With trade noise gone, Portis says the Bucks are finally playing free.
The Milwaukee Bucks have looked like a completely different team over the past few weeks, and veteran forward Bobby Portis thinks a huge weight has been lifted off the locker room now that the trade deadline has come and gone.
After Milwaukee's 118-116 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, Portis got real about what this team has been dealing with all season long and how the noise was starting to take a toll on the group.
The Dark Cloud Has Lifted
"We know the situation we're in," Portis said after the game.
He pointed to the struggles the team went through earlier in the year, noting how far things slipped.
"Slip down to like 13 seed, 12th seed at one point, right? So much outside noise about trades, so much outside noise about everything else that doesn't involve winning."
It is hard to argue with him. The Bucks fell as low as 18-29 earlier this season and the constant trade rumors around Giannis Antetokounmpo made it tough for anybody in that locker room to feel settled.
Portis admitted that all of the speculation "puts a dark cloud over your locker room" and that "it's like human nature to go out there and second guess yourself."
But the deadline passed, Giannis stayed in Milwaukee, and Bobby Portis says the mood has completely shifted.
"Now the deadline's over and guys can just go out there and hoop and just play free and do what's needed to win," he said.
Milwaukee's Winning Streak Is No Fluke
The results are backing up Portis' words. Milwaukee has won eight of its last 10 games and five of its last six, climbing to 26-31 on the season and 11th in the Eastern Conference.
Wednesday night's nail-biter against Cleveland was a perfect example of the fight this team has right now, as Kevin Porter Jr. hit a clutch fadeaway jumper with 20 seconds left to seal the win.
Porter Jr. has been a massive reason for the turnaround, averaging 21.9 points, 7.9 assists, and 2.7 steals through nine February games.
Against the Cavaliers, he finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and five steals while Ryan Rollins added 18 points and nine assists in nearly 35 minutes of action.
Portis himself has been solid since returning from a hip injury, averaging 13.4 points and 6.7 rebounds on the year while shooting 48.2 percent from the floor and a scorching 45.1 percent from three.
The ball movement has been a big part of it.
Head coach Doc Rivers has stressed connectivity and sharing the ball all season, and it has finally started to click with this group.
Seven Bucks scored in double figures in their 139-118 blowout of the Pelicans last week, and that kind of balanced scoring has carried over into the rest of February.
Can They Keep It Going When Giannis Returns?
The biggest question hanging over this run is what happens when Giannis Antetokounmpo comes back.
The two-time MVP has missed 13 straight games with a strained right calf and is averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 30 games this season.
Rivers has said he is "close" to getting back to full health, with a return expected in early March.
Getting Antetokounmpo back would obviously be a huge boost for a team that is only a game and a half out of the final play-in spot.
But the question is whether this group can keep the chemistry and the ball movement going with a ball-dominant superstar back in the fold.
The Bucks have found something without him, and blending that new identity with Giannis' talent will be the real challenge down the stretch.
For now though, Bobby Portis and the rest of the Bucks are just happy to play free.
The dark cloud is gone, the trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, and Milwaukee finally looks like a team that believes in itself again.