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Although the Milwaukee Bucks suffered a heartbreaking loss in Game 5 of their second-round matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, the team struck back at home to save its season and force a Game 7 in the 2021 NBA Playoffs' second round.
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets grabbed a stunning win at home in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the series, while the Milwaukee Bucks had to endure a loss after dominating the first half of the game.
5 reasons why Milwaukee Bucks can win Game 7 against Brooklyn Nets in the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs
Still, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton put up tremendous performances in Game 6 at home to keep the Milwaukee Bucks alive. Even after the 3-2 deficit, some analysts believed that the Milwaukee Bucks were still candidates over the Brooklyn Nets, probably due to injuries.
With that in mind, the Milwaukee Bucks now have a big chance ahead to complete a huge series win over the Nets, and they'll need to take their biggest win of the year on the road.
In this article, we will give you five reasons why the Milwaukee Bucks can pull off the victory in Game 7 against the Brooklyn Nets and advance to the Eastern Finals.
Without further ado, let us take a look.
#5 Confidence
At this point in the series, the Milwaukee Bucks could feel that they have outplayed the Brooklyn Nets for most of the last four games of the series. Despite mistakes and bad offense that cost them Game 5 on the road, the Milwaukee Bucks enjoyed a 17-point lead before Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets stormed back.
After taking a hard-fought and even ugly win in Game 3, the Milwaukee Bucks won Game 4 comfortably at home. They then failed to complete a huge win in Game 5, but dominated the sixth game of the series from start to finish.
#4 Khris Middleton's form heading into Game 7
Khris Middleton's shooting has been up-and-down in this second-round battle against the Brooklyn Nets, but his performance in Game 6 was spectacular, and his timely shots were definitively a big part of the Milwaukee Bucks' season-saving victory.
Though he has three games in this series in which he attempted more than 20 shots and converted less than 10, Middleton is coming off a huge postseason game with a playoff career-high 38 points and an efficient shooting night (he took only 16 shots and made 11, and made five of his eight threes).
Moreover, it was a great all-around performance as he also grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out five assists and took five steals. Middleton has not had good games at Brooklyn this series so far. However, his confidence heading into the deciding game should be at an all-time high after arguably the best game of his career.
#3 James Harden's struggles
James Harden will need to be good for the Nets to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, but his fitness might be an issue. 'The Beard' missed 21 of the Brooklyn Nets' final 24 games of the 2020-21 NBA regular season with a hamstring injury, but he was ready for the start of the NBA Playoffs.
Harden looked awesome in the first round against the Boston Celtics, averaging 27.8 points and 10.6 assists per game with 55/47/90 shooting splits. However, bad news came when he suffered hamstring tightness in the opening minute of the series against Milwaukee and missed the first four games.
Since returning in Game 5, after Kyrie Irving also fell out with an injury, Harden has not looked good physically. Harden has played 84 minutes combined in the last two games, but he has made only six of his 19 shots, three of his 14 triples and has gone to the free-throw line eight times combined.
If Harden's fitness is not up to the mark for the Brooklyn Nets in Game 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks, it will require Kevin Durant to have another historic performance, and even that might not be enough.
#2 Milwaukee Bucks' defense
The Milwaukee Bucks' defense was tipped to make things hard for the Brooklyn Nets in their second-round matchup. But the Nets had their way in the first two games of the series, winning comfortably at home averaging 120 points per night.
However, the Milwaukee Bucks held the Nets to only 83 points in Game 3, and 96 in Game 4. After losing Game 5 on the road, the Bucks returned to the Fiserv Forum and held the Brooklyn Nets to 89 points.
Though the Brooklyn Nets have not been at full strength in any game this series, the offense still had Kevin Durant and James Harden, or Durant and Kyrie Irving together on the court.
The Brooklyn Nets led the NBA in Offensive Rating in the regular season at 118.3 points scored per 100 possessions. However, the Milwaukee Bucks' defense has held the Nets to a 106.3 Offensive Rating through the first six games of the series.
Though Durant is virtually unstoppable, P.J. Tucker has done a good job of bothering him. On the other hand, Giannis Antetokounmpo can defend any player on the Brooklyn Nets' offense as he taken Durant and even James Harden several times in Game 6 with success.
#1 Blueprint for Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 6
Speaking of Giannis Antetokounmpo, he is simply the key to the Milwaukee Bucks' success going forward. Giannis is so talented and great that even though he's put up big numbers against the Brooklyn Nets, he could've done even more in some games.
On offense, it all starts with decision-making. Giannis Antetokounmpo knows what areas he can dominate on offense, but he often feels too comfortable with himself and falls into the trap of shooting three-pointers and handling the ball too much.
In Game 6, Antetokounmpo played within his means, and he was really dominant when the Milwaukee Bucks needed him on both ends of the floor. On offense, he was patient and created good space for his teammates, while scoring 30 points after making 12 of his 20 shots, without attempting a single three-pointer.
His struggles from the free-throw line are well-known at this point, but he made six of his 10 attempts in Game 6. The free-throw shooting will not hurt the Milwaukee Bucks as long as the rest of his offense stays within what he really dominates.
Defensively, Giannis showed intensity and commitment. He guarded James Harden and Kevin Durant on several occasions after the switches and made it difficult for both with his length and athleticism.
His intensity helped him on the glasses too, as he grabbed 17 rebounds (12 defensive and five offensive rebounds). The Milwaukee Bucks will need a disciplined Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 7 to win it, and the Greek superstar might have found the blueprint in Game 6.
He is averaging 30.5 points and 12.8 rebounds per game in the series, with a block per night and 56.5% shooting from the field for the Milwaukee Bucks.
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