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Milwaukee Bucks: Playoff positioning proving to be vital in Eastern Conference

By Josh Cornelissen

MILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 05: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles the ball while being guarded by OG Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors in the third quarter at the Bradley Center on January 5, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 05: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles the ball while being guarded by OG Anunoby #3 of the Toronto Raptors in the third quarter at the Bradley Center on January 5, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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The Milwaukee Bucks are fighting through a tough schedule and discovering that their playoff positioning will be vital to making a postseason run.

The Milwaukee Bucks are in the midst of the most trying point in their season schedule, a near unending stream of playoff opponents stretching from Christmas to mid-January. Their only point of respite comes Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic.

That game is close to a must-win, as seemingly every game feels like now. That’s a bit of a hyperbole meant to communicate the necessity of winning as many games as they can — in this stretch and for the rest of the season — because it is becoming clear that the Bucks need to reach the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.

That is not to say the Bucks have been playing poorly recently. The up-and-down nature of the past few seasons has continued, but overall the Bucks are 4-3 since beginning this difficult stretch. They have blowout losses to the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, but also big wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards.

With wins this season over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs and all of the aforementioned teams, the Bucks have proven they can beat anyone in the league. But flaws have come to light in recent games that show how vulnerable they are to certain teams, and how badly they need to avoid falling into the bottom of the playoff bracket.

In last season’s playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks pushed the Toronto Raptors hard, blowing them out in Toronto in Game 1 and taking a 2-1 series lead before losing their hold and falling in six games to the more experienced Raptors. But with the Bucks flush with young talent and the Raptors facing a host of free agents and systemic questions, Milwaukee was not expected to fear their northern rivals.

Instead, the two teams have failed to match expectations in very different ways. The Raptors have a host of young players stepping up to the plate, from rookie OG Anunoby fitting into one of the league’s best lineups, to young guards Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet filling key rotational roles. The Bucks are watching sophomores Thon Maker and Malcolm Brogdon regress without young replacements.

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    • The divide between the two teams appears to have grown since last year’s playoff series, with a new-look Toronto offense destroying the Bucks in two meetings last week. The Bucks were outscored in two games by an average of 12.5 points, completely unable to slow down DeMar DeRozan. At the start of the season the Bucks may have welcomed a matchup with the Raptors in the first round, but now they should push to avoid them and instead face the Wizards or Pistons in the 4-5 matchup.

    Finding themselves in that matchup also means a second round date with either Boston or Toronto, rather than the Cleveland Cavaliers. While the Bucks have beat LeBron James and company this season, the Eastern Conference throne is James’ until he decides to abdicate. With the Cavaliers dropping games here and there, it is becoming more and more likely they will not take the top seed.

    Any team should desire to avoid the Cavaliers as long as possible, and with the Celtics and Raptors looking better than ever, the possibility of one of them knocking off the Cavaliers is increased, if still uncertain. The path to the conference finals and beyond will be much easier on the 1-4, 5-8 side of the playoff bracket.

    This entire discussion about playoff seeding and potential opponents assumes one thing: that the Bucks have the chops to advance in the postseason at all. While they have picked up big wins, they also have huge losses and a fatal flaw: their defensive system can be exploited by smart passing offenses, especially feeding the ball to bigs in position around the rim. John Henson and Thon Maker are not the elite rim protectors their hyper-aggressive scheme could use.

    The Bucks have also struggled in recent games against elite 2-guards, going a combined 0-3 against DeMar DeRozan and Victor Oladipo in the past two weeks. The team needs to figure out its rotation in order to improve a defense currently ranked 23rd overall.

    But there is reason for optimism as well, with Jabari Parker ramping up his practice as he nears a return. Giannis Antetokounmpo has still been playing out of his mind all season, and is a matchup nightmare for each and every team in the league. Since acquiring Eric Bledsoe, the Bucks are 17-12.

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    This team could put things together and make a run from the sixth seed, their current placement, to anywhere on the board. But their best chance at making a playoff run will come with a berth in the 4-5 spot at the center of the bracket. The Bucks have expectations now, and they may need some help to meet them.

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