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Jamal CollierESPN
CHICAGO – In the days leading up to the team’s first road playoff game in Chicago, Milwaukee Bucks take every opportunity they can to bathe Grayson Allen with boos.
They booed Allen as he boarded the team bus. They booed him when he reached the lobby of their team’s hotel. They even booed him during movie sessions and when Allen touched the ball in practice.
So when Allen set his career high in the playoffs in games 3 and 4 this weekend to give Milwaukee a 3-1 series lead over Chicago, the Bucks’ bench enjoyed a lot. booed him all the way.
“They’re happy to do it,” laughed Allen after scoring 27 points from the bench in the Bucks’ 119-95 win Sunday afternoon. “I actually thought it was hilarious. They made it a fun thing. That made it a lot easier to hear it out there in the game as well because they thought it was funny.”
Game 5 will take place Wednesday night in Milwaukee.
The Bucks began mocking their teammates earlier this season when they heard the reaction Allen received every time he touched the ball during the team’s first game in Chicago in March. Allen becomes the #1 public enemy for Chicago basketball fans after his apparent foul on the Bulls guard Alex Caruso During a match on January 21, Caruso broke his wrist, forcing him to miss two months.
Allen said Sunday that he tried to contact Caruso to apologize after the incident, but the two never connected. The Bulls downplayed any lingering animosity toward Allen leading up to the series, but fans at United Center weren’t easily overlooked, responding with loud boos whenever Allen approached the King’s table. score or touch the foul ball in every game this season.
Even as he gained a reputation as a villain in Chicago, Allen insisted after Sunday’s game that he didn’t react so negatively.
“It’s not natural that I’m comfortable,” Allen said. “I come now, whenever I go out to play basketball, I just remind myself to go out and have fun with this. … My personality is inherently uncomfortable with attention, booing, swearing. . It’s nothing. I ate it all. I won’t go out looking for it.”
That didn’t stop Allen’s teammates from having fun with it.
Star Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo suggests Allen frame a photo from Game 3, where the Bucks bench is in the background booing Allen as he approaches the free-throw line after converting and -1.
“He played great, maybe we have to boo him more,” Antetokounmpo said with a smile after the game. “Probably as Milwaukee fans, we have to boo him… nah, we’re not going to do that.”
Added protection Jrue’s Day: “When we booed him during the game, and he really started blabbing, I think we just stuck with that.”
After leading all scorers in Game 3 on Friday by 22 points, Allen excelled on Sunday afternoon.
Allen entered 10/12 games on Sunday, including 6/7 from a distance of 3 points, to get himself past the Chicago bench 27-17. He became the first Bucks player to score 25 points and six 3-pointers in a playoff game in team history and the first Bucks player to have at least 25 points on the bench since. Tim Thomas in 2003, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information. Allen even made defensive plays, collecting 3 steals and helping Chicago shoot 3/8 games when he was the main defender.
Allen recovered from a 0 draw with 4 from 3 to start the streak in the first two games. His performance this weekend helped the Bucks withstand the loss going forward Kris Middletonwho will miss the rest of this first series with MCL spraining his left knee.
“He’s pretty quiet, but confident,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer talk about Allen. “I think this is a confident group, a group that sees a player who can help them and appreciates his competitiveness. He’s just quiet, doesn’t bull—and comes in to play. . I think our boys are going for that kind of mentality. It’s definitely a good fit.”
By the time Allen started the match between free-throw attempts with 5:50 remaining in the fourth inning, the boos from the United Center crowd had turned from exasperated to dejected.
Chicago has been waiting five years for a home playoff game here, and the fan’s reward is a weekend of non-competitive basketball. The Bulls have been overtaken by a combined score of 230-176 in their two home games and must win Wednesday at Milwaukee to extend their season.
“You must give [Allen] credits, “Protecting the Bulls Zach LaVine speak. “He was hitting the shots. …Obviously, we knew what happened [with the Caruso injury]. At the end of the day, it’s basketball. We understand that. But it’s not like we’re out there saying ‘That guy can’t beat us.’ The Milwaukee Bucks can’t beat us and he’s part of their team. They are generally beating us right now.
“You can’t just explain to him. That’s everyone.”
