by Dee4Three on Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:11 am
Having your best player not be able to hit anything consistently outside of the paint is not good in the playoffs, especially when defense in general gets better because effort is at an all time high.
I've been saying since early in the season that the biggest threats to Boston were Philly and Toronto, mainly because they are more well rounded on both ends IMO, and Giannis inability to produce consistently outside the paint. Khris Middelton has trouble creating shots for himself, most of his shots come from a Giannis or Bledsoe drive and dish. Bledsoe is passive offensively whether it be the regular season or the Playoffs, and they really don't have ANY OTHER shot creators or playmakers on the roster. Lopez can create his in the post, but they choose to have him out at the three-point line. Defensively, the Bucks are not that scary, especially matched up with a team like the Celtics who have so much length and so many athletes.
I believe Giannis will become a better shooter over time, but until that happens, the Bucks will flounder in the playoffs. And with the team having so few playmakers/shot creators, this series could end pretty quick.
If I were MIL, I would attempt to generate offense a bit in the post using Lopez, and tell Eric Bledsoe that it's the damn playoffs, and to be aggressive offensively. He looks like a fullback but plays like a kicker, hes soft. The Celtics are just packing the paint against Giannis, and they are long enough/fast enough to get out to the shooters if he drives and kicks. Think about how many playmakers/shot creators the Celtics have, and how many the Bucks have? Huge difference.