Milwaukee forgot how to play defense in the bubble

[Jedzz]

The idea that theyre not giving effort doesnt jive with what ive seen when watching. And Korver's comments

You can give SOME effort without giving all effort. Sure they may be overall still trying to W and playing moderately hard, but they aren't playing at their peak energy/effort obviously.

No carrot dangling in front vs carrot dangling in front. Yes I can see them not having a mental reason to push themselves as hard as they can just yet. They always were a team that was easily taken out of focus and would get blown out in rare weird moments.

[The_Hater]

It's a one man show aka 2007 cavs

Sure it is, if we ignore that other guy who is going to be an All-NBA player after a 50-40-90 season and scored 50 points in a game Giannis missed this season.

One man show....

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

The bucks don't have a solid defense, they just pack the paint.

They get lit up from distance.

???

It's the most effective defense by a mile. Sorry, but a few games with no meaning doesn't throw that out the window. The paint is the most important area of the court, and the Bucks are ahead of the game in the way they defend it.

If the Lopez brothers defending three's is your cup of tea...have at it.

They rank highly because they get blocks, not because they lock teams down from half court.

[BenoUdrihFTL]

Tbf they played pretty amazing D in the 2nd half vs a Miami team that was missing its two primary ball-handlers

[KqWIN]

The bucks don't have a solid defense, they just pack the paint.

They get lit up from distance.

???

It's the most effective defense by a mile. Sorry, but a few games with no meaning doesn't throw that out the window. The paint is the most important area of the court, and the Bucks are ahead of the game in the way they defend it.

If the Lopez brothers defending three's is your cup of tea...have at it.

They rank highly because they get blocks, not because they lock teams down from half court.

None of this is making sense

The Bucks are the best defense in the league by a mile because they prevent the other team from scoring, and they do that by defending the paint.

[Suprasc1]

It's a one man show aka 2007 cavs

Sure it is, if we ignore that other guy who is going to be an All-NBA player after a 50-40-90 season and scored 50 points in a game Giannis missed this season.

One man show....

So he has no excuse to lose in the ecf or finals right? LeBron made it to the finals with ymca guys

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

???

It's the most effective defense by a mile. Sorry, but a few games with no meaning doesn't throw that out the window. The paint is the most important area of the court, and the Bucks are ahead of the game in the way they defend it.

If the Lopez brothers defending three's is your cup of tea...have at it.

They rank highly because they get blocks, not because they lock teams down from half court.

None of this is making sense

The Bucks are the best defense in the league by a mile because they prevent the other team from scoring, and they do that by defending the paint.

No, they pack the paint and give up the three.

That tactic died in the 90's.

[The_Hater]

It's a one man show aka 2007 cavs

Sure it is, if we ignore that other guy who is going to be an All-NBA player after a 50-40-90 season and scored 50 points in a game Giannis missed this season.

One man show....

So he has no excuse to lose in the ecf or finals right? LeBron made it to the finals with ymca guys

I suspect they’re going to run over everyone in the eastern playoffs quite easily, I personally don’t think any team is close to their level including my Raps. The finals will be a tougher fight but I have them as the slight favourites right now over either LA team.

Regardless, calling them a 1 man team is just a bad take. Middleton is one of the top 12-15 players in the league this season and plays both sides of the ball plus they’re deep and they play elite defense. Lots of people called the Raptors a one team last season, wrote them off this year and apparently they’re still pretty good without that one man.

[cupcakesnake]

I don't care about the defensive rating of a team with nothing to play for over 8 games besides getting their guys back into shape. The Bucks can have some nice relaxing seeding games, as a treat.

I do think the Bucks defense is potentially vulnerable though. They leverage their size in a super conservative scheme. I feel like if a team gets scorching hot, the Bucks might be slow to adapt.

Milwaukee had the best defense in the league, but I think the Clippers and Raptors are more adaptable in the playoffs. I'd say the same for the Celtics, but I don't love their lack of size against a bunch of matchips.

[KqWIN]

If the Lopez brothers defending three's is your cup of tea...have at it.

They rank highly because they get blocks, not because they lock teams down from half court.

None of this is making sense

The Bucks are the best defense in the league by a mile because they prevent the other team from scoring, and they do that by defending the paint.

No, they pack the paint and give up the three.

That tactic died in the 90's.

It's the most effective defense in the league in 2020.

[Lockdown504090]

The bucks defense is set up to concede three pointers, and teams can hit more 3s in the bubble due to no fans, better depth perception, no Travel, and no other distractions. They may have to switch up their tactics a bit because teams WILL shoot better in this years playoffs than last years.

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

It's the most effective REGULAR SEASON defense in the league in 2020.

Fixed.

[The_Hater]

I don't care about the defensive rating of a team with nothing to play for over 8 games besides getting their guys back into shape. The Bucks can have some nice relaxing seeding games, as a treat.

I do think the Bucks defense is potentially vulnerable though. They leverage their size in a super conservative scheme. I feel like if a team gets scorching hot, the Bucks might be slow to adapt..

They can play this way because they have so many quality defenders though. Where is the glaring weakness an offensive team can pick apart? 3 of their starters are all-league level this season with 1 of them being the best and most versatile defensive player in the league. The other 2, Matthews and Middleton, are both well above average defensively. They can switch the 4 perimeter positions with ease because of their size and strength and have those two elite rim protectors inside. And the bench unit comes in with several smart, quality defenders who play their butt off.

This isn’t one of the best defensive teams ever by accident and the EC doesn’t have any Kawhi level players his season who can poke their own holes in it. The won’t see a player on that level until they meet one the LA teams in the finals.

[PistolPeteJR]

I don't care about the defensive rating of a team with nothing to play for over 8 games besides getting their guys back into shape. The Bucks can have some nice relaxing seeding games, as a treat.

I do think the Bucks defense is potentially vulnerable though. They leverage their size in a super conservative scheme. I feel like if a team gets scorching hot, the Bucks might be slow to adapt.

Milwaukee had the best defense in the league, but I think the Clippers and Raptors are more adaptable in the playoffs. I'd say the same for the Celtics, but I don't love their lack of size against a bunch of matchips.

Absolutely this. The Bucks live and die by the three, but on the defensive side. Bud has only ever gone to the grave with his defensive scheme. I don't believe in the Bucks' ability to adapt to change it up either. This is why I really believe a healthy Heat can take them out. They just match up really well with them with Bam taking the primary responsibility on Giannis and small-balling them to death with elite shooting and hard-nosed defense.

[cupcakesnake]

I don't care about the defensive rating of a team with nothing to play for over 8 games besides getting their guys back into shape. The Bucks can have some nice relaxing seeding games, as a treat.

I do think the Bucks defense is potentially vulnerable though. They leverage their size in a super conservative scheme. I feel like if a team gets scorching hot, the Bucks might be slow to adapt..

They can play this way because they have so many quality defenders though. Where is the glaring weakness an offensive team can pick apart? 3 of their starters are all-league level this season with 1 of them being the best and most versatile defensive player in the league. The other 2, Matthews and Middleton, are both well above average defensively. They can switch the 4 perimeter positions with ease because of their size and strength and have those two elite rim protectors inside. And the bench unit comes in with several smart, quality defenders who play their butt off.

This isn’t one of the best defensive teams ever by accident and the EC doesn’t have any Kawhi level players his season who can poke their own holes in it. The won’t see a player on that level until they meet one the LA teams in the finals.

As is well documented, the Bucks defense is built on a hyper-conservative scheme: protect the rim at all cost, even if that means surrendering a ton of threes. And boy do they surrender a ton of threes. Opponents take 40 a game against them (the most attempts allowed in the league) and it's not like these attempts are bad ones, Bucks are roughly average in terms of the percentage taken against them (.355%, 15th in the league). Bledsoe and Divencenzo are great at protecting the nail and then closing out hard, but I do wonder if this style makes them vulnerable to a random 3-game walloping when an opposing coach (They'll face either Nick Nurse or Brad Stevens likely) really tries to stack the deck against their defense. I worry about Coach Bud's stubbornness. Bud refused to switch up his defense last year, like by having Giannis guard Kawhi for example, and he watched his team lose 4 games in a row. That kind of coaching conservatism makes me think the Bucks are vulnerable.

I do not doubt the Bucks defensive personnel (elite) or their defensive system (all time great). I am curious to see how inpregnable this defense is against playoff basketball. I'm not sounding the alarm bells, but I think it's something to watch. Will Bud switch things up if a team gets hot while taking like 50 attempts?

[crkone]

I don't care about the defensive rating of a team with nothing to play for over 8 games besides getting their guys back into shape. The Bucks can have some nice relaxing seeding games, as a treat.

I do think the Bucks defense is potentially vulnerable though. They leverage their size in a super conservative scheme. I feel like if a team gets scorching hot, the Bucks might be slow to adapt.

Milwaukee had the best defense in the league, but I think the Clippers and Raptors are more adaptable in the playoffs. I'd say the same for the Celtics, but I don't love their lack of size against a bunch of matchips.

Absolutely this. The Bucks live and die by the three, but on the defensive side. Bud has only ever gone to the grave with his defensive scheme. I don't believe in the Bucks' ability to adapt to change it up either. This is why I really believe a healthy Heat can take them out. They just match up really well with them with Bam taking the primary responsibility on Giannis and small-balling them to death with elite shooting and hard-nosed defense.

The Bucks went to a switching defense last year against Boston in the playoffs. The only switch they didn't do was a 1-5. They can go full zone or a switching defense with Giannis at C and Marvin at the 4.

[PistolPeteJR]

I don't care about the defensive rating of a team with nothing to play for over 8 games besides getting their guys back into shape. The Bucks can have some nice relaxing seeding games, as a treat.

I do think the Bucks defense is potentially vulnerable though. They leverage their size in a super conservative scheme. I feel like if a team gets scorching hot, the Bucks might be slow to adapt.

Milwaukee had the best defense in the league, but I think the Clippers and Raptors are more adaptable in the playoffs. I'd say the same for the Celtics, but I don't love their lack of size against a bunch of matchips.

Absolutely this. The Bucks live and die by the three, but on the defensive side. Bud has only ever gone to the grave with his defensive scheme. I don't believe in the Bucks' ability to adapt to change it up either. This is why I really believe a healthy Heat can take them out. They just match up really well with them with Bam taking the primary responsibility on Giannis and small-balling them to death with elite shooting and hard-nosed defense.

The Bucks went to a switching defense last year against Boston in the playoffs. The only switch they didn't do was a 1-5. They can go full zone or a switching defense with Giannis at C and Marvin at the 4.

What big did Boston have inside to punish them who could also step outside? Also, what chemistry did Boston have?

[crkone]

Absolutely this. The Bucks live and die by the three, but on the defensive side. Bud has only ever gone to the grave with his defensive scheme. I don't believe in the Bucks' ability to adapt to change it up either. This is why I really believe a healthy Heat can take them out. They just match up really well with them with Bam taking the primary responsibility on Giannis and small-balling them to death with elite shooting and hard-nosed defense.

The Bucks went to a switching defense last year against Boston in the playoffs. The only switch they didn't do was a 1-5. They can go full zone or a switching defense with Giannis at C and Marvin at the 4.

What big did Boston have inside to punish them who could also step outside? Also, what chemistry did Boston have?

What does that have to do with anything? You said Bud went to the grave with his defensive scheme and it was wrong.

[The_Hater]

I don't care about the defensive rating of a team with nothing to play for over 8 games besides getting their guys back into shape. The Bucks can have some nice relaxing seeding games, as a treat.

I do think the Bucks defense is potentially vulnerable though. They leverage their size in a super conservative scheme. I feel like if a team gets scorching hot, the Bucks might be slow to adapt..

They can play this way because they have so many quality defenders though. Where is the glaring weakness an offensive team can pick apart? 3 of their starters are all-league level this season with 1 of them being the best and most versatile defensive player in the league. The other 2, Matthews and Middleton, are both well above average defensively. They can switch the 4 perimeter positions with ease because of their size and strength and have those two elite rim protectors inside. And the bench unit comes in with several smart, quality defenders who play their butt off.

This isn’t one of the best defensive teams ever by accident and the EC doesn’t have any Kawhi level players his season who can poke their own holes in it. The won’t see a player on that level until they meet one the LA teams in the finals.

As is well documented, the Bucks defense is built on a hyper-conservative scheme: protect the rim at all cost, even if that means surrendering a ton of threes. And boy do they surrender a ton of threes. Opponents take 40 a game against them (the most attempts allowed in the league) and it's not like these attempts are bad ones, Bucks are roughly average in terms of the percentage taken against them (.355%, 15th in the league). Bledsoe and Divencenzo are great at protecting the nail and then closing out hard, but I do wonder if this style makes them vulnerable to a random 3-game walloping when an opposing coach (They'll face either Nick Nurse or Brad Stevens likely) really tries to stack the deck against their defense. I worry about Coach Bud's stubbornness. Bud refused to switch up his defense last year, like by having Giannis guard Kawhi for example, and he watched his team lose 4 games in a row. That kind of coaching conservatism makes me think the Bucks are vulnerable.

I do not doubt the Bucks defensive personnel (elite) or their defensive system (all time great). I am curious to see how inpregnable this defense is against playoff basketball. I'm not sounding the alarm bells, but I think it's something to watch. Will Bud switch things up if a team gets hot while taking like 50 attempts?

I get that. And the Raptors surrender the 2nd most 3’s as well as more corner 3’s than any other team in the league. (The Clippers, another elite defense, are 4th highest)

So there are, the leagues top 2 defenses in the league both surrendering shots that conventional wisdom says they shouldn’t, yet both defending at an elite level. So I’m not convinced these 3 point attempt numbers actually tell us what many people think they should and I’m not sure we should be viewing them as a defensive weakness. It seems like the exact opposite is actually happening, perhaps because their opponents are having trouble getting into the paint and end up settling for contested 3’s late in the clock?

[SFour]

I don't think they "forgot" how to play defense...they follow a defensive system to pack the paint which results in a lot of 3pt attempts by the opposing team....maybe in the bubble environment that doesn't work as well.

Bucks are #1 in the league in OPP 3PA at 39.5 and they are 15th in OPP 3P% at 35.5