Then, 43 seconds into the Eastern Conference semifinals, James Harden limped off the Barclays Center court with a hamstring strain, removing one of Brooklyn’s Big Three from the equation.
But after suffering the kind of heartbreak that would have broken prior Bucks teams, Milwaukee showed exactly why it had spent all that time building.
Now, largely healthy — save for Donte DiVincenzo, out for the playoffs after ankle surgery — Milwaukee is the favorite to win its first NBA title in a half-century.
It took them seven games, but they were able to come away with three road victories over the Sixers to advance to only their second conference finals in 50 seasons.
Trae Young continued his stellar play in the playoffs, averaging 29.0 points — nearly twice as many as John Collins , who was second on the team — as well as 10.9 assists.
Prior to the series against Philadelphia, it was announced forward De’Andre Hunter was going to miss the remainder of the playoffs because of a torn meniscus that required surgery.
It was Huerter who came up the biggest in Atlanta’s series-clinching win in Game 7.
In his only matchup against Milwaukee this season on April 15, Young had arguably his worst game of the season: 3-for-17 from the floor — 0-for-3 from beyond the arc — with six turnovers.
The Bucks acquired Holiday in part for his excellent defense, and if he can even slow down Young in this series, Milwaukee will have a great chance of going to the Finals.
According to Second Spectrum tracking, Holiday matched up on Young 48 times in that game, and Young managed just five points in those matchups.
Despite playing their first two series against the defending Eastern Conference champion Heat and Kevin Durant’s Nets, the Bucks still boast the best defensive rating among all postseason teams, giving up just 102.8 points per 100 possessions.
That’s a concept that has proved true in these playoffs: The Bucks are 7-0 in the postseason when their opponents hit 12 or fewer 3-pointers; they are 1-3 when they make more.