Chicago Bulls (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Just when you thought the tides were turning in the Chicago Bulls‘ first round series with the Milwaukee Bucks, Billy Donovan and company came out and laid an egg in Game 3.
This was the Bulls’ first home playoff game in five years. The building was electric — to begin with. The energy was largely positive, especially after the Bulls went out and took back home court advantage in Game 2 with a huge defensive effort.
But, as tipoff went down at the United Center for Game 3, the momentum swung right back in favor of Milwaukee, and in a hurry.
The Bucks raced out to a 33-17 lead after the first quarter, and Chicago looked lethargic, unmotivated and out of energy from the get-go. What didn’t help was the fact that maybe the most hated Bucks player was having himself a night.
Grayson Allen single-handedly ripped the heart out of Chicago Bulls fans and took life out of the United Center.
The Bucks entered this game without the likes of All Star Khris Middleton, who will miss the remainder of the series. In order to fill his shoes, the Bucks needed someone to step up.
Grayson Allen being the 3rd-best player on the floor in this 1st half is a real gut punch for #Bulls fans.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) April 23, 2022
Unfortunately for Bulls fans, that man was Grayson Allen.
Of course, Allen’s infamous foul on Alex Caruso earlier in the season made him easy for Bulls fans to hate. That foul led to injury and put Caruso out for a long time. It was also deemed dirty by many, making Allen public enemy number one going forward.
In Game 3, it was Allen who came out firing, aggressive and looking to establish himself early on. Coming off the bench, Allen began by knocking down a trio of three-pointers in a hurry.
Throughout the rest of the game, Allen was aggressive going to the bucket on occasion and made some rather impressive finishes. Allen ended the game with 22 points, six boards, one steal and one block, also knocking down 5-of-7 front downtown as well.
If you put Allen in a Chicago uniform, he would have been the best player on the Bulls Friday night. Not a single Bulls player outscored Allen, nor did they come close to his +15 in the plus/minus category.