Less than a year after the Miami Heat bounced the Milwaukee Bucks from the 2020 postseason, the Bucks had a chance to avoid a second meeting in the 2021 playoffs. Hosting Miami on the final weekend of the season, the Bucks could rest their best players and give the Heat a free pass to move up in the standings – and possibly prepare a matchup with New York or Atlanta.
As the Bucks considered their options, from the locker room to ownership and the front office, countless conversations were shared. Chris Middleton, who had gone through the Bubble experience and watched a physical Heat team handle the Bucks, was well aware of the rigors and experience of Miami. It was a noble challenge to face them - but it will be a challenge. Jew Holiday came into the Heat conversation with new eyes. Unfazed by the bubble, he had scored 24 points in a 47-point blowout in Miami's opening season, and defeated the Heat in a dominant fashion. Giannis Antetokounmpo, of course, wanted payback.
Quickly, a resounding consensus emerged - there was no way they would outpace the current Eastern Conference champions.
It was not a matter of public perception, but a matter of collective respect. The Bucks have been the best team in the NBA over the past three seasons, and no serious contender with any self-esteem engages in gymnastics to fend off an opponent.
While they've been trying to vanquish their demons since last season, this Bucks team is different - in personnel, strategies, and temperament. Yet like every team reaching the pinnacle of the NBA Finals, their playoff run is informed by moments, events, and decisions that happened months and years ago.
Antetokounmpo and Middleton arrived in 2013, the ownership group arrived in 2014, the current front-office leadership took over in 2017, head coach took over in 2018, and veterans Holiday and PJ Tucker took over a few months earlier. During that time, the Bucks have earned signature wins and devastating losses. They have broken codes and lost others. They have traded major contributors and acquired missing pieces.
Here are nine consequent moments that defined the Bucks Finals team in nearly a decade.
Cleveland in Milwaukee, November 29, 2016
In a game in which the 7-8 Bucks beat the pre-leading 13-2 Cleveland Cavaliers 14 in the first quarter, 21-year-old Antetokounmpo ate the Cavs into the open floor and stunned LeBron James from half court to the stage. a return blow.
Antetokounmpo would finish with 34 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five steals - the only player other than James to post 30-10-5-5 games under 22 in 30 seasons. It was Antetokounmpo's third 30-point effort in the first 16 games of the season, but more importantly, it's another clear call for the NBA to focus on this unique talent, with its ability to pull the Bucks back into relevance. And charisma can happen. Against formerly the best team, Antetokounmpo was simply impregnable.
In the four seasons that followed, Antetokounmpo has collected two MVP honors and led Milwaukee from relevance to controversy. Opponents devised a name-brand defense - The Wall - to defend his attack on the basket. His painful free throw routine provokes an exhilarating count in road arenas. His infectious, broad smile and compelling life story make him a worthy candidate to succeed in the outgoing cohort of superstars.
Few teams in smaller markets like Milwaukee can claim title aspirations without developing talent of the magnitude of Antetokounmpo, and the Bucks are in the finals mainly because they did well over their hump in the 2013 draft.
An Antetokounmpo fan and close friend was asked last year if Antetokounmpo was interested in becoming "the face of the NBA". The reaction was that Antetokounmpo would find that unfair ... at least until he won a title.
Bucks Hire Mike Buddenholzer, May 17, 2018
During the 2017–18 season, the Bucks remained a Middle Eastern Conference team out of title contention, despite Antetokounmpo's continued maturity and the perimeter corps of Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon and Eric Bledsoe. So 45 games into their fourth year at Milwaukee, the Bucks fired Jason Kidd and moved into the 2018 off-season to look for a new head coach.
The Bucks brass had internally identified Hawks head coach Budenholzer as a desirable candidate for months before leaving Atlanta. His Hawks team won 60 games in 2015 without a top-20 player, earning him Coach of the Year, and the offense was a lucrative brand of selfless basketball, while the defense was well organized. When they arrived, they heralded a change that was both planned and cultural. A team that ranked 20th in speed learned to play faster, with an aggressive approach relying less on specific playcalls and actions and more on reading the defense and reacting accordingly. Spacing became the foremost concern, and Bucks used this to create high-percentage looks beyond the arc and at the rim.
Defensively, the Bucks performed a full 180 from Kidd's offensive, trapping strategy that emphasized gaps and looked to force turnovers. Instead, the Bucks defended a pick-and-rolls 2-on-2—staying out of rotation at all costs—and dropped Brook Lopez back to defend the rim. Just as the Bucks wanted to avoid midrange jumpers on the offensive end, he tried to encourage them from his opponent.
Strategy aside, the most defining changes that Budenholzer brought were cultural. He professionalized the operation and set it up with a structure that is simultaneously demanding and efficient – in contrast to the sleep-at-amenity Tom Thibodeau-ian ethic. Players take individual workouts with their "vitamins," assistants -- often a different assistant each day -- with both specific objectives and larger goals. There are no offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators or "player development" specialists. From players to coaches to performance staff, there are generalists immersed in every aspect of the game.
Results: An NBA-high 162 regular-season wins over the past three seasons, 15 more than second-place Denver. Yet postseason failures in 2018, 2019 and 2020 were typical holes on resumes, compounded by the notion that an excessive attachment to strategies that worked so well in the regular season contributed significantly to those failures.
The Bucks spent much of this season in the lab and introduced new defensive coverage designed to address those frustrations. His former No. 1 defense finished 10th in 2020-21, and he finished third in the conference. But some of that result was due to calibrating that successful regular-season formula and creating a new approach for the postseason.
With the Eastern Conference crowned, three emotionally packed seasons have finally begun the journey to the finals.
"The Chris Middleton All-Star Plan," September 25, 2018
None of these were predetermined for the 39th pick in the 2012 draft, which Milwaukee acquired as a secondary player in the trade of Brandon Jennings for Brandon Knight. In a league that was becoming increasingly dynamic and reliant on pick-and-roll and 3-point shooting, Middleton was an old school wing, preferring to produce midrange shots in the foul line extended area.
But Budenholzer and his staff saw a player who had the intelligence and shot creation to diversify his game. Middleton had always worked on his strengths, but now it is time to work on the part of his game that came naturally to less. When the Bucks opened training camp in September 2018, they presented a blueprint designed to get Middleton his first All-Star nod. Staff titled it, "The Chris Middleton All-Star Plan."
Description? Re-orient your game away from what you're most comfortable with and learn a new way of playing. Convert a decent number of those midrange jumps into 3-point attempts. Learn to be more creative with pick-and-roll. Play defense with more discipline.
Today Middleton is the Bucks' most versatile creator on the half court, a shot-maker capable of handling it. When the Bucks were in danger of dropping their opener this post-season against Miami, Middleton hit the decisively inclined, faded jumper with less than a second in overtime. He helped the Bucks save the season with 38 points against the Brooklyn Nets in Game 6, with the Bucks going 3–2, and then the undisputed defender in a Game 7 overtime thriller when he scored a tiebreaker turnaround fadeaway with 40 in traffic. Removed jumper. seconds left. Their brilliant third quarter in Game 6 effectively closed the series against Atlanta.
With the Bucks down 2-0 as the final moved into an area where Middleton shoots the ball exceptionally well, he will not only have the chance to redeem himself after two incompetent outings in Phoenix , but rather an obligation if Milwaukee is to chance upon return.
Chicago in Milwaukee, October 3, 2018
In January 2017, the Philadelphia 76ers visited Milwaukee to face the Bucks at Bradley Center. Over the years, the '80s monument to concrete (its 24,000 cubic yards) became the most pristine arena in the NBA, so it was hardly surprising that Sixers center Joel Embiid posted an action photo of himself working on the block. Key geotag, "S---hole."
Not that the Bucks organization was not aware of its lack of facilities. The club knew that if it wanted to achieve stature as a franchise, it had to improve.
While Embiid was building a joke at his own expense, the Fisher Forum and Frodtart and the Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Science Center (the Bucks' new exercise facility) were under construction. The practice facility opened its doors in 2017, and the Bucks played their first game in the 2018 preseason against the Chicago Bulls at the Fisher Forum.
Players who spend most of their waking lives practicing and playing live games during the long NBA season want to know that their workplaces are up to standard, and ownership groups express their seriousness with capital investment. want to do. In the case of the Bucks, he not only put resources into hardware, but also software inside the machine as he built one of the more advanced health and performance programs in the NBA under sports scientist Troy Flanagan.
For Milwaukee, the timing could not have been more accidental. Not only were the Bucks looking for a long-term deal with Antetokounmpo – a famous gym rat – they also sought to surround him with the best supporting cast.
Today, the "s---hole" has been replaced with a glittering jewel box.
Milwaukee in Denver, November 11, 2018
For many years, the Bucks' front office adopted a roster-building strategy that placed a premium on length. Antetokounmpo with Middleton and his 6-foot-11 wingspan, John Henson and Theon Maker, Jabari Parker, Brogdon (a point guard with a 6-foot-11 wingspan), and even back-of-the-seat - With served as tent. People with rotation like Tony Snell. Whatever combination the Bucks chose on the floor, you won't be able to make them taller.
But the long run didn't get the Bucks where they wanted to go, certainly not defensively. In the era of 3, the Bucks were ranked 28th in percentage of points allowed beyond the arc and 22nd in 3-point percentage.
Enter Lopez. For the exception of his $3.4 million biannual, the Bucks grabbed an extremely goofy 7-footer who spent an average of 23 minutes per game last season with the poor Los Angeles Lakers and was looking to revive his career. As it happened, the Bucks were looking for a big man who could guard the rim and keep the defense upright on the perimeter.
It came to fruition in less than a month. In the 13th game of the season, a seven-point victory over Denver, Lopez fired with impunity. He pulled out 3s from the right corner as Trailer on the drive-and-kick from Antetokounmpo and Middleton, and on the brakes. He hit them with a boat, he hit them with a goat. In all, he scored eight 3-pointers on 13 attempts in the win.
Lopez supplied the "stretch"—and he provided the big one, too. The Bucks amassed a top-ranked defense in their first two seasons with the team, and in the last three seasons within five feet of opponents' field goal percentage, they finished first, first, and third, respectively.
In many cases, Lopez is a primary reason why the Bucks have stayed true to drop coverage (sometimes to a fault) in pick-and-roll as their primary defensive plan. He has been very good at defending the basket to resist.
NBA Postseason, August 18, 2020
None of the 16 teams that qualified for the 2020 playoffs were immune to the sacrifices required to bubble up in Orlando, Florida. But during the weeks leading up to the season, the Bucks had a particularly hard time tolerating their hardships.
Veteran guard George Hill was among those who didn't want to get into the bubble at all. Sources said Antetokounmpo never seriously considered pulling out of Orlando, but his experience in the bubble was particularly trying. Interrupted by his extremely regular routine and deprived of his family for weeks, including his newborn son, Liam, and his partner and Liam's mother, Maria Riddlesprigger, Antetokounmpo never fully accustomed to the isolated environment. In addition, Bledsoe suffered a battle with COVID, and never fully recovered.
When Jacob Blake was shot by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, less than 40 miles from Milwaukee, Bucks claimed a place at the center of the social justice movement. That role was elevated when the team refused to take the floor for Game 5 of their first-round series in Orlando in protest.
With the turmoil on the outside, the Bux's weaknesses were exposed. As the Bucks began their conference semifinal series against the Miami Heat, they looked nothing like the dominant team that had won nearly 75% of their games and had been the top seed the past two seasons. They could not crack the steep "The Wall" The Heat to engage Antetokounmpo, and they did not adjust their defense for a less conservative Heat offense that took advantage of their tried-and-true plans. The Bucks lost in five matches.
Like many typical NBA players, Antetokounmpo would tell confidants later in the offseason that he would be reluctant to play again in any sort of bubble environment, whether it was the regular season or the postseason. And while he declined to claim Bubbles as any excuse for the Bucks' early exit, that failure was the catalyst for their redemption this postseason. The Bucks learned that success in the NBA is highly uncertain. An injury, an astonishing event like a pandemic, the burden of being at the center of the social justice movement, can derail even the most successful team.
Bucks acquires Jure Holiday, November 24, 2020
The affection he had for point guard Bledsoe in the Bucks' locker room and front office was deep. A quiet, 6-foot-1 Alabamian, Bledsoe found a home in Milwaukee under a coach at Budenholzer who loved his defensive tenacity and boisterous spirit. During his three-year tenure with the Bucks, Bledsoe earned one first-team All-Defensive honor and one second-team sanction.
But Bledsoe underperformed during the Bucks' disappointing postseason run. And when the 2020 offseason rolled around, the Bucks had two primary goals — sign Antetokounmpo to his maximum contract and find a more capable postseason quarterback.
Leave was the man, but his services cost him a lot - Bledsoe, Hill, three draft picks and two pick swaps. And the risk - trading depth for genius - was high. The Bucks ran 10 deep into the 2020 playoffs but showed a short rotation this postseason, with Antetokounmpo and Middleton playing significantly more minutes, and Holiday averaging around 39 minutes per game, a healthy margin from any Budenholzer point guard. more.
With Antetokounmpo sidelined for the final two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, Holiday further settled Milwaukee's half-court offense - and the Bucks played their most efficient offense of the past month, 123 points per possession versus 109.6. Game 4 of the Conference Finals during its playoff run.
Then there is his defense, which is worth watching. Milwaukee's traditional pick-and-roll defense has a first-team All-NBA defender strangling opponents to the point of attack. Overall, Holiday posted a net rating of plus-8.1, second only to Tucker on the team.
Listen: On the ESPN Daily Podcast, ESPN's Kevin Arnowitz joins Pablo Torre to discuss Bux-Sun and how an older Chris Paul orchestrates a handsome Phoenix crime.
Multiple times, 2021 playoffs
Reputation is hard to shake. Justified or not, Budenholzer received his trustworthy regular-season plans as a dogma for his reluctance to adapt to the postseason, which calls for more flexibility. What works against Sacramentos and Orlandos on Tuesday nights in January will not necessarily be effective against elite scorers and an aggressive game plan that has the advantage of intense scouting and preparation.
For nearly all of Budenholzer's tenure, the Bucks have remained faithful to their drop coverage, which required Lopez to stay back against a high screen and patrol the paint against any drives or rim rolls. Given the Bucks' elite status as a defensive team, that commitment is understandable. But it has burned them in the playoffs and lost in their Game 5 to the Nets in the semifinals - a 49-point game to Kevin Durant. In Game 6, the Bucks very effectively extended their switching against Durant and James Harden. He scored only 0.73 points per chance when he narrowed the net to just 89 points and averted the elimination. By the conference finals, the Bucks were certainly turning, knocking out the Hawks in the process.
While the Bucks continued to rely on the drop, Lopez could be seen crawling a few feet up toward the screen when Durant pulled it off. On a per possession basis, Lopez played the most times during the Bucks' reassuring Game 6 victory.
One of the more interesting debates in Milwaukee is how to portray defensive functions to the starting unit, specifically Antetokounmpo, the former Defensive Player of the Year. If you had to design a support protector in a lab, he would look like Antetokounmpo—length, speed, a massive wing and springs to pounce from the weak side and challenge on the rim. As tempting as it may be to ask him to defend an opponent's most prolific scorer, he is a perfect rower.
During last season's fatal series loss to Miami in the bubble, Antetokounmpo played the exact role - and Jimmy Butler is gone. When the tip went up in Game 1 of the Heat series this year, Antetokounmpo could be found throughout Butler. When protected by Antetokounmpo, Butler posted a 39.1 effective field goal percentage. The hero who burned the box in 2020 was neutralized in 2021.
Despite skipping Game 2 of the Finals, the Bucks made some quality adjustments to the loss. He landed Holiday as an on-ball defender, empowering him to bust through the screen and apply pressure to the ball. They were more attentive to the space between the perimeter and the basket, where Phoenix midrange shooters can do so much damage.
To be sure, Milwaukee suffered its fair share of mistakes in helping conditions, especially on vulnerable perimeters, but the Bucks allowed Phoenix a shot probability of 53.8% (taking into account the shooter and defense). Expected Effective Area Goal Percentage) - A margin well below the Suns' 55.9% in Game 1, and less than the Bucks' own mark in Game 2 of 55%.
But as the chain moves to Milwaukee, the Bucks are presented with very simple adjustments. It's no longer about the specifics of pick-and-roll coverage or finding a better vacancy at Half Court. The Bucks did pretty well in Game 2 on both counts.
It's about making shots of Middleton and Holiday that the offense is already providing. If they don't, there is no adjustment in the world that can take away the missed opportunities. Bucks -- and the rules of basketball -- simply aren't designed that way.