Bucks' goal for next year: Putting the ball in the basket more

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MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Bucks have a lot to work on for next season – and shooting is at the top of the list.

The Bucks had the second-worst shooting percentage in the NBA’s regular season, at 43.6 percent. Only the New Jersey Nets were worse. In the playoffs, Milwaukee shot 42-percent in its seven games against Atlanta. And they shot just under 33-percent in their losses in Games Six-and-Seven. Coach Scott Skiles said he never thought the Bucks would be a Top-10 team in shooting – but he didn’t expect it to be this bad.

Most of the problems were inside the arc, where the Bucks were hot-and-cold all season long. Skiles says players should hit their open inside shots 80-to-85-percent of the time – and it’s something the Bucks will have to work on. Rookie point guard Brandon Jennings had more success making his threes than he did with his middle-range jumpers. He says he’ll work hard on his mid-range shooting during the summer.

In case you’re wondering what could have been, the Orlando Magic steam-rolled the Atlanta Hawks 114-to-71 last night in Game-One of their second round series. Had the Bucks beaten the Hawks in the first round, it would have been Milwaukee that got the pasting. The 43-point victory was Orlando’s second-largest in their playoff history. Dwight Howard dominated the middle with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocked shots. The Magic showed no rust after being off for eight days following their sweep of Charlotte in the first round. The Hawks were still apparently feeling the effects of going seven games with Milwaukee.

Tags: wi sports, basketball, bucks