With the Milwaukee Bucks’ first round series against the Orlando Magic set to get underway, let’s take a closer look at three matchups that will likely prove decisive.
It’s been a while since the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic found themselves matched up in the postseason, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some history between the two teams.
Unfortunately for the Magic, whether they want to look back through the record books or focus on their more recent exploits, the Bucks have consistently been a problem for them.
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This season, that translated to a regular season sweep as the Bucks emerged as winners in all four meetings between the teams.
Will such a sweep be repeated in the playoffs, though?
That will likely be determined by just how the various individual matchups play out on the court, and whether the Magic can win some of the battles they’re expected to be on the losing side in.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at three key matchups that could prove decisive in the Bucks’ first round series with the Magic.
Milwaukee Bucks: Examining 3 key matchups against Orlando Magic – Eric Bledsoe v Markelle Fultz
In zooming out and look at both the Bucks and Magic rosters, it’s clear that the point guard position could prove to be a swing factor in determining just what both teams will be capable of achieving in the postseason.
For the Bucks, that’s far from a secret at this point. Eric Bledsoe has suffered mightily in his two previous postseasons with Milwaukee, ultimately hindering the Bucks’ chances of progressing with play that fell a long way below his usual standards.
This year, facing up against an inexperienced point guard who’s a rookie in all but name, Bledsoe may well have an opportunity to find a rhythm in the first round and completely rewrite the existing narratives surrounding his playoff struggles.
On the flip side of that coin is Markelle Fultz, who himself has been no stranger to less than favorable narratives about his mental toughness. Finally healthy, Fultz has shown real promise at times this season, and has injected the Magic with something they had previously lacked.
Veteran guard D.J. Augustin will be required to provide quality minutes off the bench, but as a starter Fultz can be a menacing defensive presence, and use his vision and traditional floor general’s eye to probe and poke holes in the Bucks’ defense and help the Magic to find a reliable offensive outlet.
If Bledsoe clicks in at his best, the Bucks could win this series by an astoundingly wide margin. But if Fultz comes out on top in this battle, the Bucks could find themselves in for a much tougher contest than they initially anticipated.
Milwaukee Bucks: Examining 3 key matchups against Orlando Magic – Brook Lopez v Nikola Vucevic
A pair of one-time All-Stars go head-to-head in the matchup at center, and the question is likely to be which of Brook Lopez and Nikola Vucevic will ultimately force the other to play the series on their terms.
Lopez is undoubtedly the superior two-way player of the duo, and that may ultimately prove to be key if he can slow down Vucevic’s offense and frustrate him, perhaps then leading to that frustration spilling over on the defensive end.
The reality, though, is that there are also plenty of similarities between Lopez and Vucevic.
Both players can step out and stretch the floor by shooting three-pointers – although Lopez is undoubtedly the more comfortable in firing away at volume. Both players also possess incredible skill and touch inside, in the form of the kind of traditional post-game that’s no longer all that common among NBA bigs.
Winning this matchup may not change all that much in terms of the Bucks’ overall standing in the series, but if Vucevic was to end up getting the better of Lopez, it would be a note-worthy positive for Orlando.
Given just how well Lopez has played so far at Walt Disney World, though, the Bucks have every reason to be confident.
Milwaukee Bucks: Examining 3 key matchups against Orlando Magic – Giannis Antetokounmpo v Aaron Gordon
Just as it will be in every series the Bucks may end up playing in this postseason run, there will be no matchup more important than Giannis Antetokounmpo’s.
If the Magic fail to slow the reigning MVP down, they won’t even have a shot at remaining competitive against Milwaukee. Perhaps making that even more pressing is the fact that Aaron Gordon, one of Orlando’s most important offensive players, is going to be tasked with the colossal workload of going up against Giannis on both ends.
Perhaps things could have been different if Jonathan Isaac hadn’t recently torn his ACL, as Isaac certainly possessed the size, athleticism, and defensive acumen to make life tougher than most for Giannis. Instead, that responsibility will now fall to Gordon.
The concern for the Magic will be that so much of what Gordon does on both ends will certainly play into the hands of Antetokounmpo. And beyond that, the Magic don’t have many, if any, other players who seem well-equipped to step in and provide meaningful help when Gordon needs some rest.
With Gordon having dealt with hamstring issues to finish up the regular season, it’s entirely possible that he may also come into this one below his best.
In other words, this matchup is undeniably stacked in favor of Giannis and the Bucks, and that only illustrates the size of the challenging facing the Magic.