Milwaukee Bucks: Keys to victory in NBA Finals Game 2 vs. Phoenix Suns

The Milwaukee Bucks find themselves in an early hole after an abysmal start to the NBA Finals versus the Phoenix Suns.

Phoenix defeated Milwaukee 118-105 in a rather lopsided affair to kick things off on their home floor, taking flight with a dominant second half effort. The Bucks continue their tradition of being awful in Game 1s during these playoffs, putting forth an effort that left them scrambling to make the right adjustments all too late in the game.

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Now that they have a better read on this Suns team, the Bucks must be better prepared for tonight’s Game 2 in The Valley. With a brutal opening contest thankfully out of the way, the Bucks have hopefully devised a game plan to better combat their weaknesses that were exposed in Game 1.

With that being said, here are three keys to victory for the Bucks to bounce back and get a much-needed win on the road versus the Suns tonight.

The Milwaukee Bucks need to convert at the basket in Game 2 of the NBA Finals vs. the Phoenix Suns

With their 3-point shot struggling to fall all throughout these playoffs, the Bucks have opted to dominate close to the basket offensively.

It had been a great strategy leading up to this series, but they were simply abysmal in trying to convert inside during Game 1 against the Suns. According to NBA.com/stats, the Bucks shot just 13-of-21 (61.9 percent) in the restricted area and 8-of-20 (40 percent) in the non-restricted painted area during this opening matchup. Those numbers are certainly not going to cut it as the Bucks were missing shots that would typically be their bread and butter in what was just a poor showing on the offensive end.

This was highlighted by starting center Brook Lopez, who shot a vile 2-of-6 in the restricted area in Game 1. The big man proved to be a hero in the Conference Finals because of how authoritative he was in scoring down low, but that dominance was nowhere to be found against the Suns. That undoubtedly has something to do with Giannis Antetokounmpo returning to the lineup which prompted Lopez to take more outside shots, but 33.3 percent shooting from the restricted area from a seven-foot, 282lb center is simply not going to get the job done.

Although they were finally able to get some 3-pointers to drop in a playoff game, the Bucks must do a better job of converting at the basket offensively. Perhaps that was some rust and some nerves that hindered their performance in Game 1, and hopefully they have shaken those off after their brutal start. If this team is missing easy shots at the basket in Game 2 as they were in the predecessor, they will undoubtedly be in trouble once again.