In a pregame conversation Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles had with his rookie point guard Brandon Jennings, the coach advised him to set the tone for the team and stay aggressive.
As tones go, 34 points on 14-of-25 shooting in his playoff debut sounded pretty good to Skiles.
"He was, in many ways, our most composed player early in the game," Skiles said. "That bodes really well for him."
Jennings had 20 by halftime and then dumped 12 on the Hawks in the third quarter, making five of six shots. Jennings used his quickness to get to the basket and also to create room for jump shots. He was 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
"The intensity is a little higher [in the playoffs], but I can't tell, because I'm playing above my head this whole series," Jennings said. "There's no pressure on us. All we have to do is play basketball."
Veteran delivers: Hawks guard Mike Bibby was an effective counter to the explosiveness of Jennings, delivering a number of big baskets throughout the game.
Bibby made eight of nine shots, including all three 3-point attempts. He finished with 19 points, second-most on the team. Perhaps his biggest basket was in the third quarter, after the Bucks had drawn to within seven points late in the third quarter, which was as close as Milwaukee had been since the middle of the first quarter.
On a drive-and-dish from Jamal Crawford, Bibby drained a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 10 points.
"I thought Mike Bibby was ready to play from the start, and when things got a little tight, he came through for us," coach Mike Woodson said. "That's been Bibby ever since he stepped foot in Atlanta."
First time: In his 10th NBA season, Crawford played in his first playoff game. He acknowledged being "nervous" at the start despite being a tenured veteran.
“It’s good to just get that first game out of the way,” Crawford said after scoring 17 points.“The intensity level [is] like going from preseason to regular season, but it’s even more magnified here.”
Philips factor: The Hawks officially recorded the game a sellout with an attendance of 18,729. But there were a few pockets of empty seats despite deeply discounted tickets available online.
Still, fans were boisterous and helped the Hawks to a big lead in the first half and provided a jolt after their lull in the third quarter.
"We would have liked a sellout, but I saw some empty seats," said forward Josh Smith. "The fans have been really good most of the season. The economy has taken its toll on people, but if they are able to afford it, we really need the support."
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