FEAR THE DEER

The Bucks finally seem to be getting the respect they deserve.

With Andrew Bogut cheering from the bench, Brandon Jennings teamed with Kurt Thomas in a duo for the ages to push the Milwaukee Bucks one win from an improbable first-round upset.

Jennings scored 25 points, Thomas drew a crucial charging foul against Joe Johnson and the Bucks stunned the home team with a 14-0 run late in the game, beating the favored Hawks 91-87 on Wednesday night for a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Milwaukee's third straight win over third-seeded Atlanta gives the upstarts a chance to wrap up the series at home in Game 6 on Friday night.

Bogut is watching the playoffs with a cast on his right hand after taking a gruesome fall late in the regular season, but the 20-year-old Jennings keeps stepping up big with darting moves to the hoop and timely jumpers.

"The main thing was just keep attacking, keeping attacking," Jennings said. "The pressure's not on us."

...Atlanta dominated the first two games on its home court and fully expected to win at least one game in Milwaukee, which would have set them up to clinch at home in Game 5.

Instead, it's the gritty Bucks, appearing in the playoffs for the first time since 2006, who are on the verge of moving on to face waiting Orlando in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

I like this article from FOX Sports, "Hawks have talent, but Bucks have guts."

It begins:

The Bucks have it. The Hawks don't.

That's a great opening line.

Credit the Bucks for their gutsy 91-87 win that gained them a commanding 3-2 advantage as the series returns to Milwaukee. The Bucks fashioned their victory by making big plays at both ends of the court, never giving up, and getting terrific play from their bench players.

At the same time, discredit the Atlanta Hawks for their impatience, for their pathetic cheap-shot attempts to try and prove that they're really a bunch of tough guys, and for their dismal team-wide performance in the clutch.

The Bucks have shown that they have guts and talent, a winning combination.

Fear the Deer!