Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving on one side. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday on the other.
Three former MVPs. Seven NBA scoring titles. The two highest-scoring teams in the league.
Brooklyn never had its three stars together against Milwaukee. Irving missed the Nets' 125-123 home victory on Jan. 18 in their second game after acquiring Harden from Houston. Durant and Harden (above), who have combined for two MVP awards and seven scoring titles, put up 64 points that night.
The Bucks have already lost starting guard Donte DiVincenzo (above) for the playoffs after he tore a ligament in his left ankle during Game 3. But Nash said versatile forward Jeff Green is improving from a left foot injury that sidelined him the final three games of the first round.
"We've said it since the injury happened, we've got to move forward, we've got to step up," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said Friday. "Everybody's just got to continue to be themselves; execute, defend and compete, which is a lot of things Donte does well."
Bucks center Brook Lopez (above) will be back in Barclays Center, having played for the Nets in Brooklyn and New Jersey. He scored the most points in franchise history.
“I think I’m excited to go back and play in Brooklyn, play on that court again in Barclays, but obviously we’re going to be pretty focused once tipoff comes,” he said.
Bryn Forbes (above) averaged 18.3 points and shot 16 of 30 from 3-point range during the final three games of the Bucks’ first-round sweep of Miami. He was a combined 7 of 12 from beyond the arc in the Bucks' two-game sweep of the Nets in May.
Milwaukee had a double-digit rebounding edge in each game against Miami and dominated the glass by a margin of 16.8 boards per game. The Bucks' size advantage may make Nash consider reinserting former starting center DeAndre Jordan (above) into the rotation.
After two seasons that felt like one relentless grind interrupted only by a strange championship celebration, the Los Angeles Lakers simply need a rest.
A loaded Bucks team that ranks at the top of the league in defense, rebounding and 3-point field goals made per game doesn't faze the Nets.
Milwaukee shot just 6-for-30 from 3-point range as the Nets beat the Bucks 115-107 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Brooklyn star James Harden has been ruled out for Monday night's game due to hamstring tightness.
Brooklyn shot 52% from the field and went 21-for-42 from 3-point range in routing Milwaukee 125-86 on Monday night.
Milwaukee's high-scoring offense has yet to click against Brooklyn's stout defensive play.
The security guard went on the court during the confrontation and put his hands on Milwaukee's P.J. Tucker.
Brooklyn's Kevin Durant is the best player on the floor, but after injuries to the Nets' star guards, the Bucks have the next five best in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez and P.J. Tucker.
Kyrie Irving (ankle) won't play for Brooklyn but James Harden (hamstring) was upgraded to questionable on Tuesday as the best-of-seven series returns to Brooklyn tied 2-2.
James Harden played 46 minutes Tuesday night in a the Nets' Game 5 win over the Bucks in his first action since leaving with a hamstring injury less than a minute into the series opener.
The Nets own a 3-2 series lead thanks largely to Kevin Durant, who delivered a performance for the ages as Brooklyn rallied from a 17-point deficit to win 114-108 on Tuesday at Brooklyn.
While Kevin Durant's greatness carried the Nets to a come-from-behind victory over the Bucks in Game 5, Durant will need his supporting cast to step up if Brooklyn wants to finish its second-round series in six games on Thursday.
Khris Middleton scored a career playoff-high 38 points and added 10 rebounds to lead Milwaukee's 104-89 rout of Brooklyn on Thursday night to force a decisive seventh game.
The two powerhouses play in Saturday's Game 7 with a berth in the Eastern Conference finals on the line.
Milwaukee dispatched Brooklyn to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years. The Bucks will next face the Atlanta Hawks.
Atlanta will open its first East finals since 2015 against the Bucks on Wednesday night in Milwaukee.
Injuries derailed the Nets this season, but they are confident of winning the title next season.
The Bucks went 2-1 against the Nets during the regular season, but Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden didn't play together for Brooklyn during any of those games.
Some of Milwaukee's new additions for this season — Jrue Holiday, Bryn Forbes and Bobby Portis in particular — played huge roles for the Bucks in their first-round sweep of the Heat.
Four Bucks scored 20 or more points, led by Brook Lopez with 25 as Milwaukee routed Miami 120-103 to sweep the series.
The master plan was for Heat President Pat Riley to turn to Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer. Only Giannis re-signed with Milwaukee last December.
Starting guard Donte DiVincenzo suffered a torn ligament in his left ankle during Thursday's 113-84 victory in Game 3, and won't play again in the playoffs.
The 11,000-athlete lineup for the Olympics will not be complete until four men's basketball qualifying tournaments — in Canada, Croatia, Lithuania and Serbia, each with one ticket to Tokyo — are played from June 29-July 4.
Even though Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday were the heroes for the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime as they closed out the Miami Heat 109-107 in …
Khris Middleton scored with less than a second remaining in overtime to put the Milwaukee Bucks ahead for good at 109-107 as they went down to…
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