It’s only taken two games in the Milwaukee Bucks‘ Eastern Conference Semifinals for them to reach DEFCON 1 status.
The Bucks are left searching for any sort of spark after having dropped Games 1 and 2 against the Nets, the latest of which ended in a 39-point rout in favor of the Nets. Having seen their performances grow incredibly lifeless just as the Nets have been showing us all the terror they’ve become, the Bucks’ offense has hit dire straits.
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It should come as no surprise that some of the Bucks’ worst offensive performances this season have come in this series. Milwaukee’s 90.5 offensive rating in Game 2 against the Nets is the worst mark they’ve had this year, per NBA.com/stats.
There’s been the off shooting nights from downtown, the struggles of the Bucks’ stars, especially Khris Middleton, and their entire supporting cast. But a primary reason can be attributed to the Bucks’ stale attack and offering a poor emulation of what the Nets do so well. Of course, led by some of the greatest scorers that stand in the league today.
Despite the talent, shotmaking and creation injection the Bucks received going into this season, it’s hard to see that in this series. To that point, the Bucks are shooting 22-for-67 on pull-up attempts alone on a 38.8 effective field goal percentage while averaging 208 passes per game against the Nets so far. Game 2 saw the Bucks finish with more turnovers (16) than assists (14).
Far too often, the Bucks are frantically hoisting up quick attempts early in the shot clock or players taking it upon themselves to force the issue that has been the main culprits behind their offense becoming one-dimensional. Bucks guard Jrue Holiday certainly diagnosed that to a T following their Game 2 debacle on Monday night, which comes courtesy of ESPN’s Tim Bontemps:
"“I think for us, we saw them hitting shots and we just became a little bit too selfish, and we tried to do it ourselves,” Bucks guard Jrue Holiday said. “We had some shots in the paint, but they were tough shots, contested by two, sometimes three people.“I feel like when we get in there, we have to try to spray it out and get those wide-open 3s. We didn’t shoot that well from 3, either, and that’s probably because we didn’t have that many wide-open ones, and they did. We just have to be able to play off the pass a little bit better.”"
The Milwaukee Bucks can’t go toe-to-toe with the Brooklyn Nets’ superb attack
It’s one thing to not hit shots as the Bucks have done to open this series with the Nets. It’s another to see them fall into the same pitfalls that they have historically bogged down their offense in past playoff runs under Mike Budenholzer.
The ingredients that powered the Bucks’ sixth-ranked offense throughout the regular have completely disappeared as The Step Back’s Ian Levy diagrammed below. And as seen in the image, the Bucks tied for their slowest played game as far as possessions go in Game 2.
The Bucks' offensive style has been REALLY warped in the first two games against the Nets pic.twitter.com/oF6L1G00Ue
— Ian Levy (@HickoryHigh) June 8, 2021
Meanwhile, the Bucks are seeing the masterclass scoring displays from both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving who have been scoring to their elite standards so far this series. Despite having lost James Harden 43 seconds into Game 1, the Nets haven’t once yet missed the 2017-18 MVP for any length of time.
All of this is a continuation of what the Bucks’ and Nets’ season series was like with one another. The Bucks averaged the fewest touches per game (366.3) and passes per game (238) of any Nets opponent in the three games the Bucks met against the title favorites and those numbers have obviously gotten more exaggerated in this series so far.
Whether it’s been the way one-on-one approach to defending Giannis Antetokounmpo or making the bet that the Bucks’ best shot creators and perimeter scorers can’t keep up with them, the Nets have quieted any concerns about their defensive play and execution.
Of course, the Bucks have made the Nets’ life all that much easier with the extensive struggles on both ends of the floor. But if they can’t resuscitate their offense in any fashion anytime soon, the Bucks are looking at another swift playoff exit for the second straight year.