Home 禄 Sports 禄 Basketball
Bucks reach East finals after outlasting Nets
Once they could finally get off the court, the Milwaukee Bucks feasted their eyes on a welcome sight in the locker room.
The No. 8 on their board signified the number of victories remaining to win a championship, after a sweep of Miami followed by a survival against Brooklyn.
鈥淚 am really happy for what we got done. I am really happy we were able to write 8 on the board. But the job is not done,鈥 Giannis Antetokounmpo said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to keep believing in ourselves. We鈥檝e got to keep playing good basketball and take it game by game. The job is not done. We鈥檙e halfway through.鈥
They got there by edging the Nets 115-111 on Saturday night in the first Game 7 to go overtime since 2006. Antetokounmpo had 40 points and 13 rebounds, and Khris Middleton made the tiebreaking shot with 40 seconds left in OT.
The third-seeded Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years. They will play either top-seeded Philadelphia or No. 5 Atlanta in a series that starts on Wednesday.
鈥淲e are definitely proud of where we are. We put a lot of work in to get to this point,鈥 center Brook Lopez said. 鈥淏ut, you know, our goal this season at the beginning of the season wasn鈥檛 just to make it to the Eastern Conference finals. Obviously we want to win a championship.鈥
The Bucks blew a 2-0 lead last time they got to the conference finals, losing four straight to the eventual National Basketball Association champions Toronto Raptors in 2019.
They overcame that deficit this time, turning the series around after dropping Game 2 by 39 points and pulling out a deciding game that turned into a thriller.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just been a heck of a series,鈥 coach Mike Budenholzer said. 鈥淵ou put so much emotion and so much energy and time in it. For this group to be rewarded with a huge win in a Game 7 in overtime, it鈥檚 just a great group. You feel great for the group, great for the players.鈥
Antetokounmpo tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar鈥檚 franchise playoff record with five straight games of 30 points and 10 rebounds. He capped it off by becoming the first player in NBA history with at least 40 points, 10 boards and 5 assists in a Game 7 victory.
The Bucks had the best record in the league last season but couldn鈥檛 get out of the second round. They acquired Jrue Holiday before this season to team with Antetokounmpo and Middleton, their two All-Stars, and built a team that was better prepared for the postseason.
Milwaukee is unbeaten at home in the postseason and would play there to start the next round if Atlanta wins. But even if they are on the road, the Bucks are confident in their chances.
They overcame Kevin Durant鈥檚 48 points in Game 7 and are ready for whoever comes next.
鈥淭o be able to finally get over the hump against him is pretty nice. I鈥檓 excited,鈥 forward PJ Tucker said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just getting started, though. We鈥檝e got a lot of work to do.鈥
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔$粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.