2020 CEN DIV CHAMP MIL BUCKS v. 2011 NW DIV CHAMP OKC THUNDER
Bucks: 56-17, 1st Cen Div, 8th Off, 1st Def
d. Magic East 1st Rnd 4-1
Lost Heat East Semis 4-1
#90 overall seed
d. '02 Mavs (2-0 Middleton/Giannis PotG)
d. '93 Bulls (2-1 Giannis)
d. '85 Lakers (2-1 Giannis)
Regional Final d. '77 Blazers (2-0 Giannis)
Sweet 16: d. '13 Heat (3-2, Middleton/Giannis 2-Series MVP)
Elite 8: d. '17 Spurs (3-1, Middleton /Giannis2-Series MVP)
Coach: Mike Budenholzer, Asst Vin Baker
Starters
C Brook Lopez 31-Stanford 12 PPG 15 PER 5.5 WS 1.9
F Giannis Antetokounmpo 25 29.5 31.9 11.1 6.6 VORP
F Khris Middleton 28-Texas A&M 20.9 21.1 7.9 2.9
G Eric Bledsoe 30-Kentucky 14.9 17.6 5.4 1.6
G Donte DiVincenzo 23-Villanova 9.2 14.1 4.3 1.3
Rotation Reserves
C Robin Lopez 31-Stanford 5.4 10.2 1.5 -.2
F Ersan Ilyasova 32 6.6 14.9 3.6 .6
F Kyle Korver 38-Creighton 16.6 11.3 2.5 .5
G George Hill 33-IUPUI 9.4 16.9 5.5 1.6
G Pat Connaughton 27-NDame 5.4 11.5 3.4 .8
Leaders: Giannis 5th PPG, 4th Reb, 2nd Reb/Gm, 1st PER, 3rd WS, 1st WS/48, 1st +/- 2nd VORP, 1st Def Rtng, 4th Reb %, 1st Team All NBA
BLopez 2nd Blocks, 2nd Blocks/Gm, 4th Def WS, 5th Def +/- 2nd Def Rtng, 3rd Block %
Middleton 3rd FT%
DiVincenzo 3rd Def Rtng
Hill 1st 3 Pt %, 3rd Off Rtng
25 year old Giannis is top 3 in the Big 5 Cats, he's got the best PER in this series, 28 year old Middleton's over 20 PER also. It's the Covid Bucks, they knocked off the '93 Bulls and '85 Lakers. Really shows the power of ultramodern basketball. Milwaukee's the best defensive team in 2020. Both Giannis and Middleton were named to the All Star team. Giannis won the MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year Award, 31 year old Brook Lopez/30 year old Eric Bledsoe both second team all defense.
Thunder: 55-27, 1st NW Div, 5th Off/15th Def
d. Nuggets West 1st Rnd 4-1
d. Grizzlies West Semis 4-3
Lost Mavs West Finals 4-1
#203 overall seed
d. '81 Celtics (2-1 Durant 1 PotG)
d. '11 '98 Jazz (2-1 Westbrook/Ibaka)
d. '80 Bucks (2-0 Westbrook)
Regional Final: d. '99 Spurs (2-1, Westbrook/Ibaka)
Sweet 16: d. '12 Heat (3-0, Westbrook/Durant)
Elite 8: d. '13 Spurs (3-2 KD2/Westbrook)
Coach Scott Brooks, Asst. Mo Cheeks
Starters
C Serge Ibaka 21 9.9 17.7 7.6 1.4
F Jeff Green 24-Georgetown 15.2 12.9 3.3 .3
F Kevin Durant 22-Texas 27.7 23.6 12 5.3 VORP
G Russell Westbrook 22-UCLA 21.9 23.6 9.4 4.4
G James Harden 21-Ariz St 12.2 16.4 7.1 2.2
Rotation Reserves
C Nazr Mohammed 33-Kentucky 6.9 16 1.2 0
F Nenad Krstic 27 7.6 12.5 2 -.2
F Thabo Sefolosha 26 5.1 10.4 4.1 1.3
G Eric Maynor 23-VCU 4.2 11.7 1.5 .1
G Daequan Cook 23-Ohio St 5.6 12.8 1.6 .5
Leaders Durant 1st PPG, 5th Off WS, 1st Team All NBA
Westbrook 4th Assts, 3rd Steals, 4th Steals/Gm, 2nd Trip Doub, 2nd Team All NBA
Ibaka 3rd Blocks/Gm, 2nd Block %
Durant and Westbrook are both 22, with 20+ PER and Durant's got double digit WS. They both made the All Star team. At #203, OKC is the lowest seed remaining and the only team to sweep in the Sweet 16. 7 years later, 2018 Durant is already in the Finals.
We are a best of 7 series away from the Finals. Can you imagine?
Matchup
C Ibaka (OKC)
F Giannis (Bucks)
F KD(OKC)
G Westbrook (OKC)
G Harden (OKC)
Bench: Bucks
Gm 1: Milwaukee: Fiserv: Mike Breen/Jeff Van Gundy/Dr. Jack Ramsey
1Qtr Bucks 4 Thunder 2
Bucks Bledsoe, Middleton
Thunder Westbrook
6 Bucks 12 Thunder 10
Bucks BLopez, Giannis, Bledsoe, Hill
Thunder Westbrook, Westbrook, Westbrook, KD
Semi-final 2 - winner of this series to face the Warriors.
3 Bucks 24 Thunder 19
Bucks Giannis, Giannis, Giannis, Giannis, Bledsoe, Giannis
Thunder Krstic, Krstic(3) Krstic, sefolosha
1Score Bucks 26 Thunder 19
Bucks Donte
Thunder
KD/Westbrook/Harden are all young, 22/22/21 -- Giannis is 25 and that might be the differebce here; he comes out with a dozen to open the series.
2Qtr
9 Bucks 28 Thunder 21
Bucks Brown
Thunder Krstic
6 Bucks 32 Thunder 31
Bucks BLopez, Giannis
Thunder KD, Westbrook, Krstic, KD, Krstic
Nenad Krstic has 13 points off the Thunder bench.
3 Bucks 42 Thunder 31
Bucks Donte(3) Bledsoe(3) Connaughton, Giannis
Thunder
HScore Bucks 48 Thunder 38
Bucks Middleton, Middleton, RLopez
Thunder Green, KD, KD, Westbrook
Milwaukee had the top rated defense in 2020 - we see that here.
3Qtr
9 Bucks 55 Thunder 46
Bucks Hill(1) Bledsoe(3) Hill(3)
Thunder Westbrook, Westbrook(3) KD
6 Bucks 66 Thunder 54
Bucks BLopez(3) Bledsoe, Bledsoe, Giannis, Giannis
Thunder KD(3) Westbrook(3) Harden
Eric Bledsoe with 14, Bucks solid lead.
3 Bucks 70 Thunder 63
Bucks BLopez, RLopez
Thunder Harden, Harden, Green, Harden(3)
3Score Bucks 76 Thunder 71
Bucks Middleton, BLopez, Connaughton
Thunder Mohammed, Ibaka, Westbrook, Ibaka
Westbrook with 10 in the quarter.
4Qtr
9 Bucks 84 Thunder 80
Bucks Middleton(3) Giannis(3) Giannis
Thunder Nazr, KD, harden(3) KD(3)
6 Bucks 94 Thunder 89
Bucks Giannis, Middleton, Middleton(3) Giannis(3)
Thunder KD, Maynor, Maynor(3) Maynor
5:29: OKC: Westbrook drives hard to the bucket.
4:32: OKC: Westbrook again, crashing the goal to cut it to a point.
4:14 MIL: Ilyasova drops a triple from the wing.
3:47: MIL: Ilaysova again, bangs a midrange. 6 point game
3:05: OKC: Daequan Cook, corner 3.
2:41: MIL: Ilaysova again! Another triple from the wing. 102-96
2:06: OKC: KD, ice cold.
1:17: MIL: That might do it - George Hill turnaround 12 footer.
:20: OKC: Westbrook putback on a missed Durant 3.
Giannis 2 FT, Westbrook again. 4 point game. 9 seconds. Brook Lopez hits 2 more and that's the Final.
FScore: Bucks 108 Thunder 102
OKC cut it to a point...but couldn't get it over the hump and the Bucks take game 1.
Giannis: 32 pts/17 boards/5 assists-Player of the Game
BLopez: 13 pts
Bledsoe: 16 pts/5 boards
Middleton: 16 pts/5 assists
KD: 23 pts/9 boards/5 assists
Westbrook: 30 pts/8 assists/5 boards
Harden: 12 pts
Ibaka: 4 pts/19 boards
Krstic: 13 pts/9 boards
Gm 2: : Milwaukee: Fiserv: Mike Breen/Jeff Van Gundy/Dr. Jack Ramsey
1Qtr
9 Bucks 6 Thunder 6
Bucks Middleton, Bledsoe, Donte
Thunder KD, Westbrook, Westbrook
6 Bucks 10 Thunder 10
Bucks Giannis, BLopez
Thunder KD, Ibaka
Game 2 - OKC trying to square the series.
3 Thunder 18 Bucks 13
Bucks Middleton(3)
Thunder Ibaka, Krstic, Westbrook, Westbrook, Ibaka
1Score Thunder 23 Bucks 18
Bucks Ilyasova(3) Korver
Thunder Harden(3) Maynor
Westbrook with 8 to open game 2.
2Qtr
9 Thunder 29 Bucks 27
Bucks Hill, Donte(3) Giannis, Giannis
Thunder Nazr, Maynor, Nazr, Green(3)
6 Thunder 35 Bucks 29
Bucks Giannis
Thunder Ibaka, Nazr
Giannis won his 12th PotG in game one and has 6 in the last 6.
3 Thunder 42 Bucks 33
Bucks Bledsoe, Middleton
Thunder KD, Green, Green(3)
HScore
Bucks Middleton(3) Giannis(3) BLopez, Hill(3)
Thunder Krstic
Big close for the Bucks, 3 triples ties the score.
3Qtr
9 Thunder 52 Bucks 51
Bucks Middleton, Hill, Ilyasova(3)
Thunder Westbrook, Westbrook, Krstic, Westbrook
6 Thunder 55 Bucks 54
Bucks Korver(1) Bledsoe(3)
Thunder Cook(3)
Another half dozen for Westbrook, game 2 is tight.
3 Bucks 62 Thunder 57
Bucks Giannis, Bledsoe, Giannis(3) Giannis(1)
Thunder Ibaka
3Score Thunder 72 Bucks 71
Bucks Middleton, Giannis(1) RLopez(1) Connaughton, BLopez(3)
Thunder KD(3) harden, Westbrook, KD, Harden, KD, Green
Giannis and Durant each with 7 in the last 6. Lets go down the stretch.
4Qtr
9 Thunder 85 Bucks 82
Bucks Giannis, Hill(3) Donte(3) Connaughton(3)
Thunder KD(3) nazr, Cook, KD, Krstic, Nazr
6 Thunder 91 Bucks 83
Bucks BLopez(1)
Thunder Harden(3) Harden(3)
Harden hits back to back triples and extends it to 8.
3 Thunder 104 Bucks 92
Bucks Giannis, Bledsoe(3) Middleton, Hill
Thunder KD(3) Westbrook(3) KD, KD, KD(3)
FScore Thunder 113 Bucks 104
Bucks Bledsoe(3) BLopez(3) BLopez(3) Giannis(1) Middleton
Thunder Ibaka, KD, KD, KD(3)
OKC outscores the Bucks by 8 in the 4th and earn the split. 41 big 4th qtr points for the Thunder
KD: 35 pts/12 boards-Player of the Game
Westbrook: 17 pts/13 assists
Harden: 13 pts/10 boards/6 assists
Ibaka: 12 pts/13 boards
Mohammed: 10 pts
BLopez: 14 pts/6 boards/5 blocks
Middleton: 18 pts/11 boards/5 assists
Bledsoe: 14 pts/7 boards
Giannis: 23 pts/13 boards/7 assists
Hill: 12 pts
Gm 3: OKC: Chesapeake: Kevin Harlan/Doug Collins/Kevin Loughery
1Qtr
9 Bucks Bucks 10 Thunder 8
Thunder Westbrook, Westbrook, Harden, KD
Bucks Giannis, Bledsoe, Giannis(3) BLopez(3)
6 Thunder 17 Bucks 14
Thunder Westbrook, Green(3) Harden, Westbrook
Bucks Middleton, Middleton
Westbrook comes out with 8 to open game 3 - this series tied at 1.
3 Bucks 21 Thunder 19
Thunder Mullens
Bucks Giannis, Bledsoe, Middleton(3)
1Score Thunder 30 Bucks 29
Thunder KD, KD, Cook(3) Krstic, Westbrook
Bucks RLopez, RLopez, Giannis, Ilyasova
Giannis with 9 - we might have a good series here; tied at 1 and tight here in game 3.
2Qtr
9 Bucks 36 Thunder 34
Thunder KD, KD
Bucks Hill, Connaughton, Donte(3)
6 Thunder 44 Bucks 43
Thunder Krstic, KD(3) Kd(3) Ibaka
Bucks RLopez, Bledsoe, Korver(3)
Durant scores 10 to open the second, super tight game 3.
3 Bucks 52 Thunder 48
Thunder Krstic, Ibaka
Bucks BLopez(3) Giannis, Giannis, Giannis
HScore Bucks 60 Thunder 52
Thunder Ibaka, Westbrook
Bucks Hill, BLopez(3) Middleton(3)
3 Bucks triples gives Milwaukee its biggest lead of the day.
3Qtr
9 Bucks 73 Thunder 59
Thunder Harden(3) Westbrook, Sefolosha
Bucks Giannis, Donte, Giannis, RLopez, Giannis, Connaughton(3)
6 Bucks 81 Thunder 65
Thunder KD, KD, Ibaka
Bucks Hill(3) BLopez, Bledsoe(3)
3 more Milwaukee triples and now daylight - Bucks solid lead here in game 3.
3 Bucks 90 Thunder 71
Thunder Westbrook, KD, Krstic
Bucks Middleton(3) Hill, Giannis, Middleton
3Score Bucks 96 Thunder 79
Thunder Krstic, Ibaka, Harden, Harden
Bucks Hill, Giannis, Giannis
Giannis scores 10 in the third - Milwaukee will go up 2 games to 1.
4Qtr
9 Bucks 102 Thunder 88
Thunder KD, Harden(3) Krstic(1) Harden(3)
Bucks Giannis, Connaughton, Bledsoe
6 Bucks 110 Thunder 97
Thunder KD, Harden(3) Westbrook, Westbrook
Bucks Giannis(3) Middleton(3) Ilyasova
3 Bucks 118 Thunder 105
Thunder Krstic, KD, Krstic, Sefolosha
Bucks Middleton, Donte(3) Giannis(3)
FScore Bucks 126 Thunder 112
Thunder harden, Ivey(3) Harden
Bucks Brown, Mason(1) BLopez, Giannis(3)
Giannis just dominates in winning his 13th PotG in the tournament, passing '08 KG.
Giannis: 38 pts/13 boards/8 assists-Player of the Game
Middleton: 20 pts/6 boards
BLopez: 13 pts/5 boards/4 blocks
Bledsoe: 11 pts/10 assists/5 boards
Hill: 11 pts
KD: 28 pts/9 boards/8 assists
Westbrook: 20 pts/9 assists/7 boards
Harden: 24 pts/5 boards
Ibaka: 10 pts/10 boards
Krstic: 15 pts
Gm 4 OKC: Chesapeake: Kevin Harlan/Doug Collins/Kevin Loughery
1Qtr
9 Thunder 10 Bucks 5
Thunder KD(3) Ibaka, KD, Ibaka(3)
Bucks Giannis(3) Giannis
6 Thunder 17 Bucks 9
Thunder Harden, Westbrook, Westbrook, Green(1)
Bucks Bledsoe(1) Hill(3)
Bucks up 2-1; OKC trying to earn that split.
3 Thunder 27 Bucks 15
Thunder KD, Ibaka, KD, Ibaka, Westbrook
Bucks Middleton(3) Hill(3)
1Score Thunder 33 Bucks 22
Thunder Westbrook(3) Westbrook(3) Ilyasova(3)
Bucks Giannis, Giannis
This series might be destined for the full 7 - Westbrook has a dozen.
2Qtr
9 Thunder 35 Bucks 29
Thunder Krstic
Bucks Hill, Hill, Connaughton(3)
6 Thunder 42 Bucks 35
Thunder KD(3) Harden, Nazr
Bucks Giannis(3) Giannis(3)
Giannis has 15.
3 Thunder 50 Bucks 44
Thunder Nazr, Harden, KD, Westbrook
Bucks Donte(3) Bledsoe, Giannis, Giannis
HScore Thunder 57 Bucks 55
Thunder Ibaka(1) Westbrook, KD, KD
Bucks Giannis(3) Bledsoe, BLopez, Giannis, Hill
21 first half points for the great Giannis - he is marching toward Tournament MVP.
3Qtr
9 Thunder 68 Bucks 62
Thunder KD(3) Westbrook, Green, Krstic, Ibaka
Bucks Middleton(3) Middleton, Middleton
6 Thunder 72 Bucks 68
Thunder Harden, KD
Bucks Middleton, Giannis, RLopez
Middleton opens the half with 9.
3 Thunder 85 Bucks 82
Thunder Ibaka, KD, harden, Sefolosha, Westbrook, Harden(3)
Bucks Giannis, Middleton, Giannis, Bledsoe(1) Donte(3) Ilyasova, Middleton
3Score Thunder 93 Bucks 85
Thunder Sefolosha, Krstic, Westbrook, Westbrook
Bucks Middleton, Hill(1)
Westbrook with 8 in the 3rd - OKC trying to tie this thing up.
4Qtr
9 Thunder 98 Bucks 92
Thunder Green, KD(3)
Bucks Giannis, BLopez, Donte(3)
6 Thunder 104 Bucks 96
Thunder Krstic, Ibaka, Ibaka
Bucks Bledsoe, Donte
6 minutes from now - we may be headed back to Wisconsin tied at 2.
3 Thunder 104 Bucks 103
Thunder
Bucks Giannis, Middleton, Bledsoe(3)
2:19: MIL: Middleton hits a 13 footer - what a run, 9 straight Milwaukee points and the Bucks take the lead.
1:34: OKC: Harden - ice from 19. Thunder by 1.
1:22: MIL: It's Donte from the top of the key - Bucks by 1.
:22: MIL: A minute later, Giannis hits 2 FT --- Bucks by 3.
Timeout, Thunder. Last shot.
The ball works around -- to Jeff Green - he's got an open corner 3 ----
And he misses it.
The Thunder score just 2 points in the last 6 minutes of the game and now trail 3-1. Giannis is putting distance between himself and the field with yet another monster game.
FScore: Bucks 109 Thunder 106
Giannis: 36 pts/18 boards-Player of the Game
Middleton: 22 pts/6 boards
Bledsoe: 11 pts/7 assists
Donte: 13 pts
Hill: 13 pts
KD: 28 pts/8 boards
Westbrook: 24 pts/9 boards/8 assists/7 steals
Ibaka: 18 pts/13 boards
Harden: 15 pts
Green: 5 pts/10 boards
Gm 5 Milwaukee: Fiserv: Mike Breen/Jeff Van Gundy/Dr. Jack Ramsey
1Qtr
9 Bucks 8 Thunder 8
Bucks Giannis, Giannis, Giannis, Bledsoe
Thunder Green, Harden, KD, Green
6 Thunder 22 Bucks 18
Bucks Giannis, Giannis, Middleton, BLopez, Middleton
Thunder Green(3) Harden(3) Westbrook, Green, Ibaka, Westbrook
Stunning game 4 loss for OKC, they led the whole way, but scored only 2 points in the last 6 minutes and now are facing a 3-1 deficit.
3 Thunder 27 Bucks 23
Bucks Lopez, Hill(3)
Thunder KD, KD(3)
1Score Bucks 37 Thunder 35
Bucks Giannis, Middleton, Bledsoe, Hill, BLopez(3) Ilyasova
Thunder Krstic, Krstic, Ibaka, harden
Giannis has a dozen as the Bucks look to close this out
2Qtr
9 Bucks 41 Thunder 41
Bucks Hill, RLopez
Thunder Maynor(3) Cook(3)
6 Bucks 47 Thunder 47
Bucks Ilyasova, Giannis, Middleton
Thunder krstic, Green, ibaka
Have we reached the Finals?
3 Bucks 54 Thunder 53
Bucks Giannis, Middleton, Middleton(3)
Thunder Westbrook, Ibaka, ibaka
HScore Bucks 66 Thunder 61
Bucks Giannis(3) Giannis(1) BLopez, Giannis, Giannis, Giannis
Thunder KD(1) Harden(3) KD, Ibaka
26 for Giannis - he is peerless in the tournament.
3Qtr
9 Thunder 72 Bucks 68
Bucks Connaughton
Thunder ibaka, Westbrook(3) KD(3) KD(3)
6 Thunder 85 Bucks 79
Bucks RLopez, Hill, Giannis, Giannis, Bledsoe
Thunder Harden, Krstic, KD, Harden, Harden(3) Harden
Harden with 9 pts in 3 minutes and OKC takes the lead.
3 Thunder 93 Bucks 81
Bucks Middleton
Thunder Krstic(1) Harden, KD, KD(3)
3Score Thunder 95 Bucks 89
Bucks BLopez, BLopez(3) RLopez(3)
Thunder Green
12 minutes left - can OKC send this series back home?
4Qtr
9 Thunder 104 Bucks 99
Bucks Middleton(3) Middleton, Middleton(3) RLopez
Thunder KD(3) KD, KD, Westbrook
6 Thunder 106 Bucks 103
Bucks Bledsoe, Middleton
Thunder Ibaka
5:33: MIL: Middleton buries a dead center triple. Tied.
5:03: MIL: Powerful Middleton dunk. Bucks take the lead.
4:45: MIL: Connaughton FT
4:37: OKC: Jeff Green ties it with a triple from the wing. 109-109
3:51: OKC: Krstic goes off glass. Thunder lead.
3:03: OKC: Ibaka down low. 113-109
2:52: MIL: Bledsoe FT
2:27: MIL: Giannis triples from the top and again it is tied.
2:09: MIL: Bledsoe with the bucket in traffic - Bucks are 2 minutes from the finals.
2:02: OKC: Westbrook drives and ties the game.
1:43: OKC: Westbrook again, scoring in traffic. 117-115 Thunder
1:30: MIL: Brook Lopez hits an 18 footer. Tied.
1:17: MIL: Brook Lopez dunk. Bucks up 2.
:34: OKC: Durant 14 footer to tie it up.
:18: MIL: It's Giannis - it has to be Giannis - he weaves through traffic and it is a 2 point Buck lead.
No Thunder timeout - they whip it up court - down 2 - it's Durant - just clear out for Durant - Durant into the lane - step back -- GOOOOOD!! GOOOOD!!! KEVIN DURANT TIES THE SCORE WITH 4 SECONDS LEFT!!!
Bucks tineout. 121-121.
Ball thrown into Giannis, just inside the 3 point line - turnaround in traffic at the buzzer --
GOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!! GOOOOOOOD!!!!! GOOOOOOOD!!!!
Giannis puts the Bucks into the Finals with the bucket at the buzzer -- the fans mob the court -- complete pandemonium in Milwaukee as the Bucks beat the Thunder and they will move on to face the 2018 Warriors in the Tournament Finals!!!!!!
Final: Bucks 123 Thunder 121
34/13 for Durant in the loss. Giannis has 15 PotG awards and he is very likely the Tournament MVP regardless of the result in the finals. Look at this triple double with a buzzer beater - maybe the game of the tournament.
Giannis: 38 pts/14 boards/12 assists/buzzer beater-Player of the Game
Middleton: 30 pts
BLopez: 18 pts/6 boards/5 blocks
Bledsoe: 11 pts/9 assists/5 boards
RLopez: 10 pts
All Tournament Team 1st Team
C Duncan ('13 Spurs 7 PotG)
F Garnett ('08 Celtics 12 PotG)
F Giannis ('20 Bucks 15 PotG)
G Steph ('18 Warriors 8 PotG)
G Harden ('15 Rockets 7 PotG)
All Tournament Team 2nd Team
C Shaq ('98 Lakers 7 PotG)
F Kawhi ('17 Spurs 8 PotG)
F Durant ('18 Warriors 8 PotG)
G Westbrook ('11 Thunder 6 PotG)
G Kobe ('09 Lakers 6 PotG)/ G Magic ('89 Lakers 6 PotG)
