Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Even though the Oklahoma City Thunder was not at full force, the Milwaukee Bucks still needed a victory in their regular season finale to prepare themselves for the NBA playoffs.
The Bucks were running on fumes after losing 12 of their last 15 games before playing the Thunder Wednesday night. That includes a five-game losing streak and five consecutive losses to teams that have clinched a playoff berth.
It did not matter if Oklahoma City’s entire starting lineup sat out the contest, Milwaukee had to win just to have some self-confidence heading into their showdown with the Miami Heat. The Bucks had to believe they could beat a talented team from the Western Conference before facing the No. 1 seed in the East.
The fact that Milwaukee was able to score 95 points with forward Ersan Ilyasova and center Larry Sanders both inactive and shooting guard Monta Ellis suiting up for a measly 11 minutes is comforting. The fact that rookie forward John Henson rocked the house once again by scoring 28 points and hauling in 16 rebounds is very encouraging.
The Bucks needed a motivational boost in the worst way and they absolutely got one. One cannot underestimate the power of defeating the No. 1 seed in the West on the last day of the regular season. Milwaukee now believes they got rid of their horrible losing streak and are on their way to a winning streak that could shock the NBA.
Considering the Heat will be riding into the first round of the playoffs on an eight-game win streak is intimidating. With that being said, if Milwaukee can be at full strength by time the first game goes down, they should be able to be competitive.
Michael Terrill is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelTerrill, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
