With less than two weeks until Nets basketball is officially back, it’s time to dive into a potential first round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks.
With the Nets only a 1/2 game up on the 8-seeded Orlando Magic, and with key names sitting out the restart, it’s a definite possibility that Brooklyn finds themselves as the bottom seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. If this ends up being the case, their reward is a date with the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks and their reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
This may seem like a daunting task for the Nets, but like all teams, this Bucks team has weaknesses. And while almost everyone would pick Milwaukee in a seven-game series, Brooklyn still has the talent and the personnel to exploit the Bucks and give them a first-round scare.
Let’s take a closer look at Milwaukee and how the Nets can be successful, should they find themselves against Giannis and Co.
The Coach
The reigning NBA coach of the year, Mike Budenholzer (or, as he’s called in Milwaukee, Coach Bud), is now in his second year as the head coach of the team, after spending five years with the Atlanta Hawks. Budenholzer began his NBA coaching career under the tutelage of Gregg Popovich in San Antonio for nearly 20 years. Naturally, the Arizona native has taken heavy inspiration from his former mentor.
Budenholzer has always prioritized defense, and this year’s Bucks team is no exception. Say what you will about the coach and his lack of adjustments mid-game (*cough* Eastern Conference Finals), but the man understands his personnel perfectly.
With defensive anchors Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Budenholzer completely takes away all inside scoring from opponents. But with the paint defense being the priority, Coach Bud is willing to leave the 3-point line open. That’s what the Nets need to attack. Guys like Joe Harris, Caris LeVert, and even newcomer Jamal Crawford are going to have to be lethal from 3 in order to give Brooklyn a chance. Based on how Budenholzer styles his defense, the Nets shooters will get an opportunity to do damage.
The Starters
A lot of casual fans like to say that the Milwaukee Bucks start and end with Giannis Antetokounmpo. And while the Greek Freak is deservedly praised, this team does not work without the pieces around the MVP.
One of the most overlooked and underappreciated players in the NBA, Khris Middleton is a top-15 player this season. The Texas A&M product is one 3-point shot away from having a 50/40/90 shooting season (meaning he shot 50% from the field, 40% from 3, and 90% from the free throw line). Only a handful of guys have ever reached this efficiency mark, and all but one are Hall of Famers. His game meshes perfectly with Giannis’, making him the quintessential Robin to the Greek Batman. Maybe it’s because he got a huge contract last July, or because his game is not as flashy as other stars, but for whatever reason, Middleton does not get the respect he deserves.
Another guy who seems to be a little undervalued is point guard Eric Bledsoe. The Kentucky guard is an absolute wrecking ball who’s at his best when he gets to the rim. He’s also a feisty defender, and has given guys like James Harden fits in the past. However, he’s had troubles in recent playoff runs, where mentally Bledsoe seems to lose focus and crumble. He also falls in love with the 3-point shot a little too often, and has games where turnovers can be an issue.
Brook Lopez has rejuvenated his career in Milwaukee, and has been a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2019-20. The guy seems to block everything, and cleans up a lot of mistakes made by his teammates. The one knock against him defensively is that he’s never been a great rebounder for his size, but I guess that isn’t much of an issue when Giannis is corralling every missed shot.
Offensively, Lopez has revolutionized how he scores. As a Net, the Stanford product lived in the post, and was mostly a back to the basket-type scorer. Now in Milwaukee, Lopez has been dubbed “Splash Mountain”, and is more or less a 7-foot marksmen from 3. While his percentages have dipped year-over-year, Splash Mountain can still hit from just about anywhere. It’ll be very curious if Jacque Vaughn decides to put Jarrett Allen on him, or keep him near the rim to guard Giannis.
Probably the best perimeter defender on Milwaukee, Wesley Matthews is one of the best undrafted players ever. He’s a perfect example of a 3-and-D guard who absolutely understands his role. He came in this year and replaced Malcolm Brogdon, and while Matthews doesn’t have the talent or offensive skill of Brogdon, he has been absolutely fantastic for the Bucks. He’ll most likely be the one guarding Caris LeVert, and LeVert must dominate this matchup to give Brooklyn a chance.
I’d talk more about Giannis Antetokounmpo, but there’s not much that people don’t already know about the reigning MVP. He’s nearly impossible to stop in transition, and has the longest strides I’ve ever seen. Jarrett Allen has guarded him in the past with moderate success, getting a couple highlight blocks on the Greek Freak. The only way to really guard him is to give him space on the perimeter and hope he misses his jump shot. The Nets must send two or three guys at him whenever he’s driving or in the post, because that’s the only way to beat this Milwaukee team. Make Giannis pass to a teammate and hope he misses a perimeter shot, a much better alternative than an Antetokounmpo poster.
The Bench
Donte DiVincenzo, the second year man from Villanova, will be the X-factor this series, or any playoff series the Bucks are in. He’s broken out onto the scene in his sophomore campaign, after an injury-riddled rookie season. He’s got an incredible motor and understands the game so well at a young age. He reads passing lanes incredibly well and creates easy baskets in transition. I’m really high on DiVicenzo, and he’s the guy that will lead the second unit for Milwaukee.
The other main contributor is backup point guard George Hill, who is having a career year from 3. He’s shooting over 48%, a league-leading percentage. The Nets need to be aware of him, because if they focus too much on Antetokounmpo, Hill will be lethal in the corner.
The other guys off the bench are mainly just average shooters, who fit perfectly into the Bucks offensive “drive and kick out” scheme. Veterans like Kyle Korver, Marvin Williams, Pat Connaughton, and Robin Lopez are all more than capable of hitting open 3s, but the Nets will be wise to have these guys beat them, as opposed to the 7-foot Greek god.
Season Matchups vs. Nets
These two squads only met once before the season was put on hiatus, but they will play once in the remaining eight regular season games in Orlando. The Bucks won the matchup way back in January, and it wasn’t particularly close. Kyrie Irving was the leading scorer with only 17. It was a struggle offensively for Brooklyn, with the exception of Nicolas Claxton who dropped 14 on extremely efficient shooting. With almost an entire roster sitting out the NBA restart for the Nets, overlooked guys like Claxton will need to step up against any team.
Caris LeVert struggled mightily off the bench against the Bucks, and with him basically being the top option for Brooklyn, he obviously will need to be much better to keep pace with a potent Milwaukee attack.
Nets Keys to Success
In the Bucks’ losses this year, their opponents have killed them from the perimeter. The Bucks are great at defending the paint, but they’re susceptible from 3. The Nets need to shoot around 35% from 3 to have a chance. Brooklyn will get open looks from 3, and they need to capitalize on them to take down the No. 1 team in the East.
On defense, it’s really about doing the best job possible at slowing down Giannis. Look at last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. The Raptors built a “wall” to keep Antetokounmpo from getting to the rim. They made others like Bledsoe or Middleton beat them, and as we all know, they couldn’t. The Nets need to get the ball out of Giannis’ hands and live with the other guys shooting from the perimeter.