with one of the patented three-point barrages that had buried their opponents in the past. But they just didn’t have it on this night.
The Bucks again pushed their lead to 13 with just six minutes left. At this point, the writing was essentially on the wall. The Bradley Center crowd was going catatonic after every three-point miss from Curry or Thompson, sensing the history about to be made.
The Warriors didn’t go away, they managed to cut the lead to seven with four minutes left, but that was a last gasp. Monroe picked apart the Warriors’ defense, first setting up Giannis for an and-one opportunity then getting one for himself on the next possession (neither made the free-throws though).
Next time down the floor, Monroe drew a shooting foul and converted two free throws to put the Bucks up 102-90 with 2:50 left in the game.
On the very next possession, the Warriors turned it over and Mayo got an easy layup to essentially put the game, and the streak, on ice. After that, it was just a matter of running out the clock as the Warriors seemingly accepted their defeat.
For good measure, with less than a minute left and the Bucks comfortably ahead, MCW jumped the passing lane for his fifth steal of the night and sprinted down the court for an emphatic dunk that was the exclamation point on the historic win.
MCW then proceeded to stare down the Warriors bench on his way back up the court (which they did not appreciate, but more on that later).
And just like that, it was over. The prophecy of 24-1 came true. The Warriors, like the Lakers team they were chasing for the all-time win streak record, had fallen in Milwaukee.