Milwaukee Bucks: 3 biggest adjustments going into Game 3 of NBA Finals
The Milwaukee Bucks have plenty of work to do on their part now that they’re facing a 2-0 deficit to the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.
This series obviously hasn’t gone the way that the Bucks have envisioned to this point and Milwaukee has plenty of things to adjust and improve upon to turn around this series in their favor now that it’s being played on their home floor.
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At the same time, this is a position the Bucks have been in before over the course of their playoff run. The odds may be stacked against them, but the Bucks have surprisingly thrived when having their backs up against the wall like they currently do going into Game 3.
So without further ado, let’s dive into three of the biggest adjustments facing the Milwaukee Bucks going into Game 3 of the 2021 NBA Finals.
Milwaukee Bucks must limit wide-open 3-point looks going into Game 3 of the NBA Finals
Game 1 saw the Bucks winning the 3-point battle as well as finishing with their most efficient 3-point shooting performance for the postseason, despite eventually losing 118-105.
Game 2 was obviously a much different story as the Suns rattled off a playoff-high 20 3-pointers, all of which powered them to a 118-108 victory.
Whereas Milwaukee was staying connected and getting out to shooters in Game 1, the Suns repeatedly saw wide-open looks all throughout Game 2 as the Bucks struggled with communication and overhelped in the paint. As a result, the Suns shot 14-for-22 on wide-open 3-point looks, per NBA.com/stats.
Furthermore, 10 of the Suns’ 20 threes came from either corner spots and they were 10-for-17 on such shots throughout Thursday night.
Finding the balance of being able to pack the paint and staying connected to the Suns’ excellent shot creators like Devin Booker and Chris Paul as well as being within distance to run off their shooters is a big key for the Bucks defensively this series.
So far, the Bucks have been on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of being able to get the job done defensively and if they’re able to slow down the Suns in any way, it will go a long way in terms of being able to take a game in this series at the very least.