Giannis comes in and his first defensive possession is terrible. Helps for no really good reason off of Porzingis and gives up a WIDE open 3.
Giannis with 4 guards. Interesting lineup.
Need to get Holiday in there... get something moving.
Seriously, Bud? Leaving 4 guards on the floor so that a 6'3" inch guy has to guard Porzingis several possessions in a row?
Get Holiday back in there and run the offense through him.
Pretty shit effort on the D end...
@MNPackman posted:Get Holiday back in there and run the offense through him.
Holiday and MIddleton have played big minutes through 3, mainly because of Giannis' foul trouble.
Another missed FT for Giannis. That almost was an airball.
1 for 8.
They need to do that lob way more often...
Giannis with another piss poor free throw attempt. 1-8 for the night.
@MichiganPacker2 posted:Another missed FT for Giannis. That almost was an airball.
1 for 8.
Wow. Another 2 misses. 1 for 10. He looks like he's terrified to shoot FTs right now.
1-10.
The FTs are in his head on other things. He specifically avoided contact on that last drive because he didn't want the FTs.
If this ends up as a loss, it's virtually entirely on Giannis' FT problems. This is a double digit lead without them.
Another classic Buck loss to a good team because they can't execute on offense in the coming up or can they work through it?
Giannis can't hit a FT but hits a step back 3?
Giannis falls asleep on defense, too.
Bucks behind
Bucks shit the bed again against a good team in the 4th.
Almost all on Giannis.
Down 2.
Bucks have 2 points in 4 minutes.
Middleton saving the day.
The only points the Bucks have after 6 minutes left in the 4th are iso 3-pointers by Middleton and a step-back 3 from Giannis.
It may get them by tonight, but that's not something you want to rely on in a playoff series.
Thank God Giannis didnt get that rebound
WTF offense is Bud running? Stand around for 20 seconds and then throw up a wild shot?
Middleton may bail them out, but those offensive half-court sets were awful.
@MNPackman posted:Thank God Giannis didnt get that rebound
He'd be more likely to throw up an airball than make 2 FTs there.
Do not put the ball in Giannis' hands.
Where is Jason Kidd when you need him? Have Lopez miss the 2nd FT on purpose to avoid a 4-point play??
Bucks escape, barely.
Maybe Brooke channeled his inner Kidd.....
That might be one of the least satisfying wins against a good team in a while.
Giannis puts up 31 and 9 in 30 minutes and it should have been almost 40.
1 for 10 from the line is more embarrassing than anything.
24 for his last 48. That's not a small sample size.
Nets on Monday for what might be one of the most-watched regular-season games on the schedule this year.
@Cheezers posted:Maybe Brooke channeled his inner Kidd.....
Yep. You have to miss that on purpose to take the 4 point play off the table.
If I hadn't have heard Kidd say that on tape, I'd have thought that was too stupid for even The Onion.
@MNPackman posted:Do not put the ball in Giannis' hands.
That's definitely what you want to be thinking about a guy making 50 million a year.
I didn't realize the game was on ESPN until the last 2 minutes. Bummer - no FS WI on YouTube TV yet and I'm too lazy to look at other streaming options.
Man, when you see that tweet from Zora that shows how smooth Giannis can look from the line in a practice situation..... it makes you realize it's all in his head. He just doesn't shoot FTs the same way when it's for real, he's tight and not free flowing like he is in practice where he actually looks good, at least in that highlight.
I have to say, I'm darn glad Dallas isn't in the East, the Bucks just don't play well against them at all. Dallas short 5 guys due to Covid and they still take a mostly healthy Bucks team right to the bitter end.
Somehow, someway, the Bucks are going to have to figure out some better sets for offense when the games get tight. They just don't look good at all in those situations. Middleton hit a couple of nice shots late to kind of bail them out but just overall they aren't real good at those game closeout offensive sets. Have to find something that works as the season goes on (and maybe fly in Rick Barry to teach Giannis how to shoot FTs granny style 
) or it will be another early playoff exit.
For years the Bucks couldnât beat Denver or Phoenix and in particular I think the Suns beat them like 20 times in a row at home. Now, it seems like thatâs the Mavericks. The Bucks just do not matchup up and play well against them. Tall, rangy guys that can shoot from the outside.
This shouldnât have been a close game. I know Dallas missed some FTs as well, but Giannis going 1-10? I mean, if you try to miss 9 of 10 Iâm not sure how thatâs possible. At least 2 or 3 will likely go in. I mean, when itâs almost easier to hit a 3 than make a FT something isnât right.
Still, my griping aside, they won and are 9-4 and beat a decent Mavericks team. Giannis isnât close to playing his best and neither are the Bucks. It just shows you what they are capable of doing and Iâm hopeful (and guessing) they will get better as the season progresses. As of now, itâs the usual suspects in the East minus Toronto near the top of the standings. Miami seems to be suffering from their success last year and weâll see what the Nets will do starting Monday.
This was a good game. Not because it was well played, but because they beat a good team when things were really going that well. They survived the Giannis foul trouble and his 1-10 performance from the FT line.
They got the stops in the last 2-3 minutes, and Middleton hit the big shots after struggling all night. They came through against a team they struggle with, and they came through when it mattered. Holiday also deserves a very high praise- down the stretch he was commanding on both side. Heâs the difference maker in games like this.
Holiday was the primary defender on Doncic down the stretch and he stoned him. Thatâs not an easy task especially that heâs giving up a half a foot on the guy but he was in his hip pocket the whole time.
exactly... Holiday is quickly becoming the Buvks most important player. Everything as advertised and more. Heâs an elite player thatâs been kept in the shadows. I thought he was good... but heâs smarter than I thought, and will prove heâs a top 15 player. He gets the moment, and if they let him, heâll make the right play. Theyâll get good looks if he has the wheel...
@Tschmack posted:Holiday was the primary defender on Doncic down the stretch and he stoned him. Thatâs not an easy task especially that heâs giving up a half a foot on the guy but he was in his hip pocket the whole time.
The last minute of the first half was an absolute basketball clinic by Holiday. He hits a 3. On the defensive end he gets matched up with Porzingis in the middle of the lane. bodies him up, and forces a miss off the back iron. Gets the ball, penetrates to the lane, sets up a wide open made 3 by Middeton. Ends the half by blocking Porzingis' 3 pointer from half court. He gives up 12 inches to Porzingis.
@Music City posted:This was a good game. Not because it was well played, but because they beat a good team when things were really going that well. They survived the Giannis foul trouble and his 1-10 performance from the FT line.
They got the stops in the last 2-3 minutes, and Middleton hit the big shots after struggling all night. They came through against a team they struggle with, and they came through when it mattered. Holiday also deserves a very high praise- down the stretch he was commanding on both side. Heâs the difference maker in games like this.
If you replace Bledsoe with Holiday the Bucks are definitely NBA champs in 2018-19 and are at least in the Finals last year.
The challenge going forward will be to see if Augustin/Forbes/Craig can adequately replace the minutes George Hill gave them on both sides of the floor off the bench. George Hill and a boatload of picks is what they had to give up to get Holiday for Bledsoe.