The Bucks, led by Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Holiday , finally achieved the feat of the O'Brien Cup they had always dreamed of. However, in the following seasons, the team failed to reach such heights again. In an effort to regain its former glory, team management made a major trade this summer, sending away championship guard Holiday and trading Lillard from the Trail Blazers. However, Lillard's overall performance did not meet expectations, which is why many fans believe that the Bucks' strength is not rising, but falling. However, as the schedule wore on, Lillard regained his form and showed what it takes to be a big killer in the league. In one game, the Bucks played the Spurs, who were bottom of the West, and Lillard led the team's offense in the milestone battle of his career.
Under his leadership, the Bucks quickly built a double-digit lead and eventually defeated the Spurs 132-119 to win five in a row! As the eighth active player, Lillard has been outstanding in the Milestone Battle. Among the active NBA players, only seven players scored more than 20,000 points, namely LeBron James with 39,282 points, Durant with 27,565 points, Harden with 25,053 points, Wei Shao with 24,748 points, Curry with 22,385 points, DeRozan with 22,262 points and Paul with 21,951 points. Before the game against the Spurs, Lillard was just six points shy of joining the club. In the battle for the milestones of his career, Lillard is also on fire.
Although the scheming Popovich has tried everything he can to limit his play, nothing has worked. Throughout the game, Lillard showed his three-point killer qualities, leaving the Spurs' defense in vain. Lillard scored a game-high 40 points on 7-of-12 shooting from beyond the three-point line. In the first two games against the Pistons and Rockets, Lillard also scored 33 and 39 points respectively, which was the first time since he joined the Bucks that he scored a total of 112 points in three consecutive 30+ games, showing an impressive offensive performance, and also made fans ridicule that the Bucks had forgotten about Holland. After Lillard carried the banner of the team's offense, Brother Alphabet launched a strong attack on the inside, squeezed the Spurs' defense, and passed the ball to Lillard on the outside as soon as possible, which made Brother Alphabet's assist easier.
In the whole game, Brother Alphabet easily played a triple-double of 11 points + 14 rebounds + 16 assists + 2 steals + 1 block. The two cores showed great power, and the role players were able to follow the trend like a fish in water. The Bucks have also played well as role players with Lillard and Antetokounmpo in their respective roles. Middleton shot solidly from the perimeter, shot well from three-point range, and contributed 17 points; And Da Lopez also scored 14 points. Substitute Portis quickly became the top scorer when he came on, chipped in a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds. The Bucks have a big three, and just like any other team, they are hungry to compete for a championship, so the core players must have a dominant performance.
The team's goal in bringing in Lillard is to make him a key weapon on the offensive end, and to step up and score when it matters most. Lillard's performances in the last three games show that he is gradually finding his form. If he can maintain this form in the playoffs, then the Bucks have the strength to match any strong team!