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5 Takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks First Round Playoff Series vs Orlando Magic

By Brian Sampson

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 29: <> during the second quarter in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 29, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 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 Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 29: <> during the second quarter in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 29, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 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 Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Here are five takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks series victory over the Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

With the Milwaukee Bucks completing the gentleman’s sweep over the Orlando Magic on Saturday, taking the series 4-1, they’ll move on to face the Miami Heat in Round 2 beginning on Monday. Before we preview that series, let’s take a moment to reflect on their first round victory over the Magic.

5. Hard to evaluate the defense

Orlando had the worst offense of any team in the playoffs, and, perhaps, any team in recent postseason memory. They already struggled to score points and were forced to play without starting power forward Aaron Gordon throughout the entire series.

Their 101.9 offensive rating ranked second-to-last in the NBA in the first round, only .1 point ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder. After struggling in Game 1, the Bucks got back to doing what they do best–playing aggressive defense on the ball-handlers and ensuring they protect the rim at all costs. Sure, Nikola Vucevic had a huge series knocking down shots from the perimeter, but Orlando struggled to get anything else going. The Bucks’ defensive numbers look good, but it’s difficult to accurately evaluate how they performed against the undermanned Magic.

4. Shooting, Shooting, Shooting

Although Milwaukee loves to fire away from downtown, they only made 35.5 percent of their threes in the regular season, ranking 17th in the NBA. However, the environment in Orlando appears to have helped shooters everywhere, as the Bucks made 38.3 percent of their shots behind the arc in the first round.

Marvin Williams led the way, knocking down eight of his 15 outside attempts (61.5 percent), but the contributions came from everywhere including Pat Connaughton (43.8 percent), Wesley Matthews (42.9), George Hill (40) and even Giannis Antetokounmpo (38.5 percent). This is obviously great news, as defenses will have a hard time picking between stopping Antetokounmpo at the rim or sticking with their shooters on the outside.

3. Building the wall vs Khris Middleton?

Khris Middleton was one of the only Bucks who had a rough series in the first round, and it was by design. James Ennis, his primary defender, was extremely physical with him and bodied him with and without the ball. He also had a ton of help, as Orlando employed a very similar strategy teams use when they “build a wall” vs Antetokounmpo. It wasn’t uncommon to see a second Magic defender slide over to Middleton’s side of the court when he had the rock in his hands. This prevented him from getting to his spots in the mid-range and made him work that much harder for his shots. While it lead to just a 44.4 percent effective field goal percentage, he did discover his playmaking chops, posting six or more assists in three of the five games.

2. So many turnovers

The Bucks ranked dead last in the postseason by turning the ball over on 15.9 percent of their possessions. That’s nearly a two percent increase from their regular season numbers. Not great, Bob.

The Bucks have to be better protecting the ball against Miami, a vaunted defensive team that will take full advantage of their mistakes. They may have been able to get away with turning the ball over that frequently against the lowly Magic , but it won’t fly in the next round.

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a heck of a series, averaging 30.6 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in just 31.7 minutes per game. Oh, and he shot 59.5 percent from the field including 38.5 percent from downtown.

To be clear, Miami will have much more capable defenders than Gary Clark and Evan Fournier. However, Antetokounmpo’s nearly unstoppable and looked even more locked in than ever before, something he’ll need against the fiery Heat. It was clear the Bucks had, by far, the best player in the series, as Antetokounmpo flexed–literally and figuratively–on Orlando all series long.

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