Milwaukee Bucks: 3 things to build on from Game 1 win over Heat

Mike Budenholzer unleashed the Milwaukee Bucks’ trio in Game 1 win over Heat

Continuing on the theme of rectifying past mistakes, Budenholzer finally let his starters play more than 40 minutes in a playoff game. Only 1 game the Bucks won during last year’s series with the Heat, that being Game 4, had 2 Bucks starters playing more than 40 minutes.

Although it might not seem a big deal, constructing playoff rotations with your star players playing adequate minutes just might be the answer to your playoff woes.

Contrasting with last year’s playoffs series against the Heat, when no one in the Bucks roster touched even 40 minutes, Bud allowed the starters to stay a bit longer in the game. It led to the Bucks’ Big 3 of Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Middleton all exceeding 40 minutes, respectively. Though it should be pointed out that the overtime period inflated that.

More minutes for the Bucks’ star players led to taking greater responsibilities with the ball in their hands and it fueled the team’s offense that needed all of the juice it could get to get past Miami. To that point, 54.8 percent of the Bucks’ 42 made field goals were unassisted, which perfectly encompassed the playoff atmosphere. Adding Jrue Holiday to this mix gives them a bonafide shot creator and playmaker who is capable of big performances in big games, something that this team sorely needed.

Another adjustment from Bud’s end shows his willingness to adapt as his future in Milwaukee reportedly hangs on the balance, depending on how deep the Bucks go in the postseason.