The Milwaukee Bucks, the team that dominated the regular season for the second year in a row, are supposedly title favorites. They certainly didn't look the part in what should be the first step in their journey to the promised land this year. In disappointing fashion, Milwaukee dropped their 2020 playoff opener against the Orlando Magic, 122-110.
This isn't to take away any credit from the Magic — who also upset the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in their series opener last year — for their inspiring and gutsy performance in Game 1 against the no. 1 team in the NBA. And they even did this short-handed with Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac, and Michael Carter-Williams all out.
Nikola Vucevic played an outstanding game and dominated with 35 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists. He also made five triples to go along with a 15-of-24 shooting night from the field. Likewise, five more Magic players scored in double figures. Terrence Ross scored 18 points off the bench. Markelle Fultz and fill-in starter Gary Clark dropped 15 points apiece. James Ennis and D.J. Augustin chipped in 11 each. Evan Fournier also got going in the fourth quarter with three triples to finish with nine points of his own.
Orlando simply dominated Milwaukee in Game 1. Which begs to make us rethink: Is this really the same Bucks squad that finished with the best record in the NBA this season?
For Bucks fans, this playoff opener loss is a concerning red flag for a team that expects to contend for the 2020 NBA championship. In fact, this may very well be the telling sign of a terrifying future in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee entered the postseason with the same issues, after it went 5-3 in the seeding games. Bucks fans dismissed their losses as games that didn't matter. “They'll flip the switch come playoff time,” they said. The concerns were glaring and they carried over to Game 1.
For a team that finished no. 1 in net rating (no. 1 in defensive rating and no. 8 in offensive rating), the Bucks looked flat on both ends of the floor. They lacked energy and aggression and didn't come out with a mindset like they wanted to destroy the Magic like they should.
Instead, it was Orlando that did that. They went at Milwaukee from the get-go, and the Bucks couldn't seem to get their flow and rhythm at any point in the game.
Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was Milwaukee's lone bright spot on Tuesday. He scored 31 points to go along with 17 rebounds and seven assists in a typically dominant night. Outside of George Hill's 16 points off the bench and Eric Bledsoe's so-so 15-point, five-assist night, The Greek Freak didn't get much help from anyone else.
Khris Middleton shot poorly, going just 4-of-12 from the field en route to 14 points. Brook Lopez went 2-of-9 and bricked all of his four triple tries in 30 minutes. Those two, especially the two-time All-Star Middleton, need to be better if Milwaukee wants to achieve its lofty dreams of lifting the Larry O'Brien trophy this October.
Milwaukee's offensive struggles in the bubble continued, making just 39-of-90 from the field (43.3 percent) in Game 1. Moreover, they shot just 33.3 percent from beyond the arc as a team, converting just 14-of-42. Sure, offensive struggles will come here and there, and that's fine. It happens to every team.
What's more concerning was their defense on Tuesday night. As one of the top defenses in the league, they allowed a bottom-10 offensive team like the Magic to score 122 points and shoot 49.4 percent from the field as a team.
Milwaukee's effort was especially lacking on that end of the floor. They fell short on their defensive rotations and didn't close out aggressively on Orlando's shooters. The Magic, who shot 34 percent from three as a team this season, made 39 percent in Game 1, converting 16-of-41 from beyond the arc. Milwaukee needs to do a better job in defending the three.
This kind of defense and lack of energy and effort simply won't work when they face more talented teams in the succeeding rounds, especially with potential match-ups against the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Indiana Pacers looming.
One more concerning factor about their loss was head coach Mike Budenholzer's rotations. The two-time Coach of the Year used 11-man rotations and trusted his bench for much of the regular season. But this is the playoffs. Rotations are usually shorter in the postseason and coaches field in their most reliable players for longer stretches.
Giannis Antetokounmpo played just 34 minutes in Game 1. Though he played poorly, Khris Middleton only saw 31 minutes of action. Those aren't enough minutes for the two franchise stars.
Now, Bud may be reserving his best players' energy for the longevity of the postseason run. But it simply doesn't make sense to do that, especially at this point of the season where every game matters and every loss is magnified.
Budenholzer, likewise, needs to learn to make adjustments on the fly when the game plan isn't working. His lack of doing so is what spelled doom for them in last year's Eastern Conference Finals, after the Raptors dismantled in the final four games of the series.
To put it simply, Milwaukee can't screw up this playoff run. They invested too much over the past two years just to fall short for the second year running. They were given a pass last year since they were in their first year of being top title contenders.
But this 2020 run is different. The Bucks already gained their experience last year. They need to show that they have learned from their shortcomings and mistakes in their disappointing Eastern Conference Finals exit, where they lost four straight to the Raptors.
There is a lot at stake here and none bigger than Giannis Antetokounmpo's impending free agency in 2021. Heck, everything is pretty much at stake right now.
The clock is ticking in Milwaukee and their chances to keep their franchise superstar may soon run out. Though they technically still have a fall back next season, the sand is flowing through that hourglass real quick. If Milwaukee doesn't get it done this year, the Bucks' future may get very dim soon.
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