The Bucks Go As Andrew Bogut Goes

Everyone forgets this, but Andrew Bogut was a No. 1 pick in the draft once upon a time. He was selected to be the Bucks’ franchise cornerstone and the guy who would carry the Bucks through good times and bad. After four so-so years, it appears Bogut has finally reached that point. With Bogut leading the way, the Bucks are winning games (10 of their last 11, to be more specific) and are becoming a dangerous potential first-round opponent.

Never was this transformation more clear than in last night’s win over the Celtics. As SB Nation’s Bucks blog Brew Hoop notes, the Bucks literally went as Bogut went. When Bogut played well, so did the Bucks. When he didn’t, they struggled.

Looking every bit the best player on a court with at least six future Hall of Fame feet running around but certainly never through him, Bogut smashed the Celtics for 10 points, six rebounds and a couple blocks in a first quarter highlighted by a slam on Big Baby Davis Big Baby Davis.

And then the second quarter happened, and so went Bogut, so went the Bucks: Nowhere. He neither demanded the ball nor did his teammates look for him, and when they did, the entry passes were telegraphed. I thought we were past that. And for the most part, we are.

Bogut stormed back to the forefront of the night in the second half with 15 more points and a couple more blocks, at once turning the game offensively, and turning the game defensively. Something like a phenomenon at both ends of the court, this Aussie.

All sorts of memorable plays: the ferocious rebound-dunk off a corner Charlie Bell three-point miss to tie the game 59-59, the epic stuff of Paul Pierce and perfect full-court outlet to Brandon Jennings who was subsequently clobbered by Glen Davis, and just when the Celtics had no answer for Bogut, the picture-perfect feed to Ersan Ilyasova for an and-one.

And in he end, he looked every bit the best player on the court — one of the best on any court — with 25 points, 17 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 5-5 at the line.

In the process, Bogut dominated Kendrick Perkins, one of the league’s elite defensive centers, for the second time this season. While it’s true that Perkins is in a bit of a funk right now, as CelticsBlog notes, the idea that Bogut is carving up an elite post defender has got to be a scary thought for Celtics fans. These two teams could very well end up meeting in the playoffs, after all.