4 for 25. If they shoot even 33%, it's a close game.
Bucks sat waiting for this series too long. Playing a little tight. Nets have great players- can’t beat them if you’re shooting 16% from 3 and 43% overall…
Have some goddamn pride. Mike James is a fucking scrub.
The criticism and Nets will win it all BS will be deafening the next couple of days. Bucks playing like they had a week off.
Well, another Middleton no-show (6-21), and the Bucks bench has 6 points. 6 min to go and the Bucks have 33 points in the half.
Why are the starters still in? Get them out.
The Bucks pissed away a golden opportunity tonight.
5 for 29 from 3.
Durant and Irving didn't shoot lights out either.
Bucks bench has 8 points. JFC
Hopefully they shit the bed and got it out of their system. Easily their worst game of the playoffs.
Middleton and to a lesser extent Holiday have to play better.
They should play Griffin laughing on his way out of the game on a loop during practice tomorrow.
The Bucks played the exact same way against Miami game 1. The difference is the Nets are an elite offensive team. They’re not going to reciprocate the way Miami did.
Bucks played like they have been sitting a week.
@Tschmack posted:Bucks bench has 8 points. JFC
Hopefully they shit the bed and got it out of their system. Easily their worst game of the playoffs.
Middleton and to a lesser extent Holiday have to play better.
Those 2 were 13 for 42. Those are 2 of your 3 of your max players.
Not going to beat anybody shooting as poorly as they have. Plenty of open shots. Lowest total of 3's this entire year. Lost by 8.
Hit your shots when you're open
So can we blame this on the week off?
I can't say I have ever been more disappointed in a Wisconsin team. Is this on Bud? What a joke...step behind everything. We shoot our lowest 3 point percentage OF THE YEAR in the most critical playoff series?
I don't even know what to say. What a national embarrasment.
I’m just done with Bud. Too many games we look completely flat, intimidated by the other team, and not playing Bucks basketball. The writing is on the wall. Milwaukee doesn’t even get to the Finals with Bud as HC.
I’m also done with Middleton. Utterly and completely done. Trade him for a loaf of warm bread. I’m tired of his continually disappearing at the most inopportune moments. He has some really good games, but has way too many stinkers.
We lost by 8, going 6 of 30 from downtown. If Middleton or Holiday have even a decent game…
I think Game 2 will likely decide the series. I know they are on the road, but if the Bucks fall behind 0-2 I'm not sure they can win 4 of 5 against the Nets.
This is not on Bud. They shot 6 for 30 from the three-point line and most of those were good looks. 11 for 19 from the line. The guys that missed those shots are to blame, not Bud.
If they shoot 10 for 30 from 3 and 15 for 19 from the line, they win by 8.
@MichiganPacker2 posted:This is not on Bud. They shot 6 for 30 from the three-point line and most of those were good looks. 11 for 19 from the line. The guys that missed those shots are to blame, not Bud.
If they shoot 10 for 30 from 3 and 15 for 19 from the line, they win by 8.
So has every team with a week off come out this flat? Blake Griffin shoots better from 3 than Forbes, Middleton, the whole team. What a wasted opportunity. As a reminder, this was the Bucks worst 3 percentage of the entire season. Nice timing
@MichiganPacker2 posted:This is not on Bud. They shot 6 for 30 from the three-point line and most of those were good looks. 11 for 19 from the line. The guys that missed those shots are to blame, not Bud.
If they shoot 10 for 30 from 3 and 15 for 19 from the line, they win by 8.
I respect your opinion, MP2. Always do. You give extremely well thought out answers, and I don’t for one second question your acumen when it comes to sports, especially basketball, where you are clearly more knowledgeable than I. I’ve enjoyed the game since I was a kid, but I’ve never invested myself heavily into the X’s and O’s of the game. Baseball is my true forte. I know that game, and its history, like the back of my hand
The reason I put so much of the blame on Bud here-and again, if you believe that the thought process was solid, that it was merely an execution shortcoming from the guys on the floor-I’ll agree to accept your position-it seems to me that others here have the same question I do. I’ve only seen them a few times this year, but if the Nets are a finesse team, why did we shoot 30 3s in the first place? Harden went out at the start of the game. He’s arguably their best perimeter shooter, is he not? We didn’t need to get into that kind of a game.
If we’re stronger in the paint than Brooklyn, why not force the issue? Let Giannis loose, and make the Nets stop him. While I understand that he was 0 for 3 from the line, I still think we should have played to our offensive strength, and when it became clear that our shooters were off tonight, we should have adjusted strategy. Instead, we continued to throw up brick after brick. I’m not even thinking “if we only shot ___ from 3, we win.” I’m thinking “if just a few of those missed 3s were attempts from inside the paint, which are higher percentage shots, and come with more trips to the line, we win.
@The Crusher posted:So has every team with a week off come out this flat?
No, but the Bucks did. And it’s been happening.
Come on guys… you’re all acting as if losing game 1 is a death sentence. It’s not. Pretty far from it. This is a 7 game series if they play the way they’re supposed to.
Game 2 isn’t a must win. Stealing home court will be big- but not a necessity. They were 28-8 at home this year, they were going to come out swinging. And they’re going to be tough to beat.
The real issue is Middleton… again. If this is what they get from him this series, they have no chance. 6/23 from the field from one of your big 3 is a catastrophe. Giannis, Holiday… they were as advertised. Lopez was ok. But you also cannot have 10 turnovers from your big 3 either.
Shake it off and get back at it Monday.
After the first game of previous series, I said Bucks in 4 or 5 vs. the Heat.
I got Bucks in 6 with this one. Nets did not impress me at all today. They should've won by 50 with how poorly the Bucks shot.
Game #2 Monday
I think the Bucks will be fine, but they can’t be suckered into playing a 3pt game with the Nets.
Clearly the Bucks are more dominant inside team. Like Shaq stated, you take it right to them and make Brooklyn stop you. The Nets are not physically tough even if Griffin acts like it. You pound them inside and wear them down.
I’m encouraged because if the Bucks hit a few more 3s and don’t make dumb mistakes they steal game 1. Regroup and get the next one.
Whatever, they missed a golden opportunity with Harden out. Who knows when he will be back or what his condition will be. The Bucks win last nite and the Nets may have been forced to bring the Beard back a bit early, now they have a game cushion. Up 1 zip on their floor after the first game would have been big.
For the Bucks, game 2 is bigger now.....real big.
Harden will be out for the series and most likely the rest of the playoffs. Mark it down.
Game 1 really was decided during the last 2:15 of the third quarter, and Giannis was the problem.
Durant had just committed his 4th and Nash left him in. Giannis was at the line for 2 shots and the Bucks were down 86-80. If he hits both, it's a 4 point game. Instead, he missed both and Irving hit a transition 3 off the miss. Bucks down 9.
The next possession, Giannis turns it over and the Nets get a transition dunk. Down 11.
The next possession they go inside to Lopez - two FTs and back to 9. Durant answers and it's back to 11.
The next possession Giannis misses a three, they get it back (Bud challenge), and Giannis turns it over again and then fouls Durant. Back to 13.
Holiday misses a layup and then Durant hits a 3 in Giannis' face. Down 16.
Lopez hits a shot at the buzzer (which should have been Durant's 5th), but the game was basically over.
As someone that’s had hamstring injuries and is a runner I can tell you if he does return he won’t be close to the player he was when healthy. Sure, it doesn’t impact his ability to shoot, but if he can’t move off screens and start and stop quickly that’s a problem. In basketball, if your legs aren’t right, it affects a lot of things.
I realize we are all disappointed they didn’t win game 1, but if they can win game 2 they will be in good shape. If for some reason they go down 0-2 it means they really didn’t play well (again) and one of the good things about this team is their ability to bounce back. I think it’s highly unlikely that both Middleton and Holiday miss that many shots and turn the ball over as much as they did in game 1. I also do not think the Nets bench will outplay Milwaukee as badly as they did in game 1.
Other thoughts:
https://www.nba.com/news/brook...-hamstring-tightness
Harden is out. Owwww my hammy
@Tschmack posted:I think it’s highly unlikely that both Middleton and Holiday miss that many shots and turn the ball over as much as they did in game 1. I also do not think the Nets bench will outplay Milwaukee as badly as they did in game 1.
The Bucks have 3, they have 2. That should tilt things the Bucks’ way if the 3 do their thing. Benches always tend to play better at home so if Middleton can do his part as one of the big 3 they can even the series and get home court.
I think Middleton bounces back tonight and at least plays adequately. However, I think Durant and Irving are also likely to shoot at least as well, if not better, than Game 1.
Giannis and Lopez will get their points. Durant and Irving will get theirs. Middleton and Holiday probably offset what Griffin and Harris will get.
For everything else, the Nets won Game 1 because Mike James (a journeyman who is a career 28% 3-point shooter) badly outproduced the Bucks backcourt bench guys.
When the Bucks bench guys hit the open shots they are going to get every game, the Bucks blow teams out. When those guys struggle, it's a close game or a loss.
In the two Game 1s this year (the OT game and the Nets loss), Forbes are Connaughton are a combined 1 for 10 from deep (and the Forbes make was in garbage time on Saturday. In the three blowout wins over Miami, those two were a combined 24 for 48.
That's why I'm not sure who should start. Do you start Forbes and try to get him going early (especially since you can hide him on someone on defense a little easier now that Harden is out)? Or is he better coming off the bench against a second unit?
I think you start Connaughton. Starting Tucker kinda blew their load. And Bill Simmons said this in his pod Sunday- they can’t sit Lopez and Giannis at the same time. Press that advantage inside, protect the rim, and never let them up. And Forbes is not playable against their starters, IMO.
Starting with Tucker again. First two offensive players are a Holiday missed 10 footer and a Holiday turnover.
Durant gets a call on Lopez when Lopez literally didn't touch him.
Durant gets two calls with very little contact. Ridiculous.
Durant gets TUcker to pick up a 2nd foul.
Durant has gotten 3 calls in 3 minutes and only one was a legitimate foul.