Milwaukee Bucks: 3 biggest adjustments going into Game 3 of NBA Finals

Milwaukee Bucks’ small ball lineup has to clean up on the glass better in Game 3 of NBA Finals

Last but certainly not least, we’ve certainly seen the Bucks playing smaller than what some may have anticipated going into this series.

That surely has affected Brook Lopez’s role this series and while playing Antetokounmpo at the 5 has its benefits and unlocks his rim-running in halfcourt situations, it has left Milwaukee in poor position to finish the job defensively on possessions.

Look no further than how the Bucks rebounded with Antetokounmpo on the floor and having Lopez alongside him and in the minutes Lopez was on the bench throughout Game 2. The Bucks pulled down 61.4 percent of rebounds over 21 minutes Antetokounmpo were on the floor. In the 19 minutes where it was just Antetokounmpo on the court, the Bucks pulled down 43.6 percent of rebounds.

While the Bucks were clearly out of gas down the stretch, the Suns getting not two, but three chances to reload possessions and the shot clock and Chris Paul burying this corner triple was quite the dagger for the Bucks to endure, especially in the midst of their comeback.

This is the biggest sacrifice the Bucks will make whenever they go small and obviously chasing down rebounds in these situations is as big as being able to scramble and stay connected to Suns players themselves. From there, it’s on the Bucks players to execute and snag down those misses if they want to turn the tide this series while in Milwaukee.

Having only scratched the surface of what the Bucks need to improve on with the series in Milwaukee, let’s see if they can do the trick to pull out Game 3 and get on the board this series.