its not the same team as last year. the additions that they made have really helped. Holiday is a massive improvement over Bledsoe. Tucker is a decent improvement over Matthews. Portis and Forbes has been FA's that have exceeded all expectations. you are right, I am sure Giannis and the rest of the returning cast really took it personal, but Horst has adjusted the roster pretty well to overcome the bucks defencies. Another big factor is that the bucks learned that you don't need to exert so much energy in the regular season to get the best seed, but rather it make sense to save it for the playoffs. The bucks - nets series will be fun to watch. Holiday is a massive difference maker just in his ability to shoot a 3 ptr. Several times, the play went inside and Butler couldn't cheat and crash inside just because Holiday was standing at the 3 point line. The inside was much more open last night. I've not seen Tucker play much, but I'd think at best, he is a "wash" with Matthews. Matthews was huge defensively last year. But having Portis, Forbes, and Holiday being able to shot threes has helped in spades. The defense is also more diverse. Homer said there was more to prepare for, but I think they just have more options to matchup on the offense. They can play a few ways and aren't as predictable as before. The more you watch Tucker, the more you will love watching him play. He is a great defender, smart and intense. His basketball IQ is huge. He makes all of these great "little extra" plays. Different position, but he reminds me of the days of watching Sydney Moncrief.