The Milwaukee Bucks are halfway through their “planting” games at Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Their first four games have been disjointed, unsurprising given the four-month hiatus following the season suspension in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But the Bucks finally found their form fighting for the championship in the second half against the Miami Heat on Thursday. The 130-116 victory captured the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
It will be interesting to see how the Bucks play their next four games, including Saturday night against the Dallas Mavericks, before the playoffs begin. The Bucks have nothing to play for, but they want to stay sharp.
Milwaukee manager Mike Budenholzer finally got his favorite rotation against Miami. Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton missed their first two games after positive coronavirus tests delayed their arrival in Orlando. Key reserve Marvin Williams missed the first game of the second half against the Boston Celtics due to a groin injury and starters Brook Lopez and Wes Matthews were inactive against the Brooklyn Nets.
The first half was bad against the Heat, but the Bucks finally put it all together after half-time.
“We just tried to play our kind of basketball that we haven’t played in the last two games,” Bledsoe said on Friday. “He came out and plays hard.
“The attack is about to come. We just have to play hard in defense and look at each other. And just compete.”
The Bucks beat the Heat, 74-43, after the interval and greatly strengthened their defense after allowing Miami to score 73 points in the first half.
Bledsoe and Connaughton seemed to have shaken off most of the rust. After each played 18 minutes in their “bubble” debut against the Nets, Bledsoe saw 23 minutes against the Heat and Connaughton 21.
Bledsoe finished with nine points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. He played a major role in two key series in the fourth quarter.
“I thought about the third quarter, I thought he had found his defensive rhythm a bit,” said Budenholzer. “I thought he was disruptive on the defensive side and then in the fourth quarter he seemed to have found his rhythm on both sides.”
Connaughton had 11 points off the bench on a 4 for 8 shot.
“Those guys haven’t played basketball in a long time,” Bucks guard Khris Middleton said. “Just like we didn’t do in our first scrimmage game.
“It’s nice to see them out there getting more minutes. The more minutes they get, the more confidence they have of being themselves.”
The Bucks closed the door to the Heat with a steamrolling, 20-0 late in the fourth quarter. They looked like the team that had set the best league record before the shutdown again.
“We need that kind of games,” Bledsoe said. “You never know how the playoffs will go. You need that kind of games to get back on track.”
Two defeats in the first three games at Disney World and a poor first half against the Heat have raised some concerns. But the dominant second half showed that the Bucks are still hopeful of the championship.
“We’re getting there,” Middleton said. “But at the same time our goal isn’t to be the same team we were … it’s all about being better. Being smarter. Being smarter. This is what we need to be to get where we want to go.”
