Three reasons the battle-tested Milwaukee Bucks are ready to repeat
Giannis Antetokounmpo is number one, but he's not the only thing the Bucks have in their favor heading toward the playoffs.
Editor’s note: the following article was written by Gyro Step assistant producer Eugene Choursoutoglou. Follow him on Twitter for more of his Bucks thoughts straight from Greece!
With the NBA world getting ready for the playoffs and the Milwaukee Bucks finally healthy, it’s time to talk about some of the factors that make them one of the best teams in the league, and a favorite to repeat. The champions are starting to find their rhythm before the playoffs and that’s definitely a result of their hard work. There are many things that make them special, but let’s analyze three that are the most crucial.
1. Giannis
Last week in Philadelphia, the Bucks managed to beat the Sixers in a 118-116 thriller. It was not the prettiest game, but it was still eventful. Giannis dominated against Joel Embiid and the rest of the Sixers, dropping a stat line of 40 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, a steal and three blocks, on 16-of-24 shooting, while also being 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. He was incredible once again. He did absolutely everything, from his usual, ridiculous dunks and blocks to drilling mid-rangers in the clutch. It was a Giannis Antetokounmpo masterclass.
There are not many words left to describe Giannis’ greatness. And he showed his magnificence again in Brooklyn, where he obliterated the Nets and became the Bucks’ all-time leading scorer in great fashion. When the stakes were high he took a step-back three pointer, with 13 seconds left on the clock and bang! Just like that, he tied the game. And he didn’t even celebrate. Because he knew he still had work to do. He ended the game with 44 points on 21 shots. At this point, even the biggest hater has to respect his growth and the fact that he is – by far – the best player in the league. It is simply undeniable.
What’s even more undeniable though, is his will and determination to win. There are days where you can see it in his eyes. He’s not going to lose. At least not without a fight. And he did just that in both of these games. His determination was visible in many plays.
From the game against the Sixers: his poster on Joel Embiid, his ridiculous dunk at the end of the third quarter to show that he was not going down without a fight, the — full of confidence — mid ranger with 2:00 to go, the huge, left handed (!) block on Joel Embiid (where he also blocked Joel’s MVP chances). And, from the game against the Nets: the huge three-pointer, the clutch free throws and of course his relentless dunks during which he looked like a man among boys.
There were some other underappreciated plays as well, such as his incredible help defense on Kevin Durant at the end of the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime and the follow up of his block on Embiid, where he had the clarity and the composure to slap the ball out of bounds, before Embiid could even attempt to grab the rebound. Who cares about individual awards when you have the biggest warrior in the league? Not only is he the most dominant player in the league, he is also the most influential (on both ends of the floor) in the whole NBA. His passion for the game, his hunger to become great and at the same time his humbleness are some things that you can’t train for. It’s not only about talent. Bucks fans are incredibly lucky to witness such an amazing player, human being and role model.
When Giannis plays like this, with such passion and decisiveness, it’s almost impossible to stop him. And his passion is contagious. You could see the Bucks struggling for big periods during these couple of games. But when Giannis steps up, everyone changes gear. The Bucks become more aggressive on both ends of the floor and guided by Giannis, they manage to turn games around.
This change of pace during games has been a very common phenomenon with the Bucks this season.
2. Establishing a winning mentality
The Milwaukee Bucks have now proved that they can switch it up, even in their worst nights. There are many examples. Even though they started the game against the Sixers well, the next two and a half quarters were mediocre. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but they managed to win the game (and the tiebreaker against the Sixers) in the clutch, showing a very fierce and decisive spirit.
Philadelphia shot the ball better from three (39 percent compared to the Bucks’ 36.8 percent), they had fewer turnovers (9 to 11), more assists (28 to 26) and more steals (7 to 5). It was also James Harden’s best game as a Sixer, scoring 32 with nine assists. Theoretically, the Sixers outplayed the Bucks in three out of the four quarters. And they still lost.
The Nets game was another great sample. Once more, Brooklyn shot the ball way better from three (49 percent compared to the Bucks’ 29 percent), they had almost double the assists (31 to 17) and less turnovers (16 to 22). They also had two opportunities to win the game on the last shot. But they still lost.
The Bucks have won a lot of games that they normally shouldn’t. Some other noteworthy examples this season are the Christmas game against the Celtics when they won despite being down by 19, their last game against the Heat where they erased a 14-point deficit in the final six minutes and the second game against the Suns where they seemed completely off during most of the game but still won.
It’s all about the mentality that the Bucks have established during the last two seasons. They are going to outwork teams and they are going to win even when they get bullied for 75 percent of the game. It’s the way it is. That has to be mentally and physically exhausting for any opponent. The same thing happened in the series against the Nets last season, where the Bucks simply refused to lose. They kept going, even after game two, where they got completely embarrassed. Not many teams can come back after that, but they did and that’s the mindset that defines great teams. And they proved to be a great team when they managed to win four straight in the Finals to turn the series around. Again, they didn’t give up.
Their mentality is a product of hard work, talent, coaching and culture. Some call their basketball “boring.” Well, if playing hard and refusing to lose is boring then sign me up for some boring basketball. Yes, they will never be in the spotlight for long. That’s the destiny of small market teams. But they will keep working in the shadows, until people notice them again in the playoffs. And when they get disrespected, they will have an answer. They always have. They always will.
3. Embracing your role
Another huge part of this team’s culture is their bench. To succeed in the NBA you need to have a team where everyone knows and appreciates their role. After the Finals, we learned that one of Giannis’ favorite sayings was that “everyone should be a star in their role.” And that is something that the Bucks have achieved. They are lucky enough to have players with no big egos, players that have actually embraced their roles.
Bobby Portis, for example, who spent most of the regular season as a starting center due to Brook Lopez’s absence, recently told Eric Nehm of The Athletic, that he’s “OK with coming off the bench for the Bucks” showing he’s aware of his role and his respect for Brook. Wesley Matthews talked about his role as well to Scott Cacciola of the New York Times. He claimed to be more than ready to take on whatever responsibilities are asked of him. “Coming off the bench, starting, playing 20 minutes, playing 15 minutes, playing 30 minutes [...] I like jumping into the fire.”
Coach Mike Budenholzer deserves every credit possible for giving everyone on the team the opportunity to feel useful. Assigning a role to everyone while keeping a balanced and satisfied dressing room is not easy, but he has done a great job. As Jevon Carter mentioned in his GSPN interview, coach Budenholzer told him to go out there and be himself. He basically gave him the freedom to do what he was comfortable with and in his case it seems to be paying off. He then mentioned the selflessness within the team, something that can be rare for other teams.
Even Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who has not been a big part of the rotation lately, talked about his role on the Bucks to Greek channel Cosmote TV. He expressed his gratitude to be a part of the team and confessed that even though he would like to play some more, he would never put himself above the team. When asked about his energy on the bench he answered that he’s doing everything in his power to help the team. If the team needs energy he will bring it, if they need to be more focused he’s going to let them know. He also talked about a very interesting aspect of his role. Before every game, he watches a ton of film, he keeps notes and during games he acts like a personal coach for Giannis. He gives him advice and he’s determined to protect and help him.
This family-like environment is hard to come by in the NBA. The Bucks have managed to create a unique, well-oiled machine that’s ready to star once more in the upcoming playoffs. To do so though, they will have to stay healthy and hungry. If they do, I’m sure they will put on a show.