3 Things the Bucks must do to secure Game 5 against Pacers
By Corey Moen
It's do-or-die time for the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5. Win, and they will keep their season alive. Lose, and it'll be the second straight season in which Milwaukee has been eliminated in five games.
To add to the pressure, Milwaukee will likely have to achieve this feat without its two stars. Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo will likely miss Game 5 due to Achilles injuries, and Khris Middleton has been banged up throughout the series but will likely play.
What does Milwaukee have to do to keep their season alive? Here are a few things that would help.
The Bucks need more contributions from their bench
The bench has been Milwaukee's biggest disappointment this season.
What do you expect when the bench consists of what's left of Jae Crowder and Pat Connaughton? What do you expect when Bobby Portis is the only one providing consistent scoring coming off the bench?
Jon Horst, who has been in the news lately, built a top-heavy roster and aging roster that is coming back to hurt Milwaukee in the worst way in the first round.
Milwaukee's roster was top-heavy last year, and this year, the roster remains the same other than a few small tweaks.
Milwaukee's bench isn't built to score points in bunches, nor do they have young players who can keep up with a young, fast team.
VIa NBA.com, Milwaukee's bench is near the bottom in terms of scoring, in contrast with Indiana, who is third in bench scoring among active playoff teams.
Don't expect any improvement from Milwaukee's bench going forward because the bench doesn't have any game-changers. Take Giannis and Dame out of the equation; what do you have? A team that could win 36 games and be the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
If Milwaukee can get more from their bench, they will win Tuesday night crucial Game 5 in Milwaukee.