Milwaukee Bucks: Attacking the rim must be the focal point

The Milwaukee Bucks are ONE win away from the NBA Finals, a mark that hasn’t been reached for the franchise since the good old days of 1974. While defeating the Atlanta Hawks 123-112 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals to take an essential 3-2 series lead, the Bucks displayed an inspiring team effort at home without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Brook Lopez turned back the clock and led the way with a monstrous performance on both ends of the floor, dropping a new playoff career-high 33 points on 77.8 percent shooting from the field, seven rebounds, four blocks, and two steals. It was most definitely the best overall playoff game of Lopez’s established career, which came at the perfect time given the circumstances.

With Antetokounmpo out due to a hyperextended knee, the pressure was hovering over Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday to step up as the co-stars of this title-contending team, and it’s safe to say the two future Olympians did just that. Holiday tallied 25 points, 13 assists, and six rebounds while Middleton added 26 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals.

In his first career playoff start, Bobby Portis was the spark for the Bucks once again, posting a playoff career-high 22 points, eight rebounds, and three steals as the exhilarating crowd at Fiserv Forum shouted echoes of “Bobby! Bobby! Bobby!” across the arena throughout the game.

Following a team effort Game 5 victory, the Milwaukee Bucks must continue to attack the rim offensively with a spot in the NBA Finals on the horizon.

The Bucks continued their postseason slump from the 3-point line, shooting just 31.0 percent from beyond the arc, but absolutely dominated closer to the basket by outscoring the Hawks 66-36 in the paint. Even without Antetokounmpo, they completely broke down Atlanta’s interior defense largely due to the brilliance of Lopez and Portis down low and with Holiday and Middleton serving as the initiators or playmakers.

Controlling the paint has seemed to be the recipe for success in Milwaukee. It has become a common game plan for head coach Mike Budenholzer’s squad, especially throughout this postseason.

Ever since starting two-guard Donte DiVincenzo was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs with a foot injury sustained in the first round against Miami, Budenholzer has opted to go with a more jumbo starting lineup. Versatile forward P.J. Tucker replaced DiVincenzo alongside the starters, which proved to be a vital decision matchup-wise during the Brooklyn series. And now Portis replaced Antetokounmpo on Thursday night, who’s more of a traditional big that doesn’t possess the same freakishly guard/wing-like traits as Antetokounmpo.

It was interesting to see Portis join the starters since that meant that the Bucks would have three guys in the lineup that aren’t known as reliable ball-handlers (Tucker, Portis, Lopez) and no other big men coming off the bench in the rotation. Although, it certainly seemed to pay off in the end for the most part.

It could explain why Milwaukee’s spacing and 3-point shooting hasn’t been as efficient as it’s usually been across the regular season, but more importantly, it could also explain why they’ve been so dominant near the restricted area. In this series vs Atlanta, they’ve shot an average of just 29.6 percent from 3, yet scoring 59.6 points in the paint per game throughout the first five contests.

During the three wins, the Bucks have easily outscored the Hawks 184-100 in the paint. When they’re on the victorious end, it’s likely as a result of their efficiency and prominent activity near the rim. When they’re on the losing end, it’s likely as a result of taking too many 3-pointers and over-settling for perimeter shots rather than attacking the rim.

Game 5 was an excellent example of following the recipe for success as Milwaukee had exactly as many points in the paint at halftime as they did for the entire Game 4 loss (44). Lopez was mainly the difference-maker, converting 14-of-16 shots within the interior, and everyone else consistently executing their role. Similar to Games 1 and 2, Holiday utilized his strength and quickness to blow by Atlanta’s guards, which led to creative finishes or setting up his teammates around the hoop at a constant rate.

Holiday and Lopez connected with each other on multiple occasions, proving to be a dynamic duo that continuously caused the Hawks discomfort defensively.

As seen above, Jrue shifted past his defender with ease, Kris Dunn in this case, before dishing to Brook for the vicious slam. Holiday did a terrific job being more aggressive and decisive, and that wasn’t the only dish to Lopez that brought the house down:

Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez were the stars that ultimately helped propel the Bucks one step closer to the NBA Finals by intelligently maneuvering inside the paint, but we can’t forget about Khris Middleton either. Middleton has already proved himself as a reliable and clutch scorer, and while that was on full display again, the two-time All-Star was also outstanding as a facilitator with his crafty moves, skillful footwork, and underrated vision to create comfortable looks for both himself and his teammates.

It should be common sense now for the Milwaukee Bucks to continue to attack the paint as the focal point of the offense. Clearly, 3-point shooting has not been a strength in these playoffs, and with Lopez and Portis thriving inside whether it’s finishing around the rim or cleaning the glass, plus Holiday and Middleton efficiently facilitating and initiating, combined with the utilization of the recently implemented “dunker spot,” the Milwaukee Bucks have found their advantage.

With or without Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks must take advantage of controlling the paint while competing with the same level of urgency moving forward in order to inch closer to the ultimate goal. They’re so close and can just about taste history, but as Brook Lopez stated, “It’s exciting, but it’s not done.”

The Milwaukee Bucks are one game away from the NBA Finals, and as they head to Atlanta for Game 6 of the conference finals, riding the successful momentum of attacking the rim as much as possible will help them book their long-deserved ticket.