If ever there was a trap game, coming off a holiday... this is it. Cleveland can score in ways the Bucks have struggled to defend of late (P&R, 3 point line). Concerned about this one...
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We’ll take that start!!! Mean mug off a set play one-1 on the first play of the game!!!
Bucks lacking a bit on the D end again- this time in the paint. Thompson with some bully ball...
Wow... RoLo with a hook, a challenge, a board, and drops a 3 to finish the quarter... 
Bucks come out with great rhythm in the second... moving the ball, all the looks in the flow of the offense. I like Middleton’s play tonight, he’s playing faster, looking for the inside/out passes to get better looks in the midrange. Hill back tonight, Brown sitting after a shoulder injury the other night.
Giannis rolled is ankle... stayed on the floor, looks like he’s going to be OK. He has 15 points in 14 minutes. 1-5 from 3 though...
Hopefully Giannis is OK
Sterling Brown took a pretty decent hit to the shoulder the other night
So far so good
Bucks up 20, 21 assists in the game already. Playing excellent basketball tonight!
25 points given up in the final 5 minutes... what in the fuck are they doing? Pick and pop, pick and pop, pick and pop... 10 made 3s in the quarter. Good fucking grief!!!!
Music City posted:25 points given up in the final 5 minutes... what in the fuck are they doing? Pick and pop, pick and pop, pick and pop... 10 made 3s in the quarter. Good fucking grief!!!!
I think there's a correlation.
| 6:03 |  | Ersan Ilyasova enters the game for Giannis Antetokounmpo |
For a while Cleveland looked like the showtime friggin Lakers...
Giannis with a rejection- now defend the 3 point line for f’s sake!
Down to 3. No loss is a good loss, but this would be particularly awful
Wow... they’re the worst 3 point defensive team in the NBA it seems... everyone goes off on the Bucks...
Music City posted:Wow... they’re the worst 3 point defensive team in the NBA it seems... everyone goes off on the Bucks...
Part of it might be that they are the best defensive team in the league at the rim. Even more incentive to fire away from 3.
10 straight.
Giannis goes 33 and 12 and it's basically expected.
Music City posted:Yeah, Fred Van Vleet thanks them...
Van Vleet went 14 for 17 from 3 in the last 3 games of the Conference Finals against them. He could stand out there in practice 100 times and shoot 17 shots with no one near him and not match that percentage.
I checked the Bucks statistics. They give up the most 3s, have the most attempted against them, and opponents make the 4th highest %. The issue with this? They’re the only contending team that can say this. All the other teams they’re going to be vying for the title against are on the other end of these rankings. But they are the #1 team in the NBA defending 2 point shots. That makes them #2 in overall defensive FG%.
Offensively, though they’re 7th worst in 3 point %, they’re still 3rd in makes and second to Houston again in attempts. But just like the defense, they make up for it with 2 point FGs. They’re #1 in 2pt FG%, making 58% of their FG attempts, making them the #1 scoring offense in the NBA again.
So for the Bucks, no lead will ever be safe so long as they give up the most 3s and the highest %.
It’s not like the Bucks don’t have players that can play D. Bledsoe and Giannis are elite defenders. Middleton and Hill are pretty good and Lopez contests a lot of shots around the hoop. DD and Sterling Brown also flash some defensive skills.
Coach Bud has shown the ability to mix things up so I have faith they will figure it out but I would not rule out them making a deal to get an enforcer/defensive stopper.
They just have to avoid those quarters where they are giving up 40+ as it seems to have become a regular thing with this team.