In Your Face, Celtics: Were Milwaukee Buck Brandon Jennings' Antics a Wise Move?

The Milwaukee Bucks continued their unlikely romp through the NBA Tuesday night, stretching their latest winning streak to four with an 86-84 victory over the Boston Celtics.

It was the Bucks’ 10th win in their last 11 games. They continue to climb higher in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and now sit comfortably in the fifth spot.

The way they’re playing, they could ascend to even loftier heights. They held off the third-place Celtics Tuesday, and Atlanta, nestled in the fourth spot, hasn’t made any strides of late.

So things are looking up, indeed, for the Bucks.

That’s why I have to ask: Were Brandon Jennings’ late and postgame demonstrations the wisest courses of action?

The dynamic rookie took an outlet pass from Andrew Bogut in the fourth quarter and raced the length of the floor for a layup. Boston’s Glen Davis swatted the shot and crashed into Jennings, sending him to the floor.

The diminutive guard quickly hopped to his feet and stood over Davis, who bumped him as he got up. The two had to be separated, chirping all the way. Both received technical fouls.

“They’re known for punkin’ people," Jennings declared , "but they weren’t going to come in here and just punk me.”

After the Bucks had secured the victory, Jennings continued to jaw, this time at Celtics' star Kevin Garnett, as the two teams headed down the tunnel to their locker rooms.

Fair enough. Jennings is playing with fire and determination and isn’t backing down. You want that from a player, whether he’s a rookie or a ten year veteran. Too often, it’s missing in the pro game.

Fire and determination is one thing, however. Getting in the face of veteran players—especially players who have won a championship—and reading them the riot act as if you’re the new sheriff in town is a risky proposition, indeed.

Think about the images: There’s Jennings, half Davis’ size, going nose-to-chest, taunting the Celtics' massive forward.

It’s unrealistic. Davis can’t do anything, and Jennings knows it. Jennings can shout and bump and nod his head all he wants. Davis just has to walk away and let him have his say.

If Davis retaliates, even just by getting in Jennings' face and shouting him down, he looks like a bully. If he gets physical, he's gone. It's a no-win situation.

Jennings' runway banter with Garnett was less egregious, perhaps. Who knows, maybe Garnett just laughed it off. Maybe he even enjoyed the give and take and gave the rookie credit for his brashness; after all, Garnett was once in those shoes.

Regardless, if Garnett was peeved, there was, likewise, nothing he could do. A cooler veteran head told Garnett to keep walking and let the rookie talk all he wanted.

Don’t kid yourself, however. That veteran head won’t forget. Neither will Davis. Memories are long in pro sports, and the Celtics will file this one away.

They know the Bucks won by only two points. They know it was Bogut who dominated (25 points, 17 rebounds) and that Jennings had less to crow about.

They know that they’ll see the youngster and his upstart teammates twice more in the last week of the season.

A lot could happen between now and then. The Bucks may surge past the Celtics in the standings. Or maybe Boston will right their slightly teetering ship and solidify their status as one of the East’s elite.

The Celtics will remember Tuesday night, though, and they’ll be ready come April.

I love what the Bucks are doing and wrote about it two weeks ago. They’re for real and have proven it with a scintillating stretch of basketball prowess.

However, rookies like Jennings don’t get preferred treatment in the NBA.

Veterans do.

This is particularly true when the intensity ramps up late in the season and into the playoffs. The Celtics know it. Patience is on their side.

Youngsters have to earn their stripes, no matter how emphatically they try to claim them for themselves.

Jennings has game, no question about it. His demonstrations Tuesday night may have been spontaneous, and his fans may have loved them, but that doesn’t make it a wise decision.

April 10 and 14 are now circled on the Celtics’ calendar. It should make for great theater.