The playoff is almost here, and the Bucks’ turnaround this month has been absolute cinema. They were shaky in March, with only Giannis Antetokounmpo seemingly putting in an effort, but in a big league, they can’t keep putting all their money on their de facto leader, so someone had to do a mic drop. Reason? They needed more urgency in their game. And the message from the leader? The Bucks must buck up in the playoff run-in. And they delivered. And what did that yield? The sweetest fruit in the form of 6 wins on the bounce, confirming a seat in the top 6 of East with a 46-34 record. But even the Greek Freak knows- this matters less, with the postseason on the horizon.

Recording 28 points and 11 rebounds against the Pelicans, Giannis joined an exclusive club in NBA history- matching Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 10 straight games with 20+ points while shooting 50 %+ from the field. The 2021 Finals MVP has been on a roll this season. Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might be the frontrunners for the MVP this season, which is sad to see because their performances have only gotten him coming third in a two-horse race.

The inconsistency is now a forgotten period of misery for Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s calls for improvement have boded well in the last few games. “I kind of like where we are right now. We’re competing. We’re able to score the ball. We always keep our composure no matter what time and score. Guys are competing, man. I love where we are right now. We just got to stay humble and go each game in front of us and try to give everything we have,” said the Greek in the post-game presser. Confident, but what about the next phase?

The Bucks star knows the daunting pressure of the playoffs. After their commanding 136-111 win over New Orleans, the Greek delivered the team talk his squad needed heading into the postseason. “Regular season is totally different than playoffs. Totally different than the playoffs. know, the intensity is higher. The texture of the detail is different. The physicality is different. Some people can say the ball gets heavier. But it’s not the same.” The message is again clear. The regular season will be a thing of the past in a few days. The postseason will be different, and any slip-up there will ruin all the buildup.

He calls it how he sees it- it’s time for the young lads to show Doc Rivers what they’re made of. His experience alone isn’t enough to bring the Bucks their third ring. And it’s something they’ll have to face head-on. “But if you’ve never been in the playoffs, there’s nothing that I can tell you to make you understand or feel how the playoffs is like. You’ve to play. You’ve got to play a playoff game,” said Giannis.

Seems like the squad will get their chance over the coming weeks. But if there are any more positives to draw from their Pelicans win, it’s forward Kyle Kuzma’s resurgence. Being the HC, Doc Rivers was the first to praise the long-overdue masterclass.

Kyle Kuzma’s performance impressed Doc Rivers

It’s clear that Giannis needed some help. Doc needed to find a way to provide supporting firepower to the two-time MVP. Bringing in Kyle Kuzma in February was his shot at providing just that. While things did not pan out initially, a ton of hard work and limited game time later, Kyle finally got his redemption with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals while shooting 63.6% from the field and 50% from the 3P range in 28 minutes against the Pelicans.

This was a long time coming. Before the game, the Bucks had a -1.9 net rating with Kuzma on the floor, and a +13.8 when he was off it. There were telltale signs of his inconsistency being detrimental. But seeing this performance, the shot caller of the franchise, Doc Rivers, knows this is just the first of many.

“He needed to get going. We got him downhill a couple times- I felt that got him kickstarted,” said Rivers in the post-game presser. But if his team has even a shot of getting through their first 7-game series, he knows the 14.8/5.8/2.4 stat line Kyle Kuzma is boasting with the Bucks needs to be aided by much more.

The mission objective for the Bucks is clear- urgency and consistency at all costs. It was said by Giannis Antetokounmpo multiple times, and Milwaukee has started to follow suit. And if Kyle Kuzma’s performance against the Pelicans was anything to go by, Doc Rivers knows he has a squad capable of achieving something special come playoffs.