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Malika AndrewsESPN
MILWAUKEE — Before important games, a Bucks front-office staffer often shoots a text message to a few of Milwaukee’s players. “Don’t play with your food,” he will write. “Put that child to sleep early tonight.”
The messages are meant to be friendly reminders to players that he believes they possess the talent to beat anyone but don’t mess around. The subtext of the notes: Respect your opponent enough to strike early — don’t wait around to make a run.
Milwaukee did just that in Wednesday’s 116-91 Game 5 win against the Boston Celtics, and they’ll now appear in their first Eastern Conference finals since 2001.
After a series peppered with slow first quarters, the Bucks set the tone early, going on an 8-0 run. And Milwaukee held Boston to only 19 points in the first quarter. According to ESPN’s Stats and Information, that’s the fewest points the Celtics have scored in a first quarter this postseason.
“It’s a big moment for our franchise, our city and ourselves,” Khris Middleton said after the victory.
The texts seemed to sink in even before the opening tip, as the team was quietly focused.
Giannis Antetokounmpo waived off cameras filming him watching game tape in the locker room. He needed space to focus, he explained. Malcolm Brogdon, who played for the first time since he injured his plantar fascia on March 15, purposefully avoided the locker room while press were in it before the game. He didn’t want distractions either. And Antetokounmpo gave a speech to his teammates before the game, firing them up for what was about to unfold.
Antetokounmpo finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Middleton added 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Eric Bledsoe had 18 points, six rebounds and two turnovers. Brogdon scored 10 points in 17 minutes.
As they have all series, the bench also provided an extra punch by outscoring Boston’s back-ups by eight points.
“Everybody was ready to play,” said George Hill, who added 16 points. “Everybody was ready for the opportunity to put them away as quickly as we can.”
Last season, Boston was the hurdle the Bucks couldn’t clear. This year, many again believed Boston would be the Bucks’ demise. And if they could muster a series win, that would prove that the Bucks are no longer the cute story of a superstar surrounded by four nameless players incapable of playoff success.
In many ways, Wednesday’s performance was the exclamation point on the sentence “We’ve arrived!” Milwaukee now has the most 20-point wins (five) through the first nine games of the playoffs in NBA history, according to ESPN Stats and Information.
“I think there’s still going to be a lot of people who are going to doubt us,” Antetokounmpo said. “But we’re really hungry to achieve our goals. That’s all I can care about.”
“The Bucks in five” chants echoed through the crowd halfway through the fourth quarter. After the seconds ticked down and the final buzzer sounded, a celebratory video played. The crowd roared, Antetokounmpo shook his fist in the ear, and the Bucks in-game went to center court to update a board that counts down how many games the Bucks would need to win the championship.
Back in the locker room, players gave each other high-fives, coaches hugged and general manager Jon Horst gave congratulatory handshakes. Music blared as the players got dressed.
The Bucks now await the winner of the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors series. Milwaukee will celebrate Wednesday night. But just as they did after they clinched the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, and they did after winning their 60th game, and they did after sweeping the Detroit Pistons in the first round, the Bucks will just give themselves one night.
“Our season is still going,” Middleton said. “We’re going to be facing a good team whoever it is next round. We’ll start getting ready for the next series.”