The Milwaukee Bucks faltered to the Phoenix Suns twice in a row to start off the NBA Finals. It’s been a disappointing sight so far for Bucks fans, who find themselves in a must-win situation for Game 3. Before we talk about what they must do to win Game 3, let’s recall what went wrong for them in both Game 1 and Game 2. 

The main problem for the Bucks is that they’ve lost their offense. In Game 2, Giannis Antetokounmpo's 42 points, 12 rebounds and four assists (with an injured knee!) was sadly not enough for the Bucks. Giannis was the only starter with a positive plus/minus despite his team losing by 10, finishing Game 2 with a +3 in 40:07 minutes. Meanwhile, his teammates? Well, that’s a different story. 

Nobody aside from Antetokounmpo had more than 20 points in Game 2. Middleton shot 5-16 and finished with only 11 points while Holiday shot 7-21 and only pitched in 17 points. This cannot be the case especially if they're supposed to be the second and third best players in the team. The Bucks need more from Giannis' teammates  and a better game plan to attack the Suns’ defense. 

Here’s what the Bucks should do in Game 3 if they want to keep their championship hopes alive: 

Go back to being the highest scoring team in the league

Milwaukee went from being the highest scoring team in the league during the regular season to a lackluster offense in both Game 1 and Game 2. They shot 38.9 percent from the three point area in the regular season but have declined to just 31.7 percent in the playoffs. Granted, the competition is tougher in the playoffs but head coach Mike Budenholzer needs to find a way to get his shooters going.

The Bucks are only hitting 29 percent of their three point shots in both Game 1 and Game 2 so far. The Suns’ defense has held Milwaukee to only 106.5 points in both games. For Game 3, the Bucks must find a way to counter the Suns’ potent defense and get their scorers back into rhythm. 

Tighten their defense on Devin Booker and Chris Paul

The Paul-Booker tandem was a problem that an unhealthy Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Denver Nuggets team did not get to solve. The Bucks have also yet to figure out how to at least contain these two all-stars. Phoenix continued to attack Milwaukee’s defense in Game 2 as Booker and CP3 combined for 54 points after scoring 59 points in Game 1.  

The Bucks did a good job not fouling as much as they did in Game 1 but the Suns were just firing from three point range, making 20-for-40 of their shots. It’s difficult to contain a team that just can’t seem to miss from downtown but that should at least regress in the following games. 

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Play Giannis as many minutes as he can

This is going to be a difficult choice for the Bucks but they have to do everything they can to keep Giannis in the game. The Suns have yet to stop Giannis but they can beat the Bucks every time he’s not on the court. Good news for the Bucks is that they’re playing after two days off but the bad news is that Giannis isn’t probably 100 percent. It’s important to protect him at all cost but this opportunity of being in the NBA Finals does not come often. 

https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1413547245249589253

How many minutes is Bud willing to let Giannis play? Can Middleton and Holiday at least contribute more than 25 points to remove the load off Antetokounmpo? Can Bud construct a game plan that can contain the Suns’ offense? And Perhaps counter their defense? 

These are the vital decisions that Milwaukee will have to make and perhaps impact their result for Game 3.