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    COLUMN: Hawks' Cinderella run has struck midnight. Bucks in 5

    Atlanta's high-flying birds are about to be grounded
    Jun 28, 2021
    Trae Young
    PHOTO: AP
    spin zone

    CHICAGO - Can Cinderella run with a tender ankle?

    With her slender size 4 frame and 17-inch waist, yes, the belle of the ball can probably tip-toe gingerly and still outrun the striking of midnight.

    The same cannot be said of the Hawks. The glass slipper is broken and party's over in Atlanta.

    These high-flying birds aren't going further than the Eastern Conference Finals with Trae Young dragging his right Adidas shoe after tweaking an ankle with 29.3 seconds left in the third quarter.

    But that mishap, which occurred when Young stepped on referee Sean Wright's foot, was just the injury to the insult.

    Trae Young complains to referee in Bucks vs Hawks Game 3

    Atlanta lost Game 3, 113-102, because Khris Middleton was wildfire, scoring 20 of his 38 points in a torrid fourth quarter where the Hawks were burned with a decisive 15-3 run that carried Milwaukee to a 2-1 series lead.

    This dance is over.

    The Bucks are simply the better, more complete team.

    When Ice Trae drilled a 26-foot-3 at the 5:14 mark of the opening quarter, the Hawks quickly jumped to a 25-10 lead and the 16,888 fans who were in attendance at the State Farm Arena went bananas.

    It was Atlanta's best punch. And the Bucks took it like a champ.

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    SEE ALSO

    Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered through the indignity of being heckled for his abysmal free throw shooting, a 6-for-13 fare that included a lonely, miserable air ball.

    BUT HE HAD THE LAST LAUGH AND THE LAST LAUGH IS ALWAYS THE BEST.

    The Greek Freak finished with 33 points, 11 boards and four dimes. Attacking the hoop with relentless resolve, he went 13-of-21 from the field and put the Hawks defense in foul trouble and constantly on its heels.

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    While the stage clearly belonged to Antetokounmpo and Middleton, Milwaukee's 1-2 All-Star punch left plenty of room for other Bucks to shine.

    Bobby Portis, who's had an on-and-off relationship with playing time in this postseason, made the most out of his 17 minutes of fame by hitting 7-of-12 shots for 15 points.

    Brook Lopez added 10 while Pat Connaughton, who only had 5 markers, collected 8 rebounds to help Milwaukee dominate the boards, 50-35.

    Young shook off a poor Game 2 effort with a resurgent 35 points. But Jrue Holiday - a member of the NBA's All-Defensive team - as his primary cover, Trae had to labor extra hard for every basket and was held to four assists

    Danilo Gallinari and John Collins combined for 31 points to alleviate some of the scoring pressure off of Young but there were plenty of dry throats on the Atlanta side.

    Bogdan Bogdanovic went 3-for-16 while Kevin Huerter misfired with 4-for-11.

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    Bogdanovic is soldiering through a bad hamstring and I get it that he needs to be out there as a threat. But I don't know about riding a compromised starter for 35 minutes when he obviously can't keep up with the speed and pace of the Bucks.

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      I wonder why coach Nate McMillan won't take a chance on either Cam Reddish or Tony Snell.

      At this point, how can a wistful roll of the dice hurt, right?

      The Bucks, meanwhile, are rolling just fine with their 8-man strong rotation.

      I had made plans to drive over to the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee for Game 7 on July 5.

      But once I finish this column, I'm going to email the NBA to cancel that credential request and make alternate plans for that Monday night.

      This series closes in five games and the next time I'll see Giannis is at the NBA Finals in July.

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      PHOTO: AP
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