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Milwaukee Bucks

MILWAUKEE (May 1, 2024)&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Milwaukee Bucks will depart for Indianapolis for Game 6 of their First Round series against the Indiana Pacers today, May 1. Fans are encouraged to send the team off at 12 p.m. at Signature Flight Support Airport (923 E. Layton Ave., Milwaukee).

Members of the Bucks Entertainment Network will join fans for the sendoff rally. Fans and media are asked to stay in the designated rally location on the western portion of the Signature Flight Support parking lot. Parking is available at the Layton Ave. Observation Area (5300 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee) or on residential streets north of Layton Ave.&nbsp;

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Milwaukee Bucks Sendoff Rally To Take Place Today, May 1

Louis Zatzman

We’ve got a battle between an alligator and an eagle brewing. The matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers features two teams with different styles, who fight on different battlegrounds, and exist in entirely different habitats. Whoever dictates terms will be the winner. &nbsp;

And it’s not a stretch to say that these two teams are relative strangers to one another. Of course, they played five games against each other, one more than the usual number between in-conference opponents. (The extra game was due to the In-Season Tournament.) And yet, both teams are very different now than they were during those contests.&nbsp;

Doc Rivers began coaching the Bucks on Jan. 29, almost a full month after the final regular-season game between the two teams. Since Rivers took the reins, the Bucks changed their approach dramatically on both ends. (More on that throughout the piece.) And the Pacers traded for Pascal Siakam, a bonafide second star alongside Tyrese Haliburton, on Jan. 18. &nbsp;

Let’s break down every possible angle of the series, the matchups and strategies, and forecast how each team might approach the series and the adjustments that come between games. &nbsp;

This section has more potential impact than one would hope. It’s unclear whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will be available to start the series. He strained his calf in the third quarter of Milwaukee’s Apr. 9 win over the Boston Celtics and hasn’t played in a game since. Antetokounmpo remains the Bucks’ best player and the catalyst of their approach on both ends. If he misses any time, Indiana would face a very different Bucks team without him. Milwaukee went 4-5 in the regular season when Antetokounmpo didn’t suit up. &nbsp;

AJ Green is also questionable with an injured ankle. And Lillard is dealing with a sore left adductor that kept him out of some practices in the week leading up the start of the series. The team expects Lillard to be ready to play. &nbsp;

For the Pacers, Bennedict Mathurin is out for the series after undergoing shoulder surgery. He is the team’s highest-volume bench scorer. He hasn’t played since early March. He was the Pacers’ third-leading scorer in the season series against Milwaukee and had the highest plus-minus, winning his minutes by 35 points. His loss is a major one in this matchup. &nbsp;

The numbers here are relatively even in the big picture despite different paths in the process. &nbsp;

Because both teams’ seasons changed so much in the middle, let’s revisit the same numbers since Jan. 29, after which time both the Bucks and Pacers were their “newest selves.”&nbsp;

Since their evolutions, both teams saw their offensive potency drop by small amounts, but their defenses improve. Siakam gave the Pacers more size and more versatility as a big initiator and switchable defender, while Rivers switched up Milwaukee’s schemes on both ends. &nbsp;

The season-long numbers, and those since Jan. 29, both indicate that the possession count will be a major battleground for the series. The Pacers are a very poor defensive rebounding team, with Myles Turner notching one of the lowest defensive rebounding rates among starting centers in the league. Of course, Brook Lopez’s defensive rebounding rate is even lower, but he has Antetokounmpo to help clean up the glass there; no one on the Pacers is such a weapon from elsewhere on the positional spectrum. &nbsp;

Obi Toppin led the Pacers in offensive rebounds over the series, with 11. But the Pacers collected them across the roster. Meanwhile Antetokounmpo collected 11 steals, although his offensive rebounding was below his season average. The Pacers were the team that seemed to make a point of winning the possession battle in the season series. Expect the Bucks to prioritize that as well going forward. &nbsp;

Neither team is great at forcing turnovers, nor does either have the personnel required to dial up the defensive aggression. As a result, expect rebounding to be the most important lever for the possession battle. If Milwaukee does win on the offensive glass, that would also keep Indiana out of transition by forcing them to stick around and box out as a collective unit. Don’t be surprised to see the Bucks chasing offensive rebounds with one or even two bodies on misses.  &nbsp;

This might be burying the lede, but the Pacers did exceptionally well against the Bucks this year, including knocking them out of the In-Season Tournament. They were the only team in the league to beat the Bucks more than twice this season. &nbsp;

The possession battle was a vital decider in the regular-season series - not in Milwaukee’s favor. The Pacers forced more turnovers than Milwaukee and outrebounded them, which meant Indiana ended up taking 481 shots to Milwaukee’s 457 over the course of five games. In fact, the Pacers averaged the second-most second-chance points of any team against the Bucks this season. With Indiana’s offense so potent, giving them an extra five or six shots per game in the playoffs would make the series an uphill climb for the Bucks. &nbsp;

Many of Milwaukee’s adaptations under Rivers should help in this matchup specifically. Since Jan. 29, they have improved at limiting opposing offensive rebounds and are now a top-five defensive rebounding team. Similarly, they have been a top-five team at limiting opposing fastbreak points since Jan. 29. &nbsp;

Both teams shot cold from deep, as Lillard and Lopez both connected at sub-30 percent rates in the series against Indiana. For the Pacers, it was Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown, and Mathurin shooting well below their season averages, but Hield and Brown are on new teams, and Mathurin won’t be available. The current Pacers who did play in the series, such as Haliburton and Turner, mostly shot quite well. &nbsp;

The season series was not as lopsided as a 1-4 record might indicate. The Bucks led at some point in the fourth quarter in four of the five games and in the second half in all five. Both teams have changed dramatically since the most recent game between the two, so in some ways, you can throw these numbers out the door. &nbsp;

Based on how both teams are constructed now, what can we expect? A quick caveat: these matchups aren’t guaranteed. I am assuming that Antetokounmpo is in the starting lineup, although that is far from certain to begin the series. And though Beverley supplanted Malik Beasley in the starting lineup, Milwaukee only played one game with the listed starting lineup. (Antetokounmpo hurt himself that game, which is why it didn’t close the season.) Milwaukee’s projected starting lineup went 1-0 in the season. Indiana went 15-10 with their projected starting lineup. &nbsp;

Neither team did a great job guarding the other in the regular-season series, so some of the stats on both sides are inflated. There will be lots of matchup questions, but if either team leaves defenders on an island without help, it will be a free basket. Both teams have initiators with too much skill, too much burst, for single defenders to guard them. Take matchups with more of a salt lick than a salt grain. There will be switching, cross-matching, and likely so much rotating that mostly everyone will get a crack guarding everyone else. &nbsp;

Also: Because neither Beverley nor Siakam played a game against the other team while with their respective current squads, the upcoming numbers use their data from previous matchups this season. 

Milwaukee's offensive players possessions against vs. Indiana's defensive players, (points-shot attempts):

Antetokounmpo was virtually unstoppable no matter who was guarding him. This table only includes projected starters of the upcoming series, but Antetokounmpo also scored 19 points on 12 shots against former Pacers’ starter Buddy Hield as well as equally efficient lines against a variety of Indiana’s bench players. Perhaps nothing indicates his success against any defender as well as his simple box score averages in the five games: 42.2 points per game on 67.6 percent shooting from the field. &nbsp;

Indiana’s stars enjoyed their matchups, too.

Milwaukee's defensive players possessions against vs. Indiana's offensive players, (points-shot attempts):

Haliburton scored quite efficiently against virtually any defender during the season series. And Siakam’s numbers are muted – he only played two games against the Bucks this year, and both as a Raptor. Indiana’s offense is significantly more explosive than Toronto’s, and Siakam has had much more room to operate since the trade.&nbsp;

Here are my guesses for matchups, starting with Milwaukee on offense:&nbsp;

Nembhard is Indiana’s guard stopper, and he was relatively successful against Lillard this year. He is stronger than offensive players suspect and anticipates well. No one can take away Lillard’s stepback jumper, but Nembhard is Indiana’s best chance to limit Lillard’s driving game. &nbsp;

The Pacers like to hide Haliburton on teams’ weaker offensive guards, so they’ll likely start him on Beverley. Beverley could take him into the post and try to force Haliburton to work on defense. Haliburton has surprising length for a point guard, and Beverley's attacking him would take the ball out of Lillard and Antetokounmpo’s hands. My guess is that if the Bucks want to hunt Haliburton's defense, it would be by playing Lillard and Malik Beasley together, forcing Haliburton to either chase a movement shooter or guard on the ball. &nbsp;

Siakam should be long enough to help contest Middleton’s post game. Though Siakam has seen his defensive ability at the point of attack wane in recent years, Middleton isn’t the bursty driver that can take advantage of that. Both players are positional, tactical movers, so Siakam makes sense as Middleton’s primary defender. &nbsp;

The Pacers used Turner to guard Antetokounmpo through much of the season series, and it did not go well. Turner is a strong defender, but Antetokounmpo can generally take sharp angles and turn the corner on Turner with ease. Indiana has generally viewed Nesmith as its best wing stopper – he was Indiana’s primary defender on LeBron James on Apr. 29, for example. Nesmith is strong and mobile and he will have lots of help in guarding Antetokounmpo. &nbsp;

A straight center-center positional matchup. This lets Turner guard the majority of Bucks’ pick and rolls as the screener defender. Turner will be helping liberally on Antetokounmpo, so Lopez will see plenty of open jumpers that he’ll need to convert.&nbsp;

Beverley is Milwaukee’s best pick-and-roll handler defender, and he was acquired with matchups like this one in mind. &nbsp;

Lillard did well guarding Haliburton during the season series. And Lillard had a better defensive season than perhaps ever in his career, with the Bucks significantly better on the defensive end with him on the court than on the bench. But he ought to start on Nembhard and let Beverley expend energy as the tip of the defensive spear. Lillard will have heavy lifting to do on the offensive end, especially if Antetokounmpo misses time.&nbsp;

Straight small forward-small forward matchup. Nesmith is shooting over 40 percent from deep on the year. I expect the Bucks to test that and let Middleton stunt an extra step into the lane on actions to muck up the middle of the floor. Nesmith has only shot 20 percent from deep in his career in the playoffs, so the Bucks might let Middleton roam, at least until it starts hurting them. &nbsp;

Siakam is a post demon, with a bag of fakes and spins and drop steps equal to anyone’s in the league. Traditionally, Antetokounmpo has been Milwaukee’s primary defender against Siakam, but Siakam has actually scored very efficiently in that matchup. Most teams use centers against Siakam, as they have the length and bulk to force his post moves away from the rim. Antetokounmpo will be best employed elsewhere.&nbsp;

Turner gave the Bucks enormous amounts of trouble during the season series, and his ability to pop after setting a screen and drain triples, or drive against closeouts, makes the drop-and-over defensive approach basically untenable when he’s the screener for Haliburton. The Bucks will have to switch and Antetokounmpo is one of the most capable switch bigs in the league. Picks that Indiana ran defended by Antetokounmpo this season averaged only 0.84 points per chance, while Indiana’s picks defended by Lopez averaged 1.02 points per chance. This matchup would give Milwaukee its best chance at limiting Indiana’s high-powered offense. &nbsp;

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Siakam post-ups

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Giannis finishes over Turner

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Nembhard guarding Lillard drives

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Portis rim-outs on good looks

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Middleton-Portis pick-and-rolls

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Lopez post-ups

This is an area where the Bucks would seem to have an advantage, especially when Antetokounmpo is healthy. In Portis and Beasley, the Bucks have two high-scoring bench players with experience in deep playoff runs. Based on presumptive starters, they will be the two highest-scoring bench players in the series. Indiana doesn’t have the same caliber of volume bench scorers who’ve played in late rounds of the postseason. While Siakam offers the Pacers plenty of playoff experience, and Turner has played in a handful of games, this will be the playoff debut for many of Indiana’s rotation players. Still, the Pacers have found plenty of success with their bench on the court this season. As a collective, Indiana’s bench has been one of its strong suits.&nbsp;

If you use the trend line over the full season, the Pacers have been very successful with bench players on the court. Since the lineup rejigging, key bench players like Bruce Brown are gone, while others like Nesmith and Nembhard are now starting. The Pacers generally find ways to win minutes even with their new bench rotation on the court. &nbsp;

Anticipate Indiana’s four bench players to be Ben Sheppard, TJ McConnell, Obi Toppin, and Jalen Smith. All have been significant contributors. Over the season, Sheppard and Toppin have positive on/off ratings, meaning the team has been better with them playing than on the bench. McConnell’s rating is neutral. Teams usually don’t see as much success with bench players in the game. Indiana has found a rotation that is able to keep its style no matter the players on the court, leading to success across full games. The Pacers actually outscore opponents the most at the end of the first and third quarters, when McConnell and Toppin usually join the starters. &nbsp;

Add it all together, and the Pacers get more scoring from their bench than any other NBA team, while the Bucks are in 19th. The two benches contribute in different ways. The Pacers contribute through the system, with players plugging in and filling the same roles as their starting counterparts whereas the Bucks allow their bench players to bend the style of the team to fit their strengths. Especially when Portis plays, the Bucks see more post-ups and isolations. &nbsp;

Will Indiana’s system scoring off the bench hold up in the playoffs? This is the best season of McConnell’s career, but he hasn’t ever had as large a role in the playoffs as the Pacers are about to need from him. He runs almost as many picks as Haliburton, ranking 11th in frequency in the entire league. He always brings energy, and he probes a defense with commitment, always finding a crack if it appears. &nbsp;

Unlike Haliburton, McConnell is generally most effective against switches, which often allows him to find driving angles. He is committed to reaching the paint. He also passes out of more than half of his picks when defenses switch, which is in the 75th percentile leaguewide. The Bucks will want to use a drop defense against McConnell, but they need to be careful to ensure the center is not too far in the paint and is still able to contest his mid-range game. His rate of shooting when facing a drop is much higher than a switch. Furthermore, McConnell shoots 50 percent on floaters and almost 50 percent on pull-up 2-pointers. (While Middleton leads the league in pull-up 2-pointer percentage, Haliburton, Nembhard, McConnell, and Siakam are all in the top 25 for efficiency on such shots.) If McConnell’s ball-dominant style leads to missed mid-range jumpers over Milwaukee’s length, and the Bucks begin to win the transitional minutes, will the Pacers be able to adapt? &nbsp;

Indiana’s other bench players are not initiators. None of Smith, Toppin, or Sheppard initiate many plays for the Pacers. If Milwaukee is able to cut off the head of the snake on the defensive end and deny advantages to Haliburton, Nembhard, and McConnell, that will greatly limit Indiana’s other bench players. They are mostly spot-up shooters and cutters. If Milwaukee’s switching is seamless and keeps the ball out of the paint, it will dramatically limit Indiana’s bench scoring. Minimizing their own defensive rotations should be a priority for the Bucks. &nbsp;

If Indiana does see its younger rotation players fail to fulfill their roles, the Pacers do have experience on the bench. Doug McDermott is still a knockdown movement shooter, but he is less capable on the defensive end than Indiana’s other bench players. If the Pacers see their offense wane, he could see time later in the series. &nbsp;

For the Bucks, experience is perhaps the greatest strength off the bench. Portis is a champion. He is a switchable big, able to mimic the style that Antetokounmpo brings to defending the pick and roll as the screener defender. He only switched a small handful of times in the season series (and the Pacers did score well on those possessions), but his ability to move the Pacers’ possessions into the next action will be vital. &nbsp;

Beasley can hurt the Pacers. He is one of the best shooters in the league, and he is great at shooting on the move – relocating into empty space and sprinting into shots. He finished 11th in the NBA in made triples. If Beverley starts, Haliburton will guard him. Will Milwaukee use Beverley as a screener to hunt Haliburton? It’s hard to say, and Beverley is not a high-volume scorer. But Beasley can be. When Beverley plays alongside Lillard, and Haliburton is on the floor, the Bucks should involve whomever Haliburton is guarding in every possession. Beasley can screen, ghost, or slip, and sprint into space for rhythm triples. If Haliburton has to guard 10 of those a game, it could go a long way both toward finding points with or without Antetokounmpo, as well as tiring Indiana’s most important player. &nbsp;

Crowder will also play a crucial role for the Bucks. He has played more playoff games than the Bucks as a team since 2016-17. If Antetokounmpo misses time, Crowder will likely see his role expand. He is a natural defender for Siakam. He also held up well over the season defending picks, if at a low volume. He didn’t get a chance to do so against the Pacers. He will be another switch defender, jumping onto Haliburton when defending whomever sets the screen. His ability to survive for a few beats will go a long way toward determining which team wins minutes to end the first and third quarters, when some starters are still playing alongside bench players. If Crowder forces stops against Haliburton and hits triples the other way, those wins around the margin would hold the Bucks in good stead. &nbsp;

Pat Connaughton and AJ Green likely project as Milwaukee’s final rotation players off the bench. Both are knockdown shooters. Connaughton has consistently hit big shots in the playoffs - his career playoff 3-point percentage is a few points higher than regular season. He has hit at or around 40 percent of his triples in his last three playoff runs. Green is an automatic shooter, but has never played in the playoffs. He’s no defensive pushover, but his ability to commit to the details in the crucible of Indiana’s offensive motion will determine his playability. &nbsp;

Jackson should be seen as Milwaukee’s deep-bench ace in the hole. He may not play a minute, but if the Bucks have trouble finding a coverage for Haliburton, Jackson may be asked to try his hand. Milwaukee used him to stymie Immanuel Quickley on Apr. 5 when Toronto’s point guard was running wild. Jackson did a phenomenal job of sticking with him and denying advantages off the bounce. He is Milwaukee’s most athletic guard defender. &nbsp;

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First Round Series Preview: Bucks vs. Pacers

“I want the mud,” said Doc Rivers after a gritty come-from-behind victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on March 14. &nbsp;

The 76ers had their way with Milwaukee early on. The Bucks lacked physicality, allowing the Sixers 17 points off turnovers in the first half. Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey scored in explosive bursts, tossing in a layup and a pair of pull-up triples in the final 90 seconds of the second quarter. Maxey is one of the fastest players in the league, and the Bucks allowed his preferred tempo -- allegro -- to dictate the initial pace of the game. Milwaukee faced an eight-point deficit going into the third quarter. &nbsp;

Everything changed in the second half, especially in the fourth. The game slowed, and even dragged at points, The Sixers did not score a single point in transition in the second half. Forced into the halfcourt, possessions took longer. Milwaukee moved from drop-and-over defense in the first half to more switching and showing -- forcing Maxey into packed lanes and the ball out of his hands. &nbsp;

The Sixers scored 22 in both second-half quarters compared with 29 and 32 in the first half.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

While Rivers was speaking poetically in his postgame remarks, there was great significance informing his words. What did he mean, specifically? And why are the Bucks so great while playing in the mud? &nbsp;

Mud is slow. It’s grasping. It sucks you down, dirties the game, and ruins the visuals. Not even a three-piece suit looks good in the mud. In basketball terms, that means slow, static, and physical basketball.&nbsp;

Against the Sixers on March 14, the Bucks used only 89 possessions in the game, which is their second-lowest total of the year. Their lowest total, 88 possessions, came on April 9 during Milwaukee’s grinding, wire-to-wire victory over the Boston Celtics. Limiting possession totals may be a counterintuitive strength, with so many teams in the modern NBA chasing offensive rebounds to inflate possessions totals. But in this matchup, the approach worked in Milwaukee’s favor. &nbsp;

For many teams, pace is a means of boosting offense. But for the Bucks, star power is enough to do that on its own. Giannis Antetokounmpo has an effective field-goal percentage of 60.4 in the half court this year, comparable to the transition efficiency of stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Maxey, or Jaylen Brown. Antetokounmpo’s abilities typify those of the entire team. Milwaukee’s average points per chance in their 10 highest-possession games is 1.09 and is a very similar 1.07 in their 10 lowest-possession games. &nbsp;

The Bucks’ offense doesn’t register much of a drop when the team plays slowly. So how do they force their preferred, muddy pace? &nbsp;

Since Jan. 29, when Rivers took over, the Bucks have allowed the third-fewest transition possessions per game. Getting back in transition, filling the correct defensive lanes, less frequently crashing the offensive glass, and ensuring preferred matchups helps the Bucks limit the tempo of the game. Simply put, transition possessions take less time than half-court ones. Keeping the game in the half court limits the number of total possessions and bars opponents from easy points. This approach comes at the cost of the Bucks’ own transition possessions shrinking by a few attempts per game. But the majority of the team is at its best in the half court. To stay in the half court, the Bucks use more time to cross the midcourt line on non-transition possessions than any team but one (the 76ers).&nbsp;

Of course, there is much more to mud than simply playing in the half court versus transition. &nbsp;

Milwaukee’s new defensive approach is both a means of slowing the game down and reaping the associated benefits. Tools like switching and stunting keep the ball outside the arc, limiting penetration and north-south passing opportunities. Switching also lets a defense keep its shell intact and limits rotations -- all lessening movement on the court for both teams. When a switch is seamless, an offense often turns to grinding isolations or resets, all resulting in burned clock and standing around. Since Rivers took over the team on Jan. 29, the Bucks have compiled the third-most possessions in the league in which they’ve switched opposing pick and rolls, leading to zero- or one-pass possessions to opposing offenses. &nbsp;

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Switch forces slow possession

There are concessions to that style of play, of course. Namely, mismatches. Milwaukee has faced an inordinate number of mismatches since Doc Rivers took over.

Because the Bucks are enormous, with their starters oversized across the frontcourt, the frequency of such playtypes isn’t really a bad thing. Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, and Khris Middleton are among the league’s best (with both high frequencies and low efficiency allowed) defending mismatch isolations against guards, while Jae Crowder is among the best mismatch post-up defenders. As a team, they’ve only conceded 0.98 (post-ups) and 0.94 (isolations) points per chance in those situations. Both marks would rank among the five least efficient offenses in the league. And those mismatches are slow, grinding, static possessions. Isolations and post-ups can sap the energy from a game, contributing to exactly the muddy circumstances Milwaukee desires. So even the perceived defensive downsides often help the plan in the long run.&nbsp;

But the Bucks do much on the offensive end, too. Another way to control the speed of the game, the texture in which it is played, is through the Bucks’ own passing. Or, more specifically, the lack thereof. In 2020-21, the Bucks threw on average only 2.08 passes per offensive possession (with offensive rebounds counting as their own possession). That number ranks as the fifth-lowest of any team since the player-tracking era, which began in 2013-14. That stasis in the half court, with so many zero- or one-pass possessions, was vital to Milwaukee’s championship. These 2023-24 Bucks are close, throwing 2.23 passes per offensive possession, also in the bottom 30 of all teams during the player-tracking era.&nbsp;

High-frequency passing engenders its own type of pace and tempo, with the ball finding its own viscosity, as opposed to muddiness. Few dribbles, rapid acceleration and deceleration, lots of passes and cuts, and immediate decisions all lead to open shots when everything clicks. Such moments constitute the most beautiful type of basketball, and the Bucks can surely succeed there too.&nbsp;

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High-tempo 3

But mud is ugly. Viscous, high-tempo possessions increase the flow of the game for both teams. The ball moves faster than players can, so passing adds pace. More passes usually shorten possessions, adding more to the game, but they also increase the risk of misthrows. And more screens and cuts increase the risk of travels, illegal screens, or other missteps. Any of those mistakes result in turnovers, giving the opponent high-value possessions in transition. And just as Newton’s Third Law of Motion applies to forces, so too does it apply to basketball; giving the ball tempo and pace on the offensive end tends to give the same to the other team’s offense, too.

Even though beautiful basketball has its own rewards, it also has its own risks. And the Bucks aren’t a team that needs to take those risks. &nbsp;

After all, low-tempo, low-pass possessions can yield shots that are just as in-rhythm and just as open when the Bucks roster two such dominant isolation players in Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, both able to beat any opponent off the dribble with ease when in single coverage. It’s important that the Bucks are able to shift into flow states. But it’s equally important that they are able to turn off the taps, slow the veins of the game like a clot, and still find good shots. &nbsp;

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Low-tempo 3

Similar to deflation of ball movement, the Bucks intentionally limit man movement too. Since Rivers took over the team, the Bucks have run the lowest rate of off-ball screens of any team in the league, which is almost one-third the frequency of the league’s highest off-ball screening team (the Golden State Warriors). &nbsp;

As on the defensive end, such choices have tradeoffs; the Bucks touch the paint on 55.1 percent of possessions (excluding offensive rebounds), which is the second-lowest rate of any team in the league this year (below only the Dallas Mavericks). But with Lillard fourth in the league in made pull-up triples, and Malik Beasley shooting them at a nearly identical percentage, paint touches aren’t necessarily required for efficient shots on offense.&nbsp;

Limiting possession totals and tempo reduces the game, as much as possible, to an efficiency contest. And Milwaukee has a huge advantage there: Excluding transition, the Bucks have the fifth-largest efficiency gap in the league, with an effective field-goal percentage 3.15 percentage points higher than that of their opponents. To help in that regard, the Bucks since Rivers took over are a top-five defensive rebounding team and a top-10 team in limiting turnovers. Both serve to minimize opposing possessions.

Add it all together, and the Bucks embody a python, squeezing the life from their opponents by squeezing the life from the game itself. They play defense to force their opponents into the half court, and once there they push offenses into isolations and post-ups against mismatches, eschewing flow for static attempts at pounding the rock. Of course, the Bucks do the same on the other end, frequently opting to play slow, minimizing passing and cutting, to keep the tempo of the game underwater. That forces the game into a talent contest, and no duo in the league can create in the muck like Antetokounmpo and Lillard. &nbsp;

The Bucks are at their best in exactly the circumstances they created in the second half against the Sixers on March 14: slow-paced, static, and mucky. In other words, doing their best impersonation of mud. Or, more specifically, Milwaukee’s opponents are at their worst in those moments. Milwaukee can thrive when the game is on fire or in a funk, but the bet is that other teams can’t handle the mud like Milwaukee. &nbsp;

If you’re paying attention, these descriptions of “mud” resemble most cliches about the crucible of playoff basketball. Slow. Physical. Draining. Modern basketball is about pace and speed -- and the Bucks are capable there, too. But those principles are tested in the playoffs. Milwaukee is just preparing early for their upcoming exam. They’ve been tweaking their approach over the season to more resemble what the playoffs require, rather than what works best in the regular season. And we’re soon to find out whether those changes pay off. &nbsp;

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