TORONTO — Good luck trying to make Giannis Antetokounmpo into public enemy No. 1, Toronto. Good luck turning this kid into this season’s Paul George or Paul Pierce.
Since the Toronto Raptors became serious about turning the playoffs into an annual spring rite in this city, we have been gifted by opposing players willing to work to attract our hatred. Sometimes it’s because they’re really good; sometimes it’s the way they acquit themselves. Sometimes it’s because it’s the NBA and they get the benefit of the doubt from game officials, and sometimes it’s a combination of the three.
But what to do about the Milwaukee Bucks, who sucked the life (and from the looks of it, about 55 per cent of the lower-bowl crowd with about two minutes left) out of Air Canada Centre Saturday? Sure, there’s head coach Jason Kidd, who received an unusually hostile greeting warranted by the coaching job he did in 2014, when the Brooklyn Nets beat the Raptors in the first round and – for those with longer memories – his role in 2007’s first-round loss to the then-New Jersey Nets, when he averaged 14 points and 13.2 assists and assisted on Richard Jefferson’s game-winning shot with 8.3 seconds left in the sixth and final game of the series.
But, c’mon: Who are you going to hate in Malcolm Brogdon, Matthew Dellavedova, Thon Maker or Khris Middleton?
True, Spencer Hawes wore a “Hillary For Prison 2016” shirt on the eve of the U.S. election and fancies himself the NBA’s conservative conscience – he’s the president, secretary and treasurer of that one-man club. He also played less than seven minutes.
Antetokounmpo did draw a technical foul Saturday with 1:46 left, punching the air with his fist after denying DeMar DeRozan’s drive to the hoop. DeRozan was put in a bear hug by Serge Ibaka as he moved toward Antetokoumpo, who showed some cheek earlier as well when he flexed his biceps in the general direction of Jonas Valanciunas, who fouled him on a driving layup to make the score 60-57.
Antetokounmpo was in no mood following the game to add any more fuel to that particular fire. In fact, he fairly searched for a fire extinguisher, saying no less than three times that the official made the proper call.
“It was the right call by the ref,” he said. “I was excited, plus there was the energy from the crowd.
“I was not doing anything toward DeRozan. It’s my second time in the playoffs. I learned. Next time, I’ll be less excited.”
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 28 points, and he finished out the game with four fouls after picking up his fourth with 4:33 left in the third quarter and the Raptors leading 65-64. The Bucks outscored the Raptors 11-5 to close out the quarter with a five-point lead. The Raptors never got closer.
“We did a great job responding,” said Antetokounmpo. “We moved the ball, got open looks. When he (Kidd) put me back in the fourth quarter, it was like it was time to just close out the game.”
Rookie Brogdon was Milwaukee’s second-highest scorer with 16 points, and led all scorers going 4-for-7 from three-point range. His rebound in the final skirmish of the third quarter set up Middleton for two free throws that gave the Bucks their five-point edge.
“The intensity went to another level for sure, and so did the level of focus both for us and them,” Brogdon said of his first playoff experience.
“But coach Kidd is a very calming presence. He kept reminding us: ‘This is just basketball.’ Once we settled down, we were able to play with a nice pace. We talked about how (Kyle) Lowry was going to come out and shoot threes and how their whole team would do that to try and get back into it. So getting back in transition was going to be key.”
As for the ability to seize control without Antetokounmpo on the court? Brogdon shrugged.
“We made shots … the ball was moving … when Giannis is in, we play through him but when he’s not in everybody has to be aggressive and that’s what happened. Everybody was involved and we got stops rebounding – which was key, because they were missing a lot of shots.”
Before the game, Kidd delivered a very simple message to his team: once the opening tip-off is done, it’s all just basketball. It was the same message he delivered publicly from the podium in his pre-match news conference. Brogdon said later he could almost feel the Bucks growing around him as the game went on. This is a modest team the Raptors are playing, at least in terms of tone. In some ways, it’s an opponent unlike any other they’ve faced in recent first rounds; it’s one that’s growing into something, not looking to send messages or poke any local sensitivities.
It’s going to be tough to hate these Bucks; might as well just beat them and be done with it.
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