For the second season in a row, Giannis and the Bucks are on Christmas Day. Last year they played a bad Knicks team... this year they’re locking up for the first time against the Sixers.
The Sixers represent a stern challenge defensively... they have athleticism and length. But they struggle to shoot. Can the Bucks make them pay?
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This will be a great test. Hard to play a road game on Xmas.
The Sixers are better on offense when Embiid sits.
He and Simmons are not an ideal pairing at all.
The Bud philosophy of having relatively poor 3 point shooters fire away has hurt them in the 1st. Giannis and R. Lopez are 0 for 5.
Embiid eating them up. 14 points in the first
Philly’s energy a big difference- Bucks not hitting all their open shots. Might be Philly’s day...
The Bucks will lose games to good teams that hit 3s like the Sixers did in the first.
38 points on 6 3 pointers given up.
The question will be whether teams like the Sixers and Celtics can do this in 4 of 7 games.
They’re 6/13 from 3 and scored 38 points in the opening quarter. They’re not a 3 point shooting team, but today they are. They only hit 10.8/game.
Isn't it shocking that Embiid had his best 1st quarter of the season. Completely shocking.
Amazing what playing against the best player on the planet will do for a players mindset.
Losing contact.
Down 13.
Giannis doesn't look himself.
Embiid is dominating Giannis.
They better figure Embiid out real damn soon...
Embiid is a punk. When he’s not hurt or sulking or just acting like an idiot in general.
Million dollar talent with 10 cent brain.
Not surprised Sixers came out on fire they tend to play really well at home. Perhaps the worst loss the Bucks had last year was in Philly.
Not sure they can keep up this 3pt shooting
The Giannis FT problems are going to cost them a game or two in the playoffs. Hopefully not a series.
Layups finally going in...
Music City posted:They better figure Embiid out real damn soon...
It isn't whether they can figure him out for one game, it's whether Embiid can play like this over a 7 game series.
He's a guy with a lousy work ethic. Tschmack is right with the million dollar talent, 10 cent brain stuff.
Music City posted:Layups finally going in...
It sucks to play on the road on Christmas. Kids are in another state opening presents.
If the Bucks lose, the national media will overintrepret this result. We'll see stories about things like 27-3 against every one except the Celtics and Sixers (0-2).
Only 12 of Philly’s 48 points in the paint.
Philly 9 for 18 from 3.
That’s a bad sequence... Philly playing harder, doing more little things. They are getting offensive rebounds and steals and moving the ball. Bucks are awfully flat footed...
Music City posted:Only 12 of Philly’s 48 points in the paint.
I think all the 3s made have been above the break. That's what Bud's defense gives up.
The Lopez brothers and Giannis are 0 for 8 from 3. That' what Bud's offense encourages - stretching the floor.
Sometimes it doesn't work. Most of the time it does.
Not sure Philly can play a better half than this.
Absolutely dominated.
It's an embarrassing performance, but as I said, the Bucks don't want to be here on the road. Who can blame them?
Sixers 11-22 from 3 in one half
If these teams played each other 10 more times I’m not sure the Sixers shoot like this again.
Pathetic...
MichiganPacker2 posted:Music City posted:Only 12 of Philly’s 48 points in the paint.
I think all the 3s made have been above the break. That's what Bud's defense gives up.
The Lopez brothers and Giannis are 0 for 8 from 3. That' what Bud's offense encourages - stretching the floor.
Sometimes it doesn't work. Most of the time it does.
Bad offense leads to transition threes. The Bucks are shooting 40% and giving up 51%, including 11 threes to a team that makes 10.8/game.
They were hitting 51% in the first q... they unraveled in the second. And after every miss, transition.
Tschmack posted:Not sure Philly can play a better half than this.
Not sure Giannis can play worse on offense.
Giannis and the Lopez brothers are 5 for 22 from the floor. The rest of the team is 15 for 27.
The supporting cast is not the problem today. It's the guys in the paint.
Embiid/Simmons/Horford is the equivalent of Leonard/Ibaka/M. Gasol on defense guarding Giannis.
Multiple big guys are the way to bother him. I have faith he and Bud will figure this out.
So Embiid can hammer Giannis with no foul?
Giannis is getting owned by Embiid. Like to the point where it's embarrassing.
Giannis 5-20 and 0 for 6 from 3 where they gave him 15 FEET of space on the last shot.
When will Bud wave the white flag? If there isn't a run to single digits here in the 3rd quarter, the 4th may feature Thanasis in a loss for the first time.
Giannis is clearly not dialed in. Was complaining about back tightness in pregame. The whole team is just a step slower than usual.
Defensive energy is up, but they can get any offensive flow today.
When was the last time the Bucks were down 24?
This is what the playoffs are going to look like. If Giannis hits these at 40% when he's wide open, the Bucks are probably champs. If he hits them at like 20%, they won't even get to the Finals.
Worst 27 and 4 team in history?
Bucks go zone and give up a wide open 3.
Pikes Peak posted:Worst 27 and 4 team in history?
That will start with the national narrative also being Giannis is going to leave.
Down 26.
Philly 16 for 31 from 3. You aren't going to lose often when you shoot like that.
Really?? Is the 100 point streak getting busted today?
