Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks have won the second edition of the NBA Cup. In a continuation of their stellar form, they shined under the bright lights, giving a possible peak into their quest to dethrone the Boston Celtics.
The duo has been rampant, scoring at will and leading the charge where the rest of the team has focused on shutting down their opposition. They followed the same game plan against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a formidable West topping opponent, to win the NBA Cup and give their team a good pay day.
It is a far cry from the early part of the season when head coach Doc Rivers came under fire for having the Milwaukee Bucks in a dire position. But tonight, it was their thirteenth victory out of their past sixteen games.
Teams headed by two dominating superstars can go on such stretches of victories, but for an NBA title dream, the whole team needs to be clicking. To challenge the Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks need these three aspects to work well.
Milwaukee Bucks chemistry is different this season
Last season, many labelled the Damian Lillard trade as something that broke the already good chemistry the Milwaukee Bucks had. Add in the loss of Jrue Holiday, and the Bucks looked like a shell of themselves. After hiring Doc Rivers, they kept battling for wins, but something seemed off.
At the start of this season, those problems looked like they were there to stay. However, the team has played much better in this 13-3 stretch. In that stretch, the most telling point is the improved chemistry.
Rivers had mentioned that when their gameplan starts to work, it will lead the team to be at their best. The team’s renewed vigor in their play has proven him correct so far. That chemistry has helped Giannis Antetokounmpo play off Lillard in a style different to last season.
On the other hand, the rest of the players seem to know their roles well and are playing accordingly. This Bucks team does not have too many ego centric players, which has helped them gel and spark this turnaround.
Doc Rivers ensuring team roles fit their gameplan
For Doc Rivers, not having many ego centric players was a blessing in disguise. Unlike his previous stops with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers, he does not have to satisfy many. The only exceptions are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, but again, they are only bothered about winning.
They have accumulated enough individual stats throughout their career that all they care about is the NBA title. That means the head coach is left formulating a game plan that brings the best out of them all. The rest of the starters are assigned roles which they do with aplomb.
But more crucially has been the production from their bench players. The second unit has not exactly lit up the stat sheets, but they do enough whenever their starters rest. This brings to focus on the soon to return Khris Middleton.
The former All-Star was one of their most important cogs in that 2021 NBA title winning bid. They are planning to slowly ease him back into the lineup. But for Doc Rivers, having another ego less star will help in a big way come playoff time.
Steadily improving team defense
During Adrian Griffin‘s short tenure, the Milwaukee Bucks were one of the best offensive teams in the league. On the other hand, their defense was substandard at best. He was fired after franchise leadership felt they needed to play better defense if they are to compete for an NBA title.
However, the team took their time to bring that defense into their stride. Antetokounmpo has been stellar as ever, but where the team looks different in their winning stretch has been overall team defense. After a disappointing start, the Bucks are now 13th in Defensive rating and climbing.
In their NBA Cup win, that team defense was evident as they managed to keep Oklahoma City Thunder superstar and last year’s MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 8-24 shooting from the floor. Along with that, they ensured they do not give away fouls which the young stud thrives on.
That defensive display was such that it led to frustrations from the Thunder all night. But more importantly, it goes to show that the team is finally playing defense that is needed to shut down elite teams.
With all this in mind, the Milwaukee Bucks are showing that they are looking to dethrone the Boston Celtics as the best team in the East. Probably another quarter of the season should give an idea if they can stick to their gameplan.
Stay Updated!
Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.
