| Bucks Take Game 3 In Dominating Fashion Authored by Serge Yusim - May 1, 2006 - 2:01 am
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What began as a last ditch effort to try and make a series of what has been a one-sided domination by Detroit in the first two games, ended up in a night of offensive brilliance and nearly perfect execution by the Bucks. As a result, they blew out the Pistons on their home court, 124-104, and are right back into their first-round matchup.
Everything seemed to go right for the Bucks during last night’s game. Not only did they shoot a blistering 60.3% (47 of 78) from the field and 64.7% (11 of 17) from behind the arc, but they also held Detroit’s starters in check for most of the game, and led by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter. Milwaukee was led by Redd, who put up a career playoff-high 40 on 14-21 shooting, and T.J. Ford, who had a career-high 15 assists to go along with 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.
The contest also featured the return of Toni Kukoc from a back injury sustained in last Thursday’s practice. Kukoc provided a big lift off the bench for the Bucks as he hit 3 of 4 shots from behind the arc on his way to contributing 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 6 assists to the winning cause. However, he wasn’t the only one who played well off the bench. Mo Williams made all 6 of his shots in the second quarter en route to 13 points. He finished the game with 20 points on an amazing 9 of 10 shooting. Finally, Joe Smith also had a big game as part of the second unit as he shot 4-5 from the field and 5-5 from the free throw line. He finished the game with 13 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, a steal, and a block.
Not to be forgotten, Terry Stotts did a marvelous job of making adjustments in Game 3 and used his timeouts to perfection. The rotations were crisp and seemed like they were made at just the right time, and the end result didn’t disappoint. It is one thing to win a playoff game on your own home court. It’s another when you do it against a first-seeded team that won 64 games during the regular season and is a heavy favorite to win the championship. Especially, when you blow out that team by 20 points.
The Bucks sent a message on Saturday that they will not go quietly into the night. If Detroit wants this series, they will have to take it, starting with Monday’s Game 4. It will be up to the Bucks to keep up their intensity and unselfish play in order to send the series back to Detroit tied at 2 games apiece. |
