Not long ago, Brandon Jennings said that if the Milwaukee Bucks made the playoffs, he should be the NBA Rookie of the Year.

After tonight’s win, he has definitely converted some additional non-believers.

Jennings hit four clutch free throws in the final half-minute to seal the Bucks’ 91-87 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Phillips Arena.  The Game 5 win puts the underdog Bucks only one game away from reaching the second round of the postseason.

The rookie point guard – who scored 55 points in a game earlier in the season – provided Milwaukee with a 25-point effort.  He was brilliant all night, and kept the Bucks within shouting distance in the third quarter.  The Hawks had stretched out to a 13-point lead during the third, but the Bucks kept battling behind Jennings and speedy backup Luke Ridnour – who contributed 15 off the bench.

John Salmons did his thing down the stretch of the Bucks' 91-87 win.

Shooting guard John Salmons took over in the fourth quarter.  Although he had a rough 6-17 shooting night, Salmons finished the game with 19.  But perhaps his biggest contribution was holding All-Star Joe Johnson to 13 points.

The Hawks got big production from Al Horford (25 points, 11 rebounds) and Marvin Williams (22 points, 8-10 FG).  But Atlanta have to be disheartened by the fact that they let a 13-point third quarter lead slip evaporate against a team with limited offensive firepower.  Suddenly, the Hawks face a desperate situation in Game 6 which we be held in Milwaukee on Friday.  With all of their talent, size and athleticism, it’s still the same old story with Atlanta – a lack of consistency for 48 minutes.

Too much credit cannot be given to Scott Skiles and his Milwaukee team.  They have battled through injuries that he dislodged core members of their team (Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut), and have exceeded all of the wildest hopes of their fan base.  The Bucks were projected to finish this season in a position to compete for the lottery, and tonight they stand on the brink of advancing to the second round of the postseason for the first time since 2000-01.

There are no such things as moral victories – but regardless of whether or not Milwaukee gets past Atlanta, they will look back on this season as a success.  

The Hawks, on the other hand, have all the pressure on them based on their improvement from previous seasons.  Losing to the Bucks could be just the right motivation to see some changes made – and to push Joe Johnson out the door.