Bucks' Jason Terry eager to add to playoff resume

BEAVERTON, Ore. – This playoff chase is nothing new for 39-year-old Jason Terry, who has reached the postseason 11 times in his 17 years in the NBA.

He’s hoping to make it an even dozen appearances over 18 seasons if the Milwaukee Bucks can qualify for the Eastern Conference playoffs in the next few weeks.

The Bucks signed him last summer for his leadership in moments like these, as they face the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night in a game with playoff implications for both teams.

Milwaukee (34-35) enters the game just one-half game ahead of eighth-place Detroit and ninth-place Miami in the East. Portland (32-37) entered Monday just one game behind eighth-place Denver for the final playoff berth in the West, with Denver playing at Houston.

“The last month we’ve been in somewhat of playoff mode,” Terry said. “And we cannot shift gears now.

“Although we did drop the last game (Saturday against Golden State), we have to remember what got us to this point. And that’s energy, effort, trust and discipline on both ends of the floor.

“If we continue to do that, we will be in the playoffs.”

The Bucks traveled from San Francisco to Portland on Monday and headed directly to the Nike World campus and the opulent Bo Jackson Center for practice.

The mood was upbeat as the team prepared to face a suddenly hot Trail Blazers team that won in Miami on Sunday behind point guard Damian Lillard’s 49-point outburst.

Terry has played in 115 career post-season games, while the rest of his teammates combined have played in 171.

But some of the Bucks’ key players have minimal playoff experience. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton each have played in six post-season games, coming when the Bucks lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2015 playoffs.

Center Greg Monroe has a zero on his playoff resume — as in zero appearances with Detroit and Milwaukee — and would desperately like to erase that number.

“That’s everything right now for me,” Monroe said. “That’s why I play and something I’ve been trying to do since I got into the league.

“To be in this position right now, I’m excited about it. But there still is a ways to go and we still have to come out and perform to reach our goal.”

The Bucks are 2-2 on their long road swing and finish it with a back-to-back set against Portland and Sacramento. Then only 11 more games will remain, including five home games.

“I can share all the experiences I want with the guys, but a guy like Giannis himself still has to go through the fire,” Terry said.

“All of us understand that Moose (Monroe) has not been to the playoffs. We want to put him there.

“I’ve been (to the postseason) two years in a row with Houston now, and for the rest of my career, I don’t want to stop. When I signed with Milwaukee they said, ‘Ah, well, you’re not on a playoff team; you’re not with a contender.’

“But we’ve grown into one.”

The Bucks have won eight of their last 10 games, with the losses coming on this trip to the Memphis Grizzlies and the Warriors. But Milwaukee was able to sweep the Clippers and Lakers in Los Angeles last week to stay in good position.

Five teams are in an extremely tight race for the final three playoff spots in the East — Indiana, Milwaukee, Detroit, Miami and Chicago.

Terry won an NBA title with Dallas in 2011 and Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova did it with Cleveland last season.

Dellavedova has played an additional 40 games over the past two seasons while the Cavaliers made back-to-back runs to the NBA Finals.

“Right now we’re just focusing on what we need to do to get there,” Dellavedova said.

“Playing in the playoffs, I’ve won a lot and it has been great for my development. Everyone is playing to win; every possession counts. It’s physical and tough. It’s good.”

Several other Bucks players have made playoff appearances on other teams. Spencer Hawes has played in 31 postseason games and Terrence Jones 25. Michael Beasley has appeared in 21 and Tony Snell and Mirza Teletovic 16 each.

John Henson has 10 appearances with the Bucks, the most by any current player with Milwaukee.

But it will take continued success to gain a playoff spot and possibly move as high as No. 6 or No. 7, which likely would avoid a first-round matchup against LeBron James and Cleveland.

“Earlier this season we talked about being a team that could not finish games,” Terry said. “Now we have Khris Middleton and we’ve been closing games pretty well.

“It’s staying steadfast, being disciplined and having trust in one another.”