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Jamal CollierESPN
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks are on their way to the first NBA championship. Milwaukee BucksThe team became a defensive powerhouse during the playoffs, and finished No. After placing in the bottom 10 of the league during the regular season, they were ranked 1 among playoff teams for defensive efficiency.
During the 2021-22 regular seasons, defense was a little weaker for the Bucks. The Bucks turned up their intensity on Sunday to start the postseason. Chicago BullsMilwaukee’s 93-86 win in Game 1
Bucks coach: “Sometimes it’s necessary to win ugly.” Mike Budenholzer said. “It is not always going be perfect or pretty.”
Milwaukee started the game hot. They took a 9-0 lead, and built a 16-point advantage in the first quarter over their division rival. After winning four of their regular-season series, Milwaukee was able to take a commanding lead. The Bulls fought back and took a lead in quarter three before the Bucks rallied in the fourth.
Bulls guard: “They made a few more winning plays than us.” Zach LaVine said.
The Bucks were down five games to one in their six previous Game 1s. Their only win came against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Miami HeatLast year, Game 1 was the first round. Despite 21 turnovers, they won the game on Sunday. This was an unusually poor performance. Khris MiddletonThis player shot 4 of 13 (1-7-for-7 starting at 3) and scored 11 points. He also had seven turnovers and zero points. Giannis AntetokounmpoThe fourth quarter.
Antetokounmpo said that there were many reasons the game was so ugly. He finished with 27 points, and 16 rebounds. “We were not able to make open shot, weren’t in a position to score. This is not just for us but also for both of our teams. It is important to not play the game for more than a few days. This can cause you to lose your rhythm. A win is still a win. We didn’t want the score to be 0-1.
All over the floor, Milwaukee received defensive contributions on Sunday.
Antetokounmpo was limited in minutes due to foul trouble, but he was still a disruptive defensive force whenever the Bulls got near him. Chicago went 3-for-11 with Antetokounmpo as the closest defender, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
The perimeter Jrue HolidayAnd Wesley MatthewsCombination of both to slow down DeMar DeRozanLaVine and DeRozan shot 6 of 25, respectively, when they were playing as the primary defenders. Chicago’s Big 3 consisting of DeRozan, LaVine, and Nikola VucevicTogether, they shot 21-for-71 (29.6%), from the field and 4 out of 22 from 3.
DeRozan stated, “I don’t know what the hell was happening.” “It wasn’t me. We all. Vooch, Zach, and I are certain not to miss another shot. It’s up to us to maintain our defensive posture and to try to elevate that level.
DeRozan scored 18 points in 43 minutes and said he was happy about most of the shots.
“I’ll be living with them again,” he declared. “No way in hell that I’ll shoot 6 out of 25 again.”
The Bulls were able to shoot 32.3% from the field, and 18.9% from the 3.
Holiday’s defense was the difference in the fourth quarter, with Antetokounmpo as well as LaVine getting into foul trouble.
The Bulls went 0-for-7 in the fourth quarter with Holiday as the primary defender, according to ESPN Stats & Information, and Holiday contested all seven shot attempts.
Bucks center: “Guys such as Wes, Jrue, and Khris take great pride in playing good defense,” Brook Lopez said. “They were even more aggressive at the end.” They were aware that we needed the stops and they were completely locked in. The job was done.
Chicago has struggled against the East’s top teams this season (1-14 against top 4 seeds in the regular season). Putting together a competitive match against Milwaukee is a significant step up from their previous two regular season matches.
DeRozan felt that Sunday’s game was a wasted opportunity, even though the Bulls had a chance at winning Game 1 in the final stretch.
DeRozan stated, “Yeah. I mean, it’s what it is now.” “They did what was expected of them at home. We have another chance to take home the court, and that’s what we’re aiming for now. There’s a lot we can learn from this game. Tomorrow, we will be able look at a lot more and try to improve. Although it was a missed opportunity, we have another opportunity in Milwaukee before we head back to Chicago.