Milwaukee Bucks: 3 key tactics to slow down Brooklyn Nets in Conference Semifinals

The Milwaukee Bucks will look to be aggressive on the boards

Every possession will be crucial for the Bucks against the Nets with a very low margin for mistakes. They can not waste possessions on turnovers and poor shot selection and executing their defensive game plan to a T against such a loaded team.

Fortunately, as the Bucks breezed through the Heat, they showed their dominance on the glass. Milwaukee netted 61 total offensive rebounds throughout their series with the Heat compared to Miami’s 36 offensive rebounds. The rebounding disparity didn’t end there as the Bucks outrebounded Miami 175 to 133.

Compare those gaudy numbers to the Nets’ first round series with the Celtics and Brooklyn was actually outrebounded on the offensive boards 63-52. The Nets had the worst defensive rebounding percentage of all the teams in the first round of the playoffs at 64.5 percent.

All of that is certainly music to the Bucks’ ears as Milwaukee has shown that they have the size, strength and hustle that is necessary to generate plenty of second chance points. Any slight edge in possessions will be of immense worth against a scary good Nets offense.

Apart from winning the rebounding battle, another way the Bucks could slow down the consistent Nets offense is to limit their free throws. It might seem trivial, but in close game situations where buckets are hard to come by, the Bucks will look to prevent bailing Brooklyn out with free throws.

The Nets ranked eighth in free throw attempt rate while the Bucks ranked first in opponent free throw attempt rate during the regular season. Staying disciplined on the defensive end is a must for the Bucks to stay within the series.