Game 4 between these two goliaths never really felt too close. The Knicks got a huge lead in the 1st quarter and really never looked back. A bold move by the Knicks to bench Luc and play Lance Stephenson starting minutes paid off. Lance didn’t play great, but he did have 8 points and 6 assists at the small forward spot. Really this game was won and lost on the bench.
The Bucks bench was atrocious in Game 4, being outscored 40-19 and having an abysmal +/-. This effort was spearheaded by Louis Williams, who many consider to be the premiere 6th man in the league. Shooting 4-17 from the field, he shot the Bucks right out of the game.
After last game, I asked both GMs who they would rather have in a pickup game, and they both chose their own point guards smartly. In Game 4, Westbrook proved he is probably the most dominant point guard in the league scoring 30 points and 11 assists on just 19 shots. Irving needed 21 shots just to get 19 points. We can’t say one game decides the player, but even though Kyrie’s team won, Russell played better.
So what’s it going to take to win game 5? In order for the Bucks to win, they need to be at least within single digits of the Knicks bench. The starting lineups for both these teams are great, and can keep up with each other. If Williams figures his shot out and keeps the bench from getting kicked in the mouth, the Bucks can win. If the Knicks win the bench battle, I think they win the next game, short of any more lineup changes.
In other news, Paul Millsap just declined his player option in the middle of this series. Who does that while his team is still playing? Does Paul already have one foot out the door? I’m sure New York fans are nervous about this. If I’m Giannis, I’m recruiting Millsap to the Bucks in the middle of the game just to get in his head! Something like “I make a great Gyro, imagine all the Gyro’s you could eat if you played with us here!â€
