Subscribe
Follow Us
The Brooklyn Nets took care of business in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals versus the Milwaukee Bucks. Even without James Harden, their primary ball-handler, the Nets looked like the contending team they are.
That’s the luxury of having three lethal superstars on a team, and that showed versus the Bucks on Saturday.
But like any playoff series, it’s hard to react to just one game. There were a ton of outliers that came about in Game 1. Could this game have been more competitive if the Bucks shot better? Yes. Will Blake Griffin contribute just as much moving forward? Will Jrue Holiday and Kris Middleton make more of a difference? All of these questions will remain to be determined.
For now, what’s determined is that the Nets are up 1-0 and the Bucks should probably find a way to steal Game 2.
If the Bucks win Monday’s game, then they take home court advantage. Meanwhile, if the Nets win without Harden on Monday, they put even more pressure on the Bucks to win Games 3 and 4 in Milwaukee. Suffice it to say that Game 2 is going to be an interesting game.
Here are three predictions for Game 2:
Bucks role players play better
Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied 34 points, 11 rebounds and four assists but his sidekicks were no show in game one. Holiday scored 17 points on an inefficient 7-of-9 shooting performance from the field while Middletown had 13 points on a horrible 6-of-23 shooting night. To add to the misery, the Bucks were outscored by 13 points without Holiday on the floor.
The Best of Giannis from Game 1:
34 PTS | 11 REB | 4 AST | 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/IiUeEILu55
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) June 6, 2021
Maybe the Bucks were due for a poor shooting night especially after sending the Heat home early in four games.
They shot just 6-of-30 (20 percent) from three, a rare sight for Bucks fans. Given how they’ve performed all season, there’s a good chance that the Bucks’ shooting performance improves in Game 2. They will expect more from Holiday and Middleton as well.
Nets maintain their balanced offense
The Nets don’t get enough credit for their ball movement. It’s easy to fall into the narrative that they depend on iso basketball especially when it comes to their superstars but that’s not the case, especially when they’re clicking. The role players behind Irving, Harden and Durant are excellent especially if they’re making their shots and hustling on defense. That emerged against the Bucks in Game 1.
Article Continues Below
https://twitter.com/ClaxtonsGoated/status/1401380467199283200
Have a GAME @blakegriffin23 👏 pic.twitter.com/apVTCqxKW8
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) June 6, 2021
The Nets assisted on 25 of their 46 made field goals. Irving and Durant had 54 points as their team had a non-garbage-time offensive rating of 112.7 and effective field goal percentage of 55.2 percent. It also helped that Griffin had one of if not his best playoff performance in a long time, shooting 4-of-9 from three and tallying 18 points, 14 rebounds and three assists. This Nets offense is just too hard to stop and will continue throughout the playoffs.
A more competitive game
There will be lots of focus on Bucks shooting 6/30 from 3. They should shoot better. But Nets shred them with cuts and ball movement and Bucks had no answers, Brooklyn didn't get abused on the boards after the 1st, and Bud's rotations were whack. Milwaukee has tons of work to do.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 6, 2021
The Nets-Bucks series is probably the most anticipated one but game one could have been more exciting.
Sadly, the Bucks’ struggles did not let the first game live up to its hype but there’s a good chance Antetokounmpo and his team plays better.
If Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer makes the necessary adjustments and plays his superstar and role players more then Game 2 will hopefully be better than the first game.
Nevertheless, no matter what result, this series should still be a treat for basketball fans.
