By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
The Milwaukee Bucks have been building around Giannis Antetokounmpo in recent years and have been doing everything in their power to keep the reigning MVP.
However, there’s only so much time a franchise can get before a generational superstar such as Giannis decides to change course due to a system just not working out and giving the desired result – the NBA championship.
There has been much chatter regarding Antetokounmpo’s future and while the Greek forward himself didn’t add anything to them, according to Yahoo Sports, Milwaukee’s clock is ticking and the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat have been emerging as frontrunners to bring him over.
Toronto was the team that ‘exposed’ Giannis last season and stopped the Bucks playoff run while Miami is certainly in a good position to do it this year as they are currently up 2-0 in the series.
Both squads used a somewhat same recipe. Narrow the court and close the paint in order to stop Giannis and force him to take outside shots while rotating fast with great discipline but still risking other Bucks’ players swaying the game.
So far so good. And, on the other side, both squads showed that they’ve got discipline in the offense as well, with three-point shooters and the size to match up with anybody. They may lack a true superstar but that’s where veterans come in with their knowledge and skills.
Two things emerge from it as common denominators – coaching and veteran experience. Nick Nurse gained his recognition as the leader of the reigning champions and Erik Spoelstra, while not being mentioned as much in the past few seasons, has been well-respected around the league.
The main cause of the Bucks struggling in the bubble so far might be just that. There have been many critiques to the work of Mike Budenholzer, among which the fact that he hasn’t been using Giannis enough minutes-wise as well as handing him specific defensive tasks such as taking on Jimmy Butler.
Offensive-wise, the flow seems to be too dependent on Giannis’ ability to drive and finish or pass out to the three-point shooters which might be just too static and not playing up to their potential.
It seems that with the current narrative, Budenholzer will be the first to go if things don’t turn around for Milwaukee in these series and then it will be anybody’s guess if a complete falling apart follows or the Bucks get a fresh new chance with a new coach and some adjustments. That one will, however, most likely be the last one.
The situation is dire but the worst thing the Bucks could do right now is panic. Two games down in a series is far from unreachable and that is especially true in the bubble where the teams don’t have home-court advantages.
That said, the Heat have been troubling Milwaukee all-season-long and the latter will have to play to their full potential in order to get out of the second round.