The Bucks proved not quite ready for prime time yesterday. They only shot 32.6% from the floor and they were outrebounded 55-34 as they never had a chance in Atlanta yesterday. Brandon Jennings was heaving up bricks again at a alarming rate as he was 6 of 18 shooting as he finished up with 15 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had a solid game and the Bucks should have gave him the ball more as he finished up with 13 points and 6 rebounds in only 22 minutes on the floor. Ersan Ilyasova was only 4 of 11 shooting in this game but he still had 13 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes. John Salmons had another awful game in this series as he was 5 of 18 shooting from the floor finishing with 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. The Bucks get eliminated 4-3 by the Hawks but they still have a very good season.

There weren’t too many people that predicted the Milwaukee Bucks would make the playoffs this year, but with a breakout season by Andrew Bogut, the stellar play of rookie Brandon Jennings, and the late season acquisition of John Salmon, coach Scott Skiles was able to win 12 more games this season compared to last.  That gave them a regular season record of 46-36, good enough for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.  The Bucks were one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season, but after Andrew Bogut went down with a gruesome elbow injury very late in the season everyone was writing off the Bucks once again.  Their first round matchup against the Atlanta Hawks was supposed to be an easy sweep for the Hawks, but Skiles got his Bucks to play inspired basketball and they fought the Hawks hard all series before falling short in game seven.  Although Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks one this year’s NBA Coach of the Year award, Skiles definitely deserved some consideration for the award.  It’s hard to argue against Brooks and the Thunder’s 27 game improvement though, but Skiles did a fantastic job for the Bucks this season.  Skiles is one of the most underrated coaches in the NBA, as he routinely has his team’s overachieving.  The tough, hard-nosed Skiles overachieved as a player too, and has brought that same intensity and work ethic he had as a player to the Bucks.  Milwaukee Bucks fans should be proud of Skiles and the Bucks season this year, and the future is bright with Skiles tutoring the up-and-coming star point guard, Brandon Jennings.

The Bucks only shot 32.9% from the floor and they were outrebounded 51-42 which are the two biggest reasons for the loss last night at home. Carlos Delfino came to play as he filled up the stat sheet with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot. Brandon Jennings disappeared again in this game as he shot 4 of 15 from the floor and he finished up with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. Kurt Thomas played hard last night as he finished up with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists. The Bucks are tied up at 3 games apiece with the Hawks and they will play a deciding Game #7 tomorrow afternoon in Atlanta.

Brandon Jennings had a very good rookie season for the Milwaukee Bucks and finished in the top three for the Rookie of the Year Award.  Jennings made a major impact for the Bucks and some have argued that he was the best rookie this year.  The award was announced earlier today and Jennings came in third behind Golden State Warriors’ guard Stephen Curry, and Rookie of the Year winner Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings.  Jennings proved he belonged as a starting guard in this league early, erupting for 55 points in just the seventh game of the season.  Jennings struggled from the field for most of the season though, as the size and strength of NBA players gave Jennings a difficult time finishing around the hole.  His shot selection was questionable at times, but adjusting to the size and speed of the NBA was the main reason Jennings shot just 37% from the field.  He still averaged 15.5 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals.  His three-point shooting was pretty good though, as he shot the same as his overall field goal percentage, hitting 37% from behind the arc.

Jennings did have a little bit of an inconsistent year, but overall it was a good rookie campaign.  Also, he could explode for a big scoring game on any given night and his quickness proved to be a valuable asset when setting up his teammates.  The most impressive thing about Jennings so far is that he has stepped his game up big-time in the postseason.  He has helped the Bucks take a 3-2 series lead on the Atlanta Hawks, whom many expected to sweep the Andrew Bogut-less Bucks.  He opened the series with 34 points in game one and he has had only one off night in game two, where he had only 9 points and 3 assists on 3-15 shooting.  Other than that, Jennings has been pretty spectacular, especially when you consider the fact that he is still a 20-year-old rookie.  In five games so far, he is averaging 20.8 points, 3.8 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals, while shooting a much improved 45% from the field and 36% from three.  Jennings is having a great postseason run to cap off his solid rookie season, and look for him to continue to improve for the Milwaukee Bucks as he and his game matures.

The Bucks outscored the Hawks 30-18 in the 4th quarter last night as they appeared to want this game more than Atlanta did. Brandon Jennings led the way for the Bucks yesterday with 25 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. John Salmons also had another solid game with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists last night. Luke Ridnour was outstanding off the bench for the Bucks last night with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 steals in 18 minutes. The Bucks are now up 3-2 in this series and they will look to close out the Hawks in Game #6 in Milwaukee.