Ever seen a toddler get really, really excited on Christmas day? Or stomp their feet in frustration when mom and dad take away a toy?
If you haven’t, Jason Kidd begging referee Joey Crawford for a timeout on Monday basically amounts to the same thing.
Not that we’d have been any more poised than the Milwaukee Bucks coach, of course. His young team had just secured a crucial loose ball up 92-88 on the Chicago Bulls with only 37 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, and seemed poised to take a rushed shot in semi-transition. Given the circumstances, it’s actually a minor miracle Kidd didn’t tackle Crawford to get his message across in the most timely manner possible.
On the other hand, Milwaukee’s timeout came with the ball in hand of Michael Carter-Williams. The 23 year-old was the best player on the floor Monday night, scoring 22 points (10-15 FGs), grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing nine assists while hounding Derrick Rose into 5-of-20 shooting.
Perhaps the Bucks’ floor general would have made a game-clinching play if given the chance? Maybe. But Kidd’s approach has been working all series long; there’s no reason to second guess himself now.
Led by fantastic two-way efforts from Carter-Williams and Khris Middleton, Milwaukee beat Chicago 94-88 to make the teams’ heated first-round series 3-2 in favor the Bulls. The Bucks have another chance to stave off elimination from the friendly confines of Bradley Center on Thursday.
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