Despite 60 wins and other advanced metrics claiming historical greatness, the 2018-2019 Milwaukee Bucks stalled during the most critical of junctures. With the summit in plain view, and with the entire state of Wisconsin experiencing a serious bout of summit fever, the Milwaukee Bucks were forced back down to base camp with a severe case of altitude sickness.

It’s clear the Bucks needed an extra gear and a go-to offensive force to close out games and get to the top.

Maybe they find their answer in-house with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has taken his game to the next level every year he’s been in the league.

Maybe he finally develops a consistent back-to-the-basket post game, or some sort of unstoppable pull-up jumper.

Maybe he revamps his deliberate free throw approach and evolves into an 80% shooter by simply dribbling three times and letting it rip.

Ultimately, I think his offensive game suffered in the playoffs because he worked with 110% effort on defense, and he was regularly smacked and hacked in the paint. Dude shot 55% from the line in the postseason (including two air-balls), he air-mailed a five-footer in Game 6, and he even missed a dunk in Game 5.

By having to play every other night in the ECF, I felt like he, along with the rest of the team, simply ran out of gas. They ran out of oxygen, and the ensuing altitude sickness became too much to overcome.

It’s obvious Giannis and the Bucks lost to a better team who clearly possessed a decisive extra gear when they needed it the most.

That being said, I hope the Bucks bring back Middleton and Lopez. Middleton gets trashed by the local media and know-it-all fans, but he’s been an instrumental part of the rebuild, and he’s the perfect #2 to Giannis. If he asserted himself to be more of an alpha in the fourth quarter, maybe the Bucks are playing tonight. Lopez was a huge part of the team’s “Let it Fly” philosophy by spacing the court for his teammates, and he was an imposing force on “D” by protecting the paint and crashing the boards. More importantly, the Bucks have no one on their current roster capable of replacing either player, making both Middleton and Lopez key pieces of the puzzle for next year.

With that being said, I think we should let Brogdon walk. He’ll command a ton of money in free agency, and his injury history is a definite concern. Also, we have young (cheap) players who can replace him with Sterling Brown, Donte Divincenzo, and, if we can somehow sign George Hill for another year (for around 10 million?), we’d be set.

Finally, I’m fine with the long term Bledsoe signing, but dude needs to find a way to step up in the playoffs, not take steps backward. My goodness, if he played even close to his offensive potential, we’d be playing tonight.

I firmly believe the fire is lit and the future is bright. I can envision a Coach Bud statue near Giannis’s somewhere in the Beer District. Still. Losing in the ECF continues to hurt bad. It feels worse than the Brewers losing Game 7 last year.

Maybe it’s the sight of Steph Curry jacking up threes in Canada. Maybe it’s because the wound is still fresh, and I can’t help picking at the scab. Maybe it’s because Wisconsin sports fans like myself are sick and tired of getting jarred awake just when we were convinced the dream was real.

Who knows where the next NBA super team will be and what it will look like. Either way, the East should be up for grabs next year, and with Giannis around, the Bucks will be competitive as hell and fun to watch.

Can’t wait to see what comes next.

Go Bucks!!!!!