One year later, Bucks back in familiar position heading into Game 4

Some names have changed and the opponent has, too, but the Milwaukee Bucks are in a similar situation to where they were exactly a year ago.

Last year on April 20, the Bucks came home for Game 3 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series and crushed the visiting Toronto Raptors by 27 points. It was a one-sided affair from start to finish that included disruptive defense and numerous contributions off the Bucks' bench in front of a deafening sellout crowd.

Sound familiar?

Friday's Game 3 against the Boston Celtics fell on the same date and included many of the same features. Thon Maker and Matthew Dellavedova were again major supporting contributors, while Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo carried the offense. The defense — in 2017 defined by trapping and on Friday defined by switching — was the foundation on which everything was made possible.

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“If you’ve been in playoff series before you know that you’re never really in the series until you get a win whether it’s on the road or at home," Bucks guard Jason Terry said. "We are now officially in the playoffs for 2018.”

The biggest difference between the two Game 3s is that 2017's edition put the Bucks ahead in the series, 2-1. This year the Bucks are down, 2-1.

And this time, with Game 4 again falling on the same date with tip-off scheduled for noon Sunday, the Bucks are hoping Game 3 isn't the high point of the series. Against the Raptors, the Bucks got overwhelmed in Game 4 on the way to dropping each of the remaining games in the series and bowing out in six games.

“Definitely, it’s the playoffs," Maker said when asked if he expected a dogfight Sunday. "Last year we had the same situation with Toronto with Game 3 similar to this. We’ll be ready for Game 4 as well, knowing they’re going to be more physical, they’re going to try to bring the physicality as well.

"But we’ve got to continue to stay in character, do what we’re supposed to do like we did (Friday). It starts on the defensive end.”

With a team like the Bucks that was built on continuity, most of the players remember last year's Game 3 from having played in it. How much can that experience help?

“I’ll tell you after tomorrow," Dellavedova half-joked. "I think we’ve learned a lot of things. Everybody’s had that experience from last year and I think a lot of us have matured and learned a lot from our previous experiences. We have to put that into practice now.”

Friday's defensive performance represented a notable shift for the Bucks. During Jason Kidd's tenure as head coach, aggressiveness and trapping were hallmarks of the defense. Contests likes last year's Game 3 against Toronto represented the best of that defensive style and how it could turn Milwaukee's length and athleticism into a potent weapon.

This season, though, a similar defensive approach didn't work on a regular basis before Kidd's dismissal in January. Since Joe Prunty took over as head coach, the scheme has taken on a slightly more conservative look, but the Bucks were still known for their aggressive style at that end.

While they were still aggressive Friday night, that didn't take the form of traps and extreme hedges on pick-and-rolls. Instead, the Bucks switched almost everything defensively, denied the post and communicated effectively to avoid mismatches and supply constant pressure to the ball regardless of who got switched onto the ball-handler.

It was a change that renewed the belief that the Bucks' length and athleticism can translate to defensive success, much to the chagrin of the Celtics and teams around the league. What also helped was that the Bucks, who have admittedly lacked focus on defense at times this year, were clearly locked in from tip-off to final buzzer when it came to performing their roles individually and as a unit.

Can they do that two games in a row?

“We have to," Prunty said. "We know they’re going to come out and play well. ... I know for us we need to come out focused, ready to go. The energy, sort of the passion in the building, we need to have that. Not only do we need the fans to bring it, we need to bring it from within as well.”

Unlike last year, the Bucks went into April 22 knowing they would be taking their series to at least Game 6, which meant at least one more home game. This time, the Bucks don't have that promise, which means Sunday's contest could be the last at the Bradley Center, which will close after this season as the Bucks move into their new arena next door.

Terry's not ready to say goodbye.

“No, there’s plenty more games," Terry said. "This will not be the last game. I’ll go on record and say this will not be the last game.”