NBA Playoffs 2020: 3 storylines and a prediction for Bucks vs. Magic

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Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Have the Bucks lost their sting?

During the NBA’s restart, much has been said about how the Milwaukee Bucks and their up-and-down play. Had it not been for a 20-plus point comeback against a Miami Heat team without Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic, the Bucks final seeding games record would be 2-6. In the end, it wasn’t much better at 3-5. Still, it should be noted that the Bucks didn’t have much to play for, to begin with.

They secured the top overall seed in the Eastern Conference with little resistance thanks to their pre-hiatus dominance. Still, you can’t help but wonder if their uneven play inside the bubble will end up being a warning of struggles to come or simply just a lack of focus. The statistics suggest the Bucks were an average team in the bubble, though.

During the eight seeding games, the Bucks had just the 11th ranked offense (111.3 OFFRTG), 11th ranked defense (110.5 DEFTRG), and eighth-ranked net rating (0.8). To put those numbers in context, the Bucks had the sixth-ranked offense (112.3 OFFRTG), top-ranked defense (101.6 DEFRTG), and top-ranked net rating (10.7) pre-hiatus.

Their defense is what really has taken a hit in the bubble. If the Bucks are going to need to make a deep playoff run, they have to hope they can flip the switch on that end of the floor quickly. If not, they could run into trouble sooner rather than later in the postseason.