Milwaukee Bucks send a clear message after sweeping Miami Heat

The Milwaukee Bucks send a clear message after they swept the Miami Heat out of the first round.

Beware of the Milwaukee Bucks. A team that was slept on earlier in the season. A team that has persevered and proved the critics wrong. A team who just got their sweet revenge on a Miami Heat squad who eliminated them from the postseason last year.

With the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets owning the top 2 spots in the Eastern Conference, many have predicted them to be matched up in an Eastern Conference Finals showdown. But not so fast… The Bucks may have something to say about that prediction.

It wasn’t just the fact of how the Bucks swept the Heat in the 1st round of their playoff series but how after Game 1 and the overtime thriller it was, it appeared that this series would be a hard-fought one that had the potential to go seven games.

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After the massacre that was Game 2, the Bucks took control of the series and snatched away the momentum after the 132-98 blowout. Game 3 wasn’t any better for the Heat after another blowout victory for the Bucks winning by 29. The Bucks put the exclamation point on the series in Game 4 with another blowout winning by 17 to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Giannis Antetokounmpo starred and led the way in Game 4 earning his first career triple-double in dominating fashion with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 15 assists. Give credit to the Bucks front office for addressing the issues that hindered the team in the playoffs last season as this year’s version appears to be poised and ready to make a serious run at a title.

How the Milwaukee Bucks improved this past offseason

The point guard position was upgraded by bringing in Jrue Holiday who excels at both ends of the floor and is one of the better defensive guards in the league. Holiday ranks 5th in the NBA in the playoffs with 10 assists per contest and had 15 dimes in Game 2. Bryn Forbes was brought in due to his ability to shoot it from long range and boy did Forbes ever catch fire in Game 2 as he finished with 22 points in 20 minutes as he shot an efficient 6-9 from behind the arc.

Bobby Portis was added to be an enforcer off the bench who can rebound, score whenever necessary, be a defensive force, and serve as an admirable replacement whenever Antetokounmpo goes to the bench to rest. Portis was a force in both Game 2 and 3 scoring a combined 22 points, grabbing 14 rebounds while showing his versatility by knocking down three 3-pointers providing much-needed value for the 17 minutes he played in each game.

One of the more valuable pieces the front office acquired for their roster was PJ Tucker. Tucker brings a much-needed veteran presence, leadership, defense, and playoff experience. Tucker is capable of coming off the bench to give a spark and guard the opponent’s best player giving the Bucks another high IQ defender on the floor besides Holiday and Antetoukounmpo.

When you assess this team from top to bottom and the quality overall depth of the team, they appear to be more playoff-ready now than they were in years past. Statistics and numbers aside, there appears to be more cohesion and confidence among this group of players. The Bucks are ranked 5th in the playoffs scoring 118 points per game, is ranked 1st in rebounding, 2nd in assists, and 4th in steals which are critical hustle stats for a team to be successful.

Now, the question is whether the Bucks can deliver a repeat performance against whoever their 2nd round opponent may be. The competition only gets better from here on out, but whoever they face they better beware and fear these deer because it appears they will be a tough out in this year’s chase for the Larry O’Brien trophy.