Milwaukee Bucks: 3 keys to victory in pivotal Game 6 with Atlanta Hawks
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks need to play to their strengths offensively in Game 6 versus the Atlanta Hawks
Throughout these playoffs, the Bucks have yet to get their offense firing on all cylinders like the well-oiled machine it appeared to be during the regular season.
A massive factor in this stalled offense has been their subpar 3-point shooting, particularly in this series. The Bucks are shooting just 175-of-572 (30.6 percent) from deep throughout the first five games against the Hawks, which has been grueling to watch. Yet, they continue heaving them despite the low success rate. While the Bucks will continue to let it fly as that is what they were taught to do, they have seen significant success attacking the basket, and they must keep that consistent.
The Bucks must stick to what has been working in this series rather than heave a profane amount of 3-pointers. In Game 6, they shot just 9-of-29 (31 percent) from long range. Typically, that would spell doom for Milwaukee, but they managed to blow this game open by outscoring Atlanta in the paint 66-36. Head coach Mike Budenholzer will not deter his players from letting it fly from deep, but when the advantage inside is that clear, it has to be a point of emphasis to continue attacking.
As previously mentioned, that starts with Lopez looking to score in the paint rather than several feet from behind the perimeter. Yet, the same goes for the other key rotation players such as big man Bobby Portis, who notched his first career playoff start in Game 5. Filling in for Giannis, Portis went wild and scored 12 of his 22 points in the paint, causing Fiserv Forum to erupt with cheer. He has little issue with being aggressive offensively and he is at his best close to the hoop.
The same goes for Jrue Holiday, who clearly understood the assignment and worked persistently to get to the hoop in Game 5, despite also shooting eight 3-pointers. With his size and strength, the guard can bully his way to the hoop consistently to give himself far better looks offensively, which proved true last time out by scoring 12 of his 25 points in the paint.
The Bucks tend to fall in love with the 3-pointer all too often, but it is time now for them to stick to their strengths and make their way inside. Those shots from the perimeter will come, but it should in no way be more prominent than attacking the hoop. If it isn’t broke – dominating down low in this case – do not even think about fixing it.