Milwaukee Bucks: 3 glaring weaknesses exposed so far in NBA Finals
By Jacob Maier
Following a 118-108 loss in Game 2 on Thursday night, the Milwaukee Bucks find themselves in a 2-0 hole as the series shifts back to Milwaukee.
Giannis Antetokounmpo put on a masterclass performance, but it was just not enough as Phoenix’s shooters were too much for Milwaukee. Milwaukee’s struggles have been glaring in the first two games of this series and it’s left the Bucks with a lot of work to do to regain control going into Game 3 Sunday evening in Milwaukee.
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A lack of effort has led the Bucks to face an uphill battle as they look to bring the Larry O’Brien trophy back to Milwaukee for the first time in a half-century.
With that in mind, here are three of the Bucks’ biggest weaknesses that have been exposed in the NBA Finals thus far.
3-point defense continues to be an area of concern for Milwaukee Bucks
Although Milwaukee consistently ranks in the top ten in the NBA in team 3-point percentage, their ability to defend the perimeter continues to be a detriment.
The Suns have shot 37.8% from beyond the arc as a team this season. That is good for the sixth-best three-point shooting percentage in the NBA, and they played to that potential on Thursday night after their struggles in the Bucks’ Game 1 loss to open up the series.
Despite the Bucks shooting a better 3-point percentage in Game 1, which stood as their most efficient performance of the playoffs at 44.4 percent, Phoenix was still able to pull away with the win.
Game 1 saw the Suns shoot 11-for-34 from long range, good for 32.4 percent, well below their season average. Chris Paul was Phoenix’s best 3-point shooter that night by cashing in on 4 out of 7 attempts from three. Although the Bucks couldn’t pull out the win, limiting the Suns’ 3-point shooters was somewhat of a bright spot. However, that was all flipped on its head in game 2.
Following a below-average three-point shooting performance, the Suns shot an astounding 50 percent on their attempts from 3-point range by going 20-for-40 from deep, which was unsurprisingly a playoff high.
It should come as no surprise that Devin Booker was able to cash in on his 3-point opportunities as he went 7-for-12 from deep (58.3 percent). Furthermore, Paul, Jae Crowder, and Mikal Bridges all made three shots from beyond the arc, respectively. Former Buck Torrey Craig also cashed in, as he made two three-pointers. All in all, the Bucks were torched from deep.
If Milwaukee is looking to regain control, improved defense on the perimeter must be a priority. Allowing a team to make half of their attempts from deep is a recipe for disaster, and that is precisely what it was on Thursday night. Milwaukee must improve their three-point defense and create tougher shots for Booker, Paul, and Bridges going forward.