Bucks playing with house money after buzzer-beater over Bulls
MILWAUKEE — It may not ultimately matter in the grand scheme of the playoffs, but Jerryd Bayless' buzzer-beating layup over Derrick Rose to win Game 4 in Milwaukee is a stepping-stone for a team long on potential and short on experience.
The Bucks had lost nine consecutive playoff games and hadn't booked a win in the postseason since April 28, 2010.
Their fans, eager to embrace the Jason Kidd era, were rowdy, engaged and intimidating on Saturday afternoon. That reached a fever pitch when Bayless bolted backdoor behind Rose, caught Jared Dudley's arching inbounds pass with 1.3 seconds remaining and laid it in for the 92-90 win to keep Milwaukee's hopes alive even down 3-1.
"It was honestly just trying to beat him backdoor. We were trying to act like I was going to get to the corner, we were hoping he was going to bite," Bayless said. "Duds made a spectacular pass."
Naturally Kidd, whose 12,091 career assists rank second all-time in NBA history, was pleased to hear that acknowledgement.
"For Duds to have the nerves, because that's the hardest part is the guy passing the ball, but he never gets recognition," Kidd said.
For Rose, his passive attitude at the game's decisive sequence capped what was an awful night for the Bulls' resurgent guard. He had eight of Chicago's 26 turnovers, but said he felt he "had like 20 of them." Those turnovers outweighed a 45.8% shooting effort, including 10-of-18 from deep for the Bulls
Improbably tied at 90 after the Bucks coughed up a six-point lead in the final 1:42, Rose had a chance to seize the series. He dribbled to the right, swerved and cut back to the middle, only to lose the ball yet again, the last of the Bulls' nightmare giveaways.
"I felt like if I would've got a shot off that it was going to go in," he said dejectedly from the locker room. That set the stage for Bayless, who compounded the turnover into an even more costly mistake.
"I put that all on me," Rose said. "I wasn't paying attention. I don't feel bad for myself, I feel bad for my teammates. Knowing that we could've forced overtime. I messed things up, but I swear I'm good for it."
This wasn't about Rose blowing a defensive assignment, though. The Bulls lost because the Bucks defense lived up to its billing as the second-rated unit in the NBA throughout the regular season. They also made good on their reputation as thieves.
Milwaukee led the NBA in forcing 17.4 turnovers per game and has harassed and pressured the Bulls to no end in four games. Chicago averaged 14.7 turnovers in the first three games, and Milwaukee's 20 steals in Game 4 represented just the second time in the last 30 years a team had at least that many thefts in a playoff game.
John Henson chipped in four blocks as well, generally playing tougher in the paint than the Bulls' vaunted frontcourt duo of Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol. The one player Milwaukee couldn't solve was Jimmy Butler, who had a game-high 33 points. It must be said, however, that excellent rotational defense from Khris Middleton and O.J. Mayo contained Butler to just 10 in the second half.
Entering Saturday's game, Milwaukee could have easily succumbed to the knowledge that no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. They could have turned downtrodden after Mayo's 3-pointer late in the second half was nullified, cutting an already tenuous lead to just 87-84.
But they didn't let one single play or one single on-court scuffle consume them, which is the mark of a team learning the rigors of playoff basketball.
It's not going to go smoothly, especially against a Bulls team that overmatches the Bucks in terms of talent at nearly every position. After letting Game 3 slip away in double overtime, the Bucks weren't going to cap their promising year without rewarding their loyal fans with a playoff win.
And how significant a win was it, even if the Bulls ultimately close out the series on Monday night?
"It's probably next to no one picking us to make the playoffs. This is a process," Kidd said. "Everything we do from here on out is a bonus because most of you guys sitting here didn't have us here."
Kidd was referring to the playoffs, but he just as easily could have been speaking of the United Center on Monday night because that's where his team will look to take the next step.
Follow Michael Singer on Twitter @RealMikeSinger.
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