NBA Playoff Reactions: June 17, 2021

Here are my takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks’ Game-7-forcing victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Milwaukee Bucks 104, Brooklyn Nets 89

Series tied 3-3

FINAL BOX SCORE

Following Milwaukee’s embarrassing Game 5 collapse, the big question was how they were going to respond in Game 6. The Bucks bounced back big time on Thursday night. They led from tip-off to buzzer, with the margin getting as large as 21 points late in the fourth quarter. This Milwaukee win sends this series to a Game 7 on Saturday that is sure to be intense and nerve-wracking.

Milwaukee got out in transition more in this game, outscoring Brooklyn 26-4 in that department. This was a massive improvement from the two transition points they scored in Game 5. Those 26 fastbreak points are also the Bucks’ new high for this postseason, surpassing the 25 they dropped in Game 2 of the First Round. Giannis Antetokounmpo was responsible for 14 of those points, re-asserting his freight train energy on the break. He got back to picking up his steam before the Nets could set up their Giannis Wall, and he feasted as a result.

Giannis was simply more comfortable in this game. He refrained from taking any 3-pointers, and managed to hit over half of his free throws (6-of-10). There were a few instances that annoyed me where he would drive, meet a congested paint, and then would perform a jump-pass. But overall, he played in his pocket of transition ball and domination inside the arc. Antetokounmpo came away with 30 points, 17 rebounds, and three assists.

Khris Middleton also had a huge game. In fact, he ended up with 38 points (a new playoff career-high), 10 rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Offensively, he also managed to play within his comfort zone, effortlessly knocking down his triples (5-of-8 on 3-pointers) and stepback mid-rangers. His shooting gravity drew Nets defenders towards him, opening up opportunities for him to find open teammates for easy baskets.

Middleton and Antetokounmpo’s synergy allowed them to outduel Brooklyn’s duo of Kevin Durant and James Harden, 68-48.

Kevin Durant still finished the night with 32 points, but Milwaukee really made him work for it. The Bucks mixed things up with him defensively. In addition to simply switching up who was guarding him throughout the game, they also hard-hedged him off of screens and swarmed him when he drove into the paint. Durant ended up conceding a game-high seven turnovers, went 2-of-8 from 3-point range, and was just 0-of-2 from the free throw line.

James Harden had a much better game than he did in Game 5. He ended up with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, seven assists, five rebounds, and four steals. Despite the improvement, there were still instances that made it apparent he was still working through his hamstring injury. He still lacks his quick first step to get to the basket, evidenced by the fact that six of his nine field goal attempts came from beyond the arc. Harden still had five free throw attempts, though that amount is still on the lower end of the all-time great foul-drawer’s career Bell curve.

On paper, Game 7 should go to Milwaukee. They’re the healthier team with a more proven defense and three big offensive weapons to Brooklyn’s two. However, as precedent has shown us, the Bucks are certainly a self-sabotage or a big Durant or Harden game away from allowing the Brooklyn Nets to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Saturday night is shaping up to be a classic!