Week In Review: Milwaukee Bucks Falter In Toughest Week of Season

Dec 2, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd talks to his team during a timeout in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Going into December, the Bucks were preparing for their toughest week of games to date.  The first week of December pitted Milwaukee against the likes of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Dirk Nowitzki.  I knew for me, this week was going to be a telling sign about what kind of team this was for weeks/months down the road.

I was somewhat skeptical about how the Bucks would perform after performances they  had against good teams last month (Washington, Toronto, Houston).

But despite the 1-3 record, I think Milwaukee played very well.  They lost a very winnable game in Cleveland, and a heartbreaking game at home against Dallas.  Unfortunately I got to experience that one in person.

Bucks fans should feel good about what they saw this past week.

The team seems to operate under the “next man up philosophy” with Jason Kidd and it was apparent when Milwaukee lost Ersan Ilyasova to a nasal fracture and mild concussion Tuesday night in Cleveland.

We talked about how Ersan was the key coming off of the bench last week as he was named my player of the week, and I thought Milwaukee was in trouble after seeing him exit the game.

Arguably the best bench in the league calmed my nerves later in the week, with Kris Middelton scoring 21 points Wednesday against Dallas, and then Kendall Marshall scoring a season high 20 points Friday against the Heat.

With where Milwaukee is as a team right now, I think they have to be OK with quality losses, and that’s what we got this week.

Next: First Visit Of The Season To The 'Land