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Milwaukee Bucks: 3 reasons they lost in Eastern Conference Finals

By Brian Sampson

TORONTO, ONTARIO - MAY 25: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball against Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half in game six of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Scotiabank Arena on May 25, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - MAY 25: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball against Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half in game six of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Scotiabank Arena on May 25, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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The Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff run came to an abrupt end in Toronto. Here are three reasons why they lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.

When the Milwaukee Bucks led the Toronto two games to none in the Eastern Conference Finals, many people expected the Bucks to advance to the NBA Finals. There were articles written about it, as if it was a preconceived outcome. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

The Toronto Raptors came storming back and won the last four games of the series to survive and advance. That’s a big shock to the Bucks who only lost back-to-back games one time all season. In fact, Milwaukee had never lost three in a row, nonetheless four. It was a heartbreaking end to a terrific season.

Of course, there are multiple reasons why the Bucks weren’t able to overcome the Raptors despite having homecourt advantage and winning the first two games. Here are the top three.

3. Raptors’ role players

Toronto’s role players came to play. As great as Kawhi Leonard was, he couldn’t have done it without his teammates. Guys like Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell were awesome all series long. They consistently hit threes and made Milwaukee pay for giving Leonard a lot of attention.

The Bucks can’t say the same about their role players. Eric Bledsoe had an awful series and players like Nikola Mirotic and Ersan Ilyasova were never able to find their groove. In a league that’s dominated by All-Stars, it was the non-stars that made one of the biggest impacts in the Eastern Conference Finals.

2. Bucks didn’t ride Antetokounmpo enough

Giannis Antetokounmpo only averaged 34.3 minutes per game in the postseason after averaging 40.5 and 40 in each of the past two years. However, the average did come up to 38.5 against the Raptors. Still, it wasn’t enough.

Antetokunmpo only played more than 41 minutes one time in this series and that came in their double-overtime loss in Game 3. Compare that to Leonard who played at least 41 minutes on three separate occasions in this series.

Milwaukee was better than the Raptors when Antetokounmpo was on the floor. Why Budenholzer didn’t ride the Greek Freak, even more, is beyond me. That seems like a simple solution to the issues that plagued Milwaukee.

1. Raptors made all the right adjustments

You have to tip your cat where it’s due. The Raptors were amazing all series and head coach Nick Nurse was at the top of his game. Nurse constantly made adjustments that kept the Bucks off balance and made life difficult for Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. He forced “the others” to beat them and the Bucks’ role players couldn’t step up.

Nurse was always a step ahead of Mike Budenholzer in every facet of the game. He really came into his own as a great head coach in this series. At the end of the day, it came down to the Raptors hitting shots and making all the right moves. And they did both.

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