Piece by: Nick Lombardi
The Milwaukee Bucks were the first NBA team to get out of the first round and the only NBA team to sweep their first round opponent. The playoff disappointments of yesteryear seem to be gone as the team got better, yet still seem to be playing with house money as they prepare to take on Brooklyn.
After getting embarrassed out of the bubble by the Miami Heat last year, the Bucks were faced with a fork in the road. Option 1: Trade Giannis, Middleton, Lopez and anyone else with a pulse and start over. Option 2: Trade Giannis and try to execute a competitive rebuild. Option 3: Go all in. Jon Horst and the Bucks chose option 3. They sent Eric Bledsoe and Paul George levels of draft picks to the Pelicans for stud guard, Jrue Holiday. Then they had a massive snafu trying to acquire Bogdan Bogdanovich which ultimately fell apart.
Initially it seemed like a bad gamble for Milwaukee. You're betting everything on Jrue Holiday, a fine player, but not the kind of guy you'd risk falling into 2010s Nets territory for. However through 2020-21 season, Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo have both signed extensions and the Bucks have given themselves a chance to rest and prepare for the Brooklyn Nets.
Holiday has been a revelation for them through their Miami revenge series. Eric Bledsoe had been terrible for Milwaukee in the bubble playoffs last year with very poor efficiency and his inability to defend his position. Holiday on the other hand has one of the most polished IQs in basketball, seemingly always making the right read. Additionally, the legend of Bryn Forbes has made his mark in deer country. A former Spur, Forbes was a key bench piece for Milwaukee throughout the regular season. In the playoffs so far, he has averaged 15 PPG while shooting .485 from deep. He will be critical to the team's success in the next round as they try to keep pace with Brookyn's absurd offensive talent.
The keys to beating Brooklyn are really going to hinge on effectiveness of the Bucks defensive skills and whether they can generate enough high percentage looks inside against a shaky defensive unit. I'm very interested to see how coach Budenholzer adjusts in the face of adversity. A major criticism of the Bucks the previous 2 seasons is how Budenholzer fails to make adjustments when opponents figure them out. Nick Nurse in the 2019 ECF led the Raptors on a 4 game run after Milwaukee won the first 2 games of the series. Budenholzer will need to outcoach and outmaneuver Steve Nash.
However this season ends, the Milwaukee Bucks have righted many of the wrongs that plagued this team in the postseason these previous years. Milwaukee certainly has the roster to win an NBA championship this year, don't be surprised if the Nets meet their maker at the hands of Freak and Co.