Milwaukee Bucks: The formula for defending James Harden

The Houston Rockets are a realistic NBA Finals opponent for the Milwaukee Bucks in June, but is Milwaukee’s unconventional defensive scheme sustainable enough to slow down James Harden for a seven-game series?

The Milwaukee Bucks are hoping to make a deep run in the 2019 NBA playoffs that could very well lead to their first Finals appearance since 1974.

The hype is real in Milwaukee, from fans selling out Fiserv Forum to the city dying the Milwaukee River green in honor of the Bucks’ playoff berth.

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There will be challenges to overcome and series to win before the Bucks can think about reaching the NBA Finals, but it’s still interesting to think about the potential matchups they could face.

The Golden State Warriors are once again the favorites to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals in what would be their fifth consecutive appearance.

Still, the Warriors are looking as vulnerable as ever between injuries and suspect bench depth.

The Houston Rockets, however, led by reigning league MVP James Harden, are finally healthy again and eyeing another shot at knocking off Golden State in a potential second-round matchup this postseason.

The Bucks have beaten the Rockets in both of their two matchups this season, and have done so using a rather unconventional defensive scheme centered around taking away James Harden’s greatest strengths.

On both occasions, the Bucks were relatively successful in limiting Harden’s impact on the offensive end.

The question is, did Harden simply have a couple of off nights? Is this just a “gimmick” scheme that the Rockets could quickly make the necessary adjustments to?

Or is there something more to the Bucks’ strategy that could help them to limit his impact over the course of a seven-game series?

Let’s take a look at exactly what the Bucks did defensively in the two games they played the Rockets this season and explore whether it could be a sustainable approach moving forward.