Who doesn’t love March Madness? The college basketball frenzyhas once again lived up to its name with exciting tournament action around thecountry. While brackets have been busted and we fall in love with theCinderella stories, the Milwaukee Bucks have been having quite a month of theirown. When the Bucks fell to 26-33 after an embarrassing road loss to the DenverNuggets back on March 1, the odds of making the playoffs seemed slim. Fastforward to now and the Deer are 36-35 while finding themselves in the midst ofa heated playoff race after winning an NBA best 10 of their last 12 gamesincluding a crucial six game winning streak followed by a 4-2 west coast road trip.
The Bucks 4-2 West Coast trip marked the first time since the 1988-89 season that the Bucks have won four games on a single road trip. pic.twitter.com/YS4AXwBtWB
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 24, 2017
It’s been an incredible turnaround, to say the least, asthey’ve gone from lottery team to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.What’s even more impressive is that they’re only a game out of the fifth spotand they’ve done it without two key contributors.
Khash Feeling It
Despite not having JabariParker and Michael Beasley, theBucks have found their x-factor in KhrisMiddleton. The 26-year-old shooting guard seems to be exactly whatMilwaukee needed for the stretch run. After leading the Bucks in scoring lastseason at 18.3 points per game, Middleton was primed to build off that successbefore suffering a torn hamstring in training camp that sidelined him for thefirst 50 games of the season. Since his return, he’s made his presence felt.
The Bucks are 5-1 this season when @Khris22m scores at least 20 points and 10-2 when he starts. #OwnTheFuture pic.twitter.com/mxltjqrf6Y
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 22, 2017
That tweet was sent out prior to the Bucks 116-98 win overthe Sacramento Kings last night, which makes Milwaukee now 11-2 in games hestarts. Middleton only scored 13 points, but the Bucks were +14 with him on thefloor as they cruised from start to finish. Not only is he asserting himself onoffense but he’s also been a factor on the defensive end with his ability toget in the passing lane and cover elite perimeter scorers. Middleton wasarguably the Bucks best two-way player last season and has been able to back itup this season even with the emergence of the Greek Freak. Here’s some morenumbers for you.
Since he's starting, Bucks w/ Middleton:
— All the Bucks (@AllTheBucks) March 23, 2017
ON
ORtg 112.2 (4)
DRtg 101.8 (5)
NRtg 10.4 (1)
OFF
ORtg 101.6 (29)
DRtg 108.2 (22)
NRtg -6.6 (27)
Nonetheless, the return of Khris Middleton to the Buckslineup has made dealing with the loss of Parker a bit easier to take. It justmakes you wonder how good this team can really be if they had a healthy BigThree for an entire season. For now, the playmaking and scoring of Middleton suremakes this Bucks team that much more dangerous in the playoffs.
Defending and Running
Back when the Bucks made the playoffs two seasons ago, theyranked among the best in the league in defensive efficiency. They used theirlength to disrupt passing lanes and block shots, which allowed them to get outand run. After struggling last season, they’ve recently gotten back to these principles.
The Bucks have now won their last 15 games when they’ve held their opponent to under 100 points!! #OwnTheFuture pic.twitter.com/lf98tlddKL
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 22, 2017
That number is now 16 after Milwaukee held Sacramento to 98points last night. What’s been the difference? Despite a slow start this season;the Bucks have finally started to buy into assistant coach Sean Sweeney’ssystem. While they remain vulnerable to three point shooters at times,Sweeney’s scheme, which revolves around helping and switching while trying toforce turnovers, works when everyone is clicking on all cylinders. The Buckscurrently rank 10th in the league in opponent points per game at 104.2 whilescoring 104.6 points per game of their own. Milwaukee also forces 14.2turnovers per game, which is good for ninth in the league. Considering wherethey were through the first half of the season, those numbers are impressiveand have translated into wins.
Raining Threes
The Bucks made it rain 3's last night in Sacramento, burying 16 triples in the WIN!! #OwnTheFuture pic.twitter.com/nyiqV4ZEqN
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 23, 2017
While they’ve stepped up their defensive pressure, the samecan be said for their three point shooting. Milwaukee is connecting on 37.2% oftheir threes this season, which ties them with Washington for seventh in theleague. While still hovering in the bottom 10 of the league in makes (8.7) andattempts (23.3), it’s still an improvement to last season where they finisheddead last in the league in both categories. Beyond Middleton’s 48.3%, the Buckshave four other guys at 40% or higher including Michael Beasley (42.1%), potentialRookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon(40.6), and Tony Snell (40.4), wholeads the Bucks with 1.8 makes per game. Other key contributors have been39-year-old veteran Jason Terry(40%) and Mirza Teletovic (34.4%),who has been a bit streaky at times. Lastly, despite shooting at just a 28%clip, the Greek Freak has been better at choosing when to shoot them as of latewhile making defenses respect it just enough for him to get into the paint.What’s the difference from last season’s demise? The fact that they can havemultiple threats on the floor allows for much more spacing while not having torely on just one guy carry the load each night. That was the case most timeswith Khris Middleton last season. It’s been a thing of beauty watching them beunselfish and make the extra pass for the best available shot.
Veteran Leadership
Another thing that was missed last season was veteranleadership. When Milwaukee made the playoffs two seasons ago, vets like JaredDudley, Jerryd Bayless, Ersan Ilyasova and Zaza Pachulia were a big presence onand off the floor. Guys like that were missing from last year’s team.
Enter Jason Terry and Michael Beasley. Terry, a 17-year NBAveteran who has been through and seen it all, has been instrumental in helpingthese young guys grow. He’s the closest thing you can get to a player/coach inthis league and has been the perfect role model for everyone to follow.Beasley, on the other hand, has taken on the role of the tough nosed veteranthat was voided by OJ Mayo. Along with Greg Monroe, they aren’t going to beintimidated by anyone and are always there to back their teammates up. Toughnesscan be underrated in this league and having these kinds of players is very importantcome playoff time.
Giannis Being Giannis
Being without Jabari Parker is one thing, but the Buckswould be nowhere without their newest All-Star and superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. He leads theteam in all five major categories this season with averages of 23.0 points, 8.5rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.7 steals per game.
Oscar. Magic. Giannis.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 23, 2017
Only 3 players age-22 or under to have averaged 20 PPG, 8 RPG, 5 APG for a season. (via @bball_ref)#OwnTheFuture pic.twitter.com/kqQkGbopk6
Not enough can be said about the Greek Freak. He’s earnedeverything he’s gotten this point but even he will tell you he’s just gettingstarted. Even since the All-Star break, he’s been a different beast. Heunderstands that his team feeds off him and it’s important that he comes outwith a more consistent energy level every night. Even on his off nights, he’sstill going to try and do whatever it takes to help give his team the bestchance to win. Each and every game, we see the evolution of Giannis into thesuperstar he’s capable of being. Sorry Michael Jordan, but the ceiling is not the rooffor Giannis. The scary thing is no one knows what his ceiling will be. ThisBucks team has a chance to do some special things as long as Giannis is healthyand playing at a high level. They will go as far as he takes them.
Outlook
Milwaukee is over .500 for the first time since they were20-19 back on January 15, and the way they’re playing right now suggests theyare ready to make some noise come playoff time. They’ve developed an identityand have matured as the season has progressed. They not only believe in eachother but also believe in what they can accomplish. Most of all, they havedeveloped a great team chemistry and seem to be having a lot of fun on thecourt. That being said, they still have a lot of work to do. In their 11remaining games, six are potential playoff teams. After the next two games athome, they finish off with six of their last nine games on the road. Winning 10of 12 is great and all, but it’s time to keep pushing forward. Get your popcornready; it should be a lot of fun to watch.
