Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from Game 3 crusher vs. Raptors

2. Milwaukee goes cold from distance

Arguably the biggest reason for the Bucks’ surprising 60-win regular season campaign was the full-on embrace of the 3-point shot. They ranked No. 2 in both 3-pointers made and attempted, behind only the analytically-crazed Houston Rockets, creating undiscovered driving lanes and allowing the Greek Freak to bully his way to the basket nearly unimpeded.

Milwaukee created a pick-your-poison scenario no team has consistently found the answer to. Either you keep the highway open for Giannis to pirouette his way through, or defenders come over and he finds the open sniper.

In Game 3, the strategy failed to find much success. The Bucks hit only 14 of their 44 attempts from beyond the arc, a 31.8 percent conversion rate. Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe each shot 1-for-6 from downtown while Nikola Mirotic, normally a reliable shooter, shot a ghastly 1-for-7 on 3-point looks.

The Bucks haven’t appeared to live and die by the 3-ball so far in this series. They shot a combined 28.5 percent in Games 1 and 2 yet managed to claim those victories just fine. In fact, the 31.8 percent they shot in Game 3 was the highest mark of any game for them in these conference finals.

As mentioned earlier, though, struggles are not created equally both at home and on the road. Milwaukee was able to overcome its poor shooting at home in part because of a loyal fanbase that hadn’t witnessed a conference finals since 2001. Those in attendance for Game 4 won’t be as encouraging, making it imperative the Bucks regain their rhythm to keep pace or exceed Toronto’s offense.