PHOENIX - After the Suns had 26 free throws in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer admitted the disparity in the opening game - a 118-105 Phoenix win - was "disappointing" for Milwaukee.
"You're trying to trap me?" Budenholzer smiled as the Suns were getting 10 more free throw attempts than his team in Game 1. "No, I mean, it's a big part of the game. He had 25 points from the free throw line. We're a team that takes pride in defending and is able to be good defensively without fouling."
"I can't remember the last time a team got 25 free throws in a game against the Bucks. And then vice versa, the way Giannis [Anteokounmpo] attacked, the way Khris [Middleton] attacked Well done, as many chances as Chris had. The ball... It's disappointing, but it's part of the game. It's part of the game.
"We have to get better defensively. We have to keep them away from the free throw line and we have to attack more aggressively and go to the free throw line and take a good offense."
Of the 16 games the Bucks played in these playoffs, the only time a Milwaukee opponent shot 26 free throws: Game 2 of Milwaukee's first-round series with the Heat, when Miami fouled 24 for 35. Make it Line in a buck win.
What made that gap more punishing in Game 1 for the Bucks, however, was how effective the two teams were down the line. Phoenix went a remarkable 25-for-26 off the charity stripe, with 24.8 seconds to go into the fourth quarter with the only miss coming from Jay Crowder.
On the other hand, the Boxes were only 9 for 16. And while Antetokounmpo went 7-for-12 from the foul line, only two other players - Jew Holiday (2-for-2) and Brooke Lopez (0-for--2) - exactly went over the line.
Meanwhile, Middleton took 26 shots but did not make a single free throw.
"It's been tough, you know, teams have been picking up on me lately," Middleton said after Game 1. "Just trying to play through it. Can't wait for the officials to bail me out. Just try to be strong with it. If they say a foul, they say a foul. But recent Right now, he hasn't done that, so I just have to play better, be stronger."
A similar message came from Holiday on Wednesday. After struggling aggressively in Game 1, taking 4 for 14 off the ground, missing all four of his 3 point attempts and passing a few open shots to drive into worse chances, Holiday Said he needed to be more aggressive - but the Bucks should also be smart about finding the right chances to do so.
"His defense tries to push him away," Holiday said of attacking Paint. "Then, as I said before, they pack the paint very well, but we have to be smart. [Link] Sell a little.
"But we have to be in the paint more. I thought in every series we've played, the games we've won, we've been the best in paint and scoring in paint, so that's what we have to continue to do."
At the other end, however, the Bucks also know how to make contact with both defenders and line up with Chris Paul and Devin Booker - especially when they put the Phoenix on penalties. Bucks guard Pat Connaughton said Milwaukee needs to focus going into Game 2 as it hopes to keep the Phoenix restarting the conveyor belt and off the foul line.
"Yeah, it's a game-by-game basis, isn't it?" Connaughton set about balancing aggression with discipline defensively against Milwaukee's guards. "But I also think it's foul not just being physical, but it's being dishonest from being mentally close or knowing what they want to do. Last night there were some fouls that were fake shots that we need to be aware of." What his team likes to do.
"There's also the idea of knowing how physical you can be before the bonus and after the bonus, and thus to understand that, when they are in the scoring zone, understand when we can make them uncomfortable, when We can be physical and then we can be physical when we are in the right position. Being physical doesn't always mean pushing them out of place. Being physical means being somewhere before they get there, workload Being in a handling position, staying in a vertical going position, being in a position to make the floor look really small when they're trying to find the driving lane."
One thing will help the Bucks in their quest to reach the foul line in Game 2 - Antetokounmpo continues to feel better following his return from a hyperextended left knee in Game 1.
After Antetokounmpo was upgraded from dubious to dubious, and then eventually put in the starting lineup, after a scary fall in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Atlanta, he finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds in 35 minutes.
Most importantly for Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo got through the game without a problem on Wednesday, saying he felt better after sleeping on the injury, and would be ready to leave for Game 2.
"Everything has been positive and clear this morning," Budenholzer said. "I think we'll move a little bit and I think we'll get continued feedback over the next short period of time, but so far so good.
"Looking at the movie, he's like everyone else. There are some things he could do better and there are some things he's done well, and our group is similar. I think the thing about Giannis, he Always gets better, if for whatever reason he misses a few days or a few games. And then, probably not unlike a lot of players, he'll get better as we go on."