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Bucks: 3 things that make the end of the regular season meaningful

By Kenny Jilek

ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 8: Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic during the game at the Amway Center on February 8, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. The Bucks defeated the Magic 112 to 95. 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 Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 8: Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic during the game at the Amway Center on February 8, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. The Bucks defeated the Magic 112 to 95. 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 Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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Milwaukee Bucks
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks, (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Build Momentum and Get Shooters Going

The Milwaukee Bucks roster is built to have shooters around the perimeter to give Giannis space to work in the middle. However, while they have many players that are regarded as shooters, they haven’t been consistent enough this year and the Bucks are actually in the bottom half of the league in three-point percentage at 35.6 percent which ranks them 16th.

After a great season from deep range last year, Brook Lopez has shot a lackluster 29.6 percent from downtown this season. Pat Connaughton does many other important things for this team, as does Lopez, but he is also shooting a pedestrian 32.1 percent from three. While Marvin Williams hasn’t been able to find the range in his 11 games in Milwaukee, only shooting 29.6 percent from distance.

These guys being able to shoot the three effectively would go a long way in the playoffs as the Milwaukee Bucks struggles from behind the arc plagued them in the Eastern Conference Finals last season as they shot just 31 percent for the series.

Building momentum and getting back into game form will also be important for every team after this long layoff. By the time the season restarts, they’ll essentially have had an entire offseason worth of time and chemistry and sharpness, which can take a little while to come back after that much time of guys being away from each other. Many of these guys have been here for multiple years and have gotten accustomed to playing together, but expect a bit of rust.

Finally, the Bucks are chasing franchise history. While the 70-win season that was possible for a good portion of the season is completely gone, they still can have the highest winning percentage in franchise history. The 1970-71 Bucks who won the NBA Championship had a winning percentage of 80.5 percent.

Next. Ranking Eastern Conference Challengers. dark

If these Bucks win six of their final eight games, they will have a winning percentage of 80.8 percent and make team history, beating out a team headlined by Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. That would be something truly special.

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