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The Milwaukee Bucks Are Heading Into Their Most Important Week

By Joe Kiemen

Mar 3, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) takes a shot against LA Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) in the fourth quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Bucks beat the Clippers 112-101. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 3, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) takes a shot against LA Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) in the fourth quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Bucks beat the Clippers 112-101. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Milwaukee Bucks are set to begin their most important week of basketball. Before heading on a demanding West Coast trip, Milwaukee has four winnable games.

Within the past week, the Milwaukee Bucks have played some of their worst and best basketball. An ugly performance against the Denver Nuggets made fans question whether the team had given up?

Being a young team fighting for a playoff birth, there is no excuse for taking a night off and playing without energy. Therefore, it was no surprise to hear fans talking about moving on from Jason Kidd. While his calm demeanor could be an assett for a group prone to emotional swings, the Bucks problem is they don’t play hard unless facing the league’s top teams.

This trend continued in back to back games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors. On Friday night, Jason Kidd rallied the Bucks to play inspired basketball, particularly on defense. Fans even saw Greg Monroe stand up to Blake Griffin in a 4th quarter spat.

On Saturday, it looked like the Bucks weren’t going to bring the effort against Toronto. Luckily, the Raptors also took the first quarter off, allowing Milwaukee to stay in the game. Depiste a terrible first quarter shooting performance, the Bucks were facing just a 19-12 deficit.

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For all the criticism Jason Kidd faced early in the week, he should receive equal praise for pulling the right strings against Toronto. His decision to give Spencer Hawes extended minutes brought the team to life. His ability to stretch the floor, brought energy to the crowd and opened up driving lanes for Milwaukee’s guards.

The most impressive part of the second quarter was how the team built a lead without Giannis Antetokounmpo or Greg Monroe on the court. Jason Kidd should continue to give minutes to Hawes as he provides the team with some much needed shooting.

Now riding a two game winning streak, the Bucks are entering their most important week of the season. With games against the 76ers, Knicks, Pacers and Timberwolves, the team must win at least three to gain some ground in the playoff race.

This is even more important because of a looming West Coast road swing. Realisticlly, a succesful trip would mean going 3-3 with matchups against the Grizzlies, Clippers, Warriors and Trailblazers. Because the team is unlikely to make up ground facing such tough opponents, they must take care of business this week, starting Monday.

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With Michael Beasley likely to return sometime this week and newcomer Terrance Jones set to make his first appearance, the Bucks have reinforcments on the way. After an embarrising performance against the Nuggets, Jason Kidd motivated his team to back to back wins. Now, he has the difficult task of getting his group to play hard against team’s they should beat.

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