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@Blair Kiel posted:

Didn’t watch because some folks said “season over”â€Ķ.when Middleton went down. It must be hard to go through life with your  glass half-full.

I don't think missing Middleton is as much of a problem for this series. Allen going off like Forbes did last year against Miami has turned this series into a breeze. The Bulls won Game 2 because the Bucks played about as poorly as possible on offense, DeRozan went off, AND Middleton went down.

I don't think Allen going off is going to happen against the Celtics' defense. Middleton can get his shots against tough defense in a way Allen can't. I thought the Celtics were the toughest matchup for them even fully healthy. I'd feel better about a matchup with the Sixers or Heat than I would the Celtics - especially without Middleton.

I don't think missing Middleton is as much of a problem for this series. Allen going off like Forbes did last year against Miami has turned this series into a breeze. The Bulls won Game 2 because the Bucks played about as poorly as possible on offense, DeRozan went off, AND Middleton went down.

Don't forget Portis getting knocked out of game 2.

Let’s just hope Grayson Allen has come out of what sort of seemed like a slump for quite some time.  When I saw him early in the regular season, I thought he was a fantastic pickup.  As the season wore on, he just seemed to regress to the point he was a liability at times.

He definitely hasn’t been a liability these last 2 games, he’s been a huge asset.  I think realistically he’s going to step back a little bit, but only because he played almost perfectly today and perfection is hard to sustain.  But if he keeps being an asset throughout these playoffs, maybe they can get by without Middleton for awhile.

I don't think missing Middleton is as much of a problem for this series. Allen going off like Forbes did last year against Miami has turned this series into a breeze. The Bulls won Game 2 because the Bucks played about as poorly as possible on offense, DeRozan went off, AND Middleton went down.

I don't think Allen going off is going to happen against the Celtics' defense. Middleton can get his shots against tough defense in a way Allen can't. I thought the Celtics were the toughest matchup for them even fully healthy. I'd feel better about a matchup with the Sixers or Heat than I would the Celtics - especially without Middleton.

Same here. The Celtics will be the Bucks toughest post season opponent.

.

Boston looks good, no question about it.  But they aren’t the 1996 Bulls either.  

Milwaukee presents a whole different list of challenges than Brooklyn does on both ends of the court.   The only real advantage the Celtics have is home court, but this team has proven time and time again they can win on the road.

Last edited by Tschmack

Brooklyn basically traded James Harden and Paul Millsap for Seth Curry and Andre Drummond in terms of who is playing this year. I doubt they still make the trade if they knew Simmons wasn't going to play. However, they are still better off longterm by dumping Harden. Harden at 47 million next year is probably going to be a terrible contract, and they'll try to extend him beyond that.

Both the Simmons and Harden contract situations are terrible.

Also, how did Brooklyn justify letting Carter go for nothing?

@fightphoe93 posted:

Let’s just hope Grayson Allen has come out of what sort of seemed like a slump for quite some time.  When I saw him early in the regular season, I thought he was a fantastic pickup.  As the season wore on, he just seemed to regress to the point he was a liability at times.

He definitely hasn’t been a liability these last 2 games, he’s been a huge asset.  I think realistically he’s going to step back a little bit, but only because he played almost perfectly today and perfection is hard to sustain.  But if he keeps being an asset throughout these playoffs, maybe they can get by without Middleton for awhile.

I have an idea as to why Allen is playing so well, in Middleton's absence. Allen is shooting shots and threes from the spots Middleton shoots from. Allen alluded to that in a post game interview, the other day. It was an interesting take on his recent success. He was saying that when Middleton is playing, he(Allen) has to move to a different spot to take shots and now that Middleton is out, Allen moves to Middleton's spots around the arc.

Last edited by mrtundra

In the NBA, if you are wide ass open you should be hitting a higher percentage of your shots.  Portis and Allen normally shoot the 3 at a 40% and 41% clip respectively.  So they are good long range shooters.  

In games 3-4, Portis and Allen have had and have made a lot of uncontested 3s while the Bulls try to focus on and slow down Giannis.  That strategy has failed miserably for Chicago.   Giannis is a very good passer and will find those guys open on the wing.  

While Allen might not be defensive player that Middleton is he’s a very solid offensive player.  He’s arguably an elite shooter if you don’t challenge him or contest his shot.  What’s impressed me the most is he has been adequate on D in this series as well.

Unless Derozan and Lavine go crazy the Bulls will have a tough time beating the Bucks head to head.  The one game they won Milwaukee didn’t play well and still almost stole it.

This is the challenge playing a team like Milwaukee.  Giannis draws so much attention that if you try to double him someone will be open.   Portis, Allen, Holiday, Middleton all shot 40-42% from 3 this season.  Carter and Pat C were around 38-39% from 3.   Matthews and Lopez were lower but in the playoffs have proven if you leave them open they can bury long range shots as well.  

They also defend and rebound as well as any team in the league, and Giannis isn’t a complete liability at the FT line anymore.

Boston would be their next opponent and they will be a much tougher out, but let’s not forget the Bucks aren’t the Nets defensively. Not even close.  Tatum made a living in the series shooting over his defender or taking it inside while being defended by a guy like Bruce Brown that is maybe 6’4” at best.  

Last edited by Tschmack

If the Bucks-Celtics series happens, the thing that may decide it is how many flop calls Marcus Smart gets against Giannis. The margin for error without Middleton is much lower and it will be harder to manage time with Giannis on the bench with foul trouble without Middleton.

Allen is at least as good a shooter as Middleton when the shots are wide open. Middleton was off in Game 1, but he was 5 for 7 from three in Game 2 once he knocked the rust off. The Bulls might change defensive schemes in Game 5 and just decide to let Giannis go off, but limit Allen by not digging down on Giannis when he has the ball with that defender. Let Giannis get 40, but limit Allen's open looks, might be their best chance.

However, Middleton is so valuable in the playoffs when the defenses get locked in because he's one of the top 3-4 guys in the league in hitting contested mid-range shots. Allen can't back a guy and shoot over him. Middleton is HOF-level at that. He's 80% of peak Carmelo Anthony on offense combined with being an excellent (and willing defender). I guess Portis is the guy they go to against the Celtics when they need someone to make a contested mid-range shot in crunch time without Middleton.

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