@Boris posted:Lopez, Giannis, Dame and Kha$h money on the floor are magnificent closers
I just wish they would run a defensive scheme that fit the personnel they have o the team.
WTAF?!?! TNT coverage at the end of the game.....at least for me on YTTV....they never even showed the last 25 seconds of the game
Malik Beasley going for 16 points and 10 rebounds was important. He's been as good as Grayson Allen ever was. He's also got a toughness to him that Allen didn't.
The Bucks obviously lose if Butler plays tonight (I think the Heat are better without Herro), but that was the best Giannis game against the Heat in a while. He put up big numbers in the playoffs last year, but missed a lot of FTs. He his FTs tonight, maybe because he didn't have to handle the ball and set up the offense in crunch time. That's where Griffin has been good in schemes. With Middleton available, he runs actions with Middleton/Dame with Giannis off the ball. Giannis gets to rest a bit, he isn't put into a position to have to run through 3 guys to generate offense, and he's less gassed when he gets to the FT line.
I mean, it’s easy to say they lose if Butler plays but the Heat guys that did play tonight shot and played offensively as good if not better than Butler. Regular season Butler isn’t the same as playoff Butler.
Richardson and Lowry and Martin had nearly 60 points combined on close to 50% shooting. If Butler plays he might help them defensively but no way he duplicates that efficiency on offense given how much he touches the ball.
I agree with Tschmack....Bucks seems to play down and/or UP to their competition. We've been seeing some good basketball with this in-season tournament.
Bam played a lotta minutes tonight - Good battles with him and Giannis
@Boris posted:The Bucks covered!!
I said something after your post, oh well, I was going to donate to times 4 anyway
@Slobknocker posted:I said something after your post, oh well, I was going to donate to times 4 anyway
Check your PM sir 😉🫡
If you read the post game in the Athletic, Giannis told Griffin they should go to Middleton in the clutch in this game. Why are the good in game adjustments coming from the players? Remember they told Griffin to ho back to drop coverage with Lopez?? I have very little confidence in this coach.
@The Crusher posted:If you read the post game in the Athletic, Giannis told Griffin they should go to Middleton in the clutch in this game. Why are the good in game adjustments coming from the players? Remember they told Griffin to ho back to drop coverage with Lopez?? I have very little confidence in this coach.
There are two ways to look at Griffin.
Negative: The fact that he thought his preferred defensive scheme would work with this group was idiotic. His defensive schemes are still not optimal, but sticking Lopez back in drop covers up a lot of warts against bad and mediocre teams. However, their defensive scheme still leaves them vulnerable to a lot more blow byes if they overpressure the ball and a lot of uncontested layups - especially if Giannis or Lopez are off the floor or pulled away from the lane. That wouldn't happen with Bud's scheme.
Positive: After he listened to the players and got out of the idiocy of having Lopez chase guys on the perimeter, they are 11-3. Two of the games they lost were when Dame sat (and Middleton still on a minutes restriction). If those two sit, they have no one other than Giannis to initiate the offense. The only game they've lost when Dame has played and they've been in drop defense was by 3 points at Boston.
Another positive/negative comment.
Positive: The Bucks net rating in the 4th quarter is by far the best in the league.
The Lead
@TheLeadSM
Best 4th quarter teams this season by net rating: 15.6 - Milwaukee Bucks 11.7 - New York Knicks 10.6 - Los Angeles Lakers 10.4 - Indiana Pacers 9.1 - Brooklyn Nets 9.0 - Philadelphia 76ers 7.2 - OKC Thunder 6.0 - Denver Nuggets 4.5 - Toronto Raptors 4.0 - Houston Rockets
Negative: The Bucks need to do this because they don't take things (mainly defense) seriously until the 4th quarter. Your head coach should set a tone of urgency in the 1st half so these 4th quarters are the time the second Lopez and Antetokounmpo brothers play. The Jordan/Pippen Bulls blew teams out in the first quarter. Not that the Bucks are that good, but they need that type of mindset - especially against crappy teams so they are not scrambling to come back against teams like the Wizards.
From what I’ve heard about Griffin he’s been very clear that they need to win the 4th quarter. To that extent, they have been one of the best teams in the league.
The other thing I’ve noticed is Milwaukee is focusing a lot more attention on playing half court offense especially late in games. Teams have not been able to stop them. So I wonder if that’s intentional to get them better prepared for the postseason.
All I do know is teams are getting out in transition and running and gunning a lot more against the Bucks - a team that used to specialize in doing this to other teams. It makes a ton of sense because if you let Milwaukee get set defensively with Giannis and Lopez and Crowder (when healthy) that will be difficult.