No time to rest for Bucks
Whirlwind doesn't even begin to describe it.
On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks shook the sports world by deciding not to play Game 5 of their playoff series against the Orlando Magic. That choice shut the league down for a couple of days before the players association, ownership and league office could agree upon a path forward, one that would include a resumption of basketball as well as a commitment to social justice initiatives.
The Bucks got back on the court Saturday — again for Game 5 — and put away the Magic. Now, with little respite to speak of, they're on the verge of what should be an intense second-round series with the Miami Heat beginning at 5:30 p.m. Monday at The Field House in the NBA's Walt Disney World campus.
“It's a lot. I mean, emotionally, physically, mentally, the whole nine," Bucks guard Pat Connaughton said.
“I mean, it's been a week. It's been a week for us," veteran forward Marvin Williams added following Sunday's practice session. "Guys have rallied today. It's been a tough week for us but I think the biggest thing is we decided to come back to playing basketball because we understood the platform that we have here. We can still be able to speak up about the things that are going on in our country.”
The Heat, fresh off a first-round sweep of the Indiana Pacers, have been off for a week, knowing they could expect the Bucks to meet them in the second round. When it comes to preparation time, there's no question Miami has the upper hand, which they earned via their four convincing wins over Indiana.
It's a different story for the Bucks. They notched four double-digit wins over a feisty Magic team, but a dismal Game 1 combined with the protest-created layoff forced them into an extended series with little time to prepare for Round 2. In fact, all they had was Sunday's practice.
“It is a very quick turn, but if you're been in the league a long time it's probably happened to a team you've been a part of," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "I think one of our hopes is just to keep them as clean and free as they can be and go out and play and not overcomplicate it, which coaches tend to do.”
When it comes to the matchup, the challenge for the Bucks will be pretty straightforward. Since Budenholzer arrived in Milwaukee last season, the Bucks have hung their hat on defense, recording the best defensive rating in back-to-back seasons. The Bucks' scheme is fairly simple — wall off the paint better than anyone else and live with other teams shooting three-pointers, ideally contested shots outside of
Heat guard Duncan Robinson shoots against Bucks guard Wesley Matthews on Aug. 6. Robinson shot 44.6% from three-point range this season.
the corners from their opponents' worst shooters.
Again, that strategy has paid off marvelously over the past couple of years. However, it's going to be seriously put to the test by a Miami team that ranked second in the NBA in three-point percentage (37.9%) and just finished torching Indiana at a clip of 39.1% from deep over the four-game sweep.
The Heat don't just shoot well from three-point range, they feast on the kinds of above-the-break shots the Bucks tend to give up. Their off-ball screening and movement stand out to Budenholzer as unique relative to other teams, especially considering how those motions are used to spring shooters for what the Bucks call high-quadrant shots.
“They probably have more of that than most teams and you've got to be able to guard that," Budenholzer said. "You've got to be able guard (Goran) Dragic and his pick-and-roll game, (Jimmy) Butler getting to the paint, Butler facilitating and finding guys for threes everywhere and (Bam) Adebayo putting pressure on the rim. They've got a lot of things that fit together well.”
In order to play solid perimeter defense, the Bucks are going to have to rely heavily on their guards to stick with the Heat's shooters, particularly secondyear sniper Duncan Robinson who shot 44.6% from three-point range this season on a whopping 8.3 attempts per game. Heading into Monday's game, though, the Bucks are a bit banged up. Point guard Eric Bledsoe, a first-team all-defense selection a season ago, is officially listed as questionable with a right hamstring strain.
“He talked to the training staff after the game, I guess it was yesterday, and just had some awareness I think is the word they use now," Budenholzer said. "Just continuing to monitor it and he's making progress.”
At the other end, the Bucks are sure to encounter similar walls to the ones they saw in the first round against the Magic, except this time elite defenders like Butler and Adebayo will be the ones trying to stonewall Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks from getting in the paint. Miami has been one of the tougher, more physical teams against Milwaukee in the past and this series should be no different.
In order to score, the Bucks are going to have to get out in transition whenever they can, execute crisply to find open looks and be ready to play through plenty of contact when they can't get open. Everything starts with Antetokounmpo and the rest of his teammates know they'll have to be ready — either to shoot, drive or keep the ball moving — when he sucks in the Heat defense and kicks out a pass to them.
“Effort, multiple efforts at that," Butler said Sunday of trying to stop Antetokounmpo. "Obviously, he's a hell of a player — he's MVP for a reason. You can't just get lost at how many talented players that he has around him as well and how he can score the ball and also gets everybody else involved, which is why they're such a good team. But, it does start with him so you got to lock in on him and you take him out and hopefully you can take a little of these other guys out, too.”
This series has the chance to be a back-and-forth battle. The Bucks have the reigning and presumptive MVP as well as regular-season stats that rank at or near the top of the NBA in multiple key categories. However, the Bucks have also looked a bit more vulnerable over the past month. Meanwhile, the Heat are playing well right now, are well rested and are convinced their physical and mental toughness have them wellsuited for a bubble run.
The Bucks haven't had long to get ready for this series, but they had better be prepared for their biggest test of the season.