Bulls' first-round series chippy to the finish
MILWAUKEE - As soon as Mike Dunleavy sat down at the podium Thursday night following the Bulls' blowout victory in Game 6 at the Bradley Center, he was asked if he thought there was a danger of getting suspended by the league.
There were some nasty hits during the game, no doubt. But Dunleavy stayed nonchalant about the ordeal.
"Look, there's a lot of stuff that went on," he said. "I think guys got tangled up a bunch; there were a bunch of different things that went on.
"So I don't recall anything, but heat of the battle, guys get upset about stuff. Especially if they're losing by a lot. No big deal. It happens. We're moving on."
Some of the Bucks weren't ready to move on while the game was still in progress. Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was ejected at the 1:34 mark of the second quarter for basically tackling Dunleavy into the front-row seats after Dunleavy drained a 3-point shot.
In the third quarter, Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams appeared to take a swing at Dunleavy but for whatever reason was given only a technical foul and was not ejected.
Dunleavy did his part to make the Bucks angry. Early in the game, he struck Carter-Williams in the throat after a shot attempt by the Milwaukee guard. Dunleavy also appeared to knock Antetokounmpo down with a forearm jab.
So maybe the Bucks were seeking retaliation. Asked about specific plays, though, Dunleavy stuck to the foggy-memory excuse.
"Sometimes you've got to take the hard foul, you know? We've all been there," he said of Antetokounmpo's flagrant foul. "There's a time and a place for it. Maybe that could change the momentum for them. It's part of basketball.
"We came out on their home court and put it on them. And that's frustrating. For anybody that's been there before, that's frustrating and I understand that and things happen."
Milwaukee's O.J. Mayo got a technical in the second quarter for running off the bench to bump and confront Jimmy Butler. Mayo seemed to be upset that Butler blocked an after-the-whistle practice shot taken by Bucks center Zaza Pachulia.
Mirotic places second:
Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic finished second in rookie-of-the-year voting. Minnesota's Andrew Wiggins was announced as winner of the award Thursday.
Wiggins, the first Canadian-born rookie of the year, averaged 16.9 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who finished with the NBA's worst record at 16-66.
Mirotic averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds. The 6-foot-10 forward didn't always play a significant role early in the season. When he got consistent court time, Mirotic averaged 20.8 points during the month of March while leading the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring.
"I thought he had a terrific year," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said before Thursday's game. "He has a very bright future and just has to keep working. I love the way he approaches things, how he works and who he is. It's only going to get better and better. I thought he had a terrific season."
The vote wasn't very close. Wiggins received 110 of 130 first-place votes. Mirotic received 81 second-place votes. Philadelphia center Nerlens Noel was third in the voting, Orlando guard Elfrid Payton fourth and Boston guard Marcus Smart fifth.
The Bulls have had three rookies of the year in team history: Michael Jordan in 1985, Elton Brand in 2000 and Derrick Rose in 2009.
Bulls post big numbers:
According to Bulls radio statistician Jeff Mangurten, the 34-16 lead after the first quarter of Game 6 was the Bulls' greatest advantage in a playoff quarter since Game 1 of the second round against Atlanta in 1997. That night the Bulls outscored the Hawks 38-20 in the third quarter.
Too late for rally:
Three teams in NBA history have rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7: The New York Knicks against Rochester in the 1951 finals, Denver against Utah in the 1994 second round, and Portland against Dallas in the 2003 first round. All three of the teams that rallied from a 3-0 deficit lost Game 7.
Best of the Bucks:
The NBA calendar has changed a bit over the years.
Thursday marked the 44th anniversary of the Milwaukee Bucks' one and only championship, in their third season of existence.
The Bucks completed a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Bullets with a 118-106 road victory on April 30, 1971. Oscar Robertson scored 30 points and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar added 27 in the clincher.