Bucks down 11 near the end of the third.
Just an awful start to the playoffs right now.
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Vucevic dominating the matchup with Lopez. Middleton providing almost nothing. Giannis missing FTs, but otherwise playing well. Bledsoe's also been fine.
Down 12.
Fukking embarrassing. Bucks have given up 92 points in 3 quarters against a shorthanded 8th seed.
Giannis bricks a 3 pointer down 10. He must have overshot it by 4 feet.
This might be the worst game 1 by a top seed that I remember. A Magic team without Aaron Gordon and Austin is blowing them out.
Giannis is 1 for his last 7 with an air ball 3 and 2 charges thrown in.
Middleton has looked horrible. Absolute liability of defense and forcing things on offense. Do we need to start talking the off season? I think we also have to start questioning the coaching as well.
118-102. It's a 7 game series, but this was an absolutely embarrassing performance.
Horrible, horrible, horrible. So glad it’s a 7 game series.....
@The Crusher posted:Middleton has looked horrible. Absolute liability of defense and forcing things on offense. Do we need to start talking the off season? I think we also have to start questioning the coaching as well.
Giannis was horrific in the fourth quarter as well. Timid and passive. Brook Lopez was awful. Middleton had company.
They got blown out and Bledsoe played well. George Hill, too. That's about it.
Giannis with a 30 point, 17 rebound dud. He was awful in the second half.
@The Crusher posted:Middleton has looked horrible. Absolute liability of defense and forcing things on offense. Do we need to start talking the off season? I think we also have to start questioning the coaching as well.
Game 2 of this series may be a critical game for the future of the Bucks. If they play this way again and lose Game 2, it would really bring the possibility of losing this series into focus. If they lose this series, Giannis will definitely be gone and Bucks basketball will be a backwater again.
My guess is that they'll win the next 4 and right the ship, but Bud better show us that that is going to be the case ASAP at the start of Game 2.
Middleton and Lopez- a near $50M investment this season, a combined 6-21 for 19 points, 5 assists, 10 rebounds, and more turnovers (4) than made threes (2) in 60 minutes. Their primary job is to stretch the floor for Giannis with 3 point shooting, and (in Middleton’s case) provide the second scoring option. They both sucked badly on the other end of the floor as well- allowing Vucevic, Clark, and Ross to score a combined 68 points on 26/49 shooting, including 9 threes. That’s the return on the Bucks’ $50M investment.
Marvin Williams was also badly overmatched in this game. Expect to see Ersan Ilyasova in game 2, as they need one of their Fs off the bench to score and do the little things.
And Giannis still isn’t playing smart basketball. Not going to go to an elite level to win rings if you can’t adjust your game and bury them anyways. Down the stretch the NBA game is a p&r game that rewards the player with the skills to make the right play when it matters most. He’s not demonstrating that right now...
I agree with most of what Music City said. Bledsoe wasn't bad but was 1-5 from 3 point range. Sadly I see a team that dominates during the regular season but doesn't have what it takes for playoff basketball.
1) Who can you give the ball to that will create their own shot? Middleton isn't reliable as he tends to turn the ball over if he's pressured by a good defender.
2) Giannis is explosive but his an lack of a reliable jump shot makes him unreliable at clutch time. He has been forcing things and not seeing the court (see last year). You will also lose in the playoffs if your MVP is shooting free throws at 50%.
3) I had moved on from Brogdon but watching him today made me miss him again.
4) We need our guards to make more drives to the hoop (see Brogdon). Teams just hang out at the 3 point line pressing our passes because no one creates any pressure by taking it into the paint.
As good as he was in the first 2.5 quarters (basically keeping it within 8-10 point), Giannis looked like a first-year player in the half-court in the 4th quarter. You could see him start thinking about what he was going to do once he got the ball and the shot clock started running down. He has no confidence in his shot and has a deer in the headlights look. The wide open 3 pointer he overshot by about 3 feet was comical if you are the fan of another team. You often see guys shoot it short, but he hit the right upper side of the backboard hard from the left wing. If the backboard wasn't there it would have been 5-6 feet off before it got to rim level.
What has happened to the best defensive team in the league? JFC it was bad today. 122 allowed to Orlando?!?!
Middleton was garbage and Lopez was trash and honestly Bledsoe wasn’t much better. Between those three they had 10+ turnovers WTF and none of them shot the ball well from long distance.
They need to start George Hill and bring Bledsoe off the bench.
@Tschmack posted:What has happened to the best defensive team in the league? JFC it was bad today. 122 allowed to Orlando?!?!
Middleton was garbage and Lopez was trash and honestly Bledsoe wasn’t much better. Between those three they had 10+ turnovers WTF and none of them shot the ball well from long distance.
They need to start George Hill and bring Bledsoe off the bench.
Orlando also played without their best offensive player (Aaron Gordon)
I am not really happy with Giannis’ okay down the stretch, but he was doing this thing alone for most of the game. Giannis wasn’t the problem- he didn’t help down the stretch- but he’s not the issue. Bledsoe was attacking, Hill scores off the bench, even Matthews had an overall effective offensive night. But Middleton is supposed to be an All-NBA player, and Lopez an All-NBA defender. Neither showed up today. They weren’t just bad on offense- they got pwned on the other end too. Vucevic had 35/14 tonight ffs. If Lopez counters with 18/10, then the Bucks win. He was a no-show in every aspect.
Middleton was clearly frustrated in the 4th q- just trying anything to get something going. It’s a view of why everyone has had their doubts about him from the start.
All this shit doesn’t matter if they right the ship. Giannis hasn’t played a full game in a week. He’s not the guy I’m worried about... it’s the rest of them.
I’ll tell you what though... if Giannis got the calls that Anthony Davis gets, he’d foul out the fucking league...
@Music City posted:Giannis hasn’t played a full game in a week. He’s not the guy I’m worried about... it’s the rest of them.
I'm kinda worried about Bud. He doesn't seem to adjust sufficiently when things aren't going well. The Bucks defense shows a trend of letting teams shoot a ton of 3's . Offense is based on Giannis' athleticism and jacking 3's. Build a wall and defend the 3 against us and its trouble.
5 playoff losses in a row. 
The Lakers and Bucks were rolling until COVID19 came around and since bubble play began quite honestly neither team has looked very good at all.
For the Lakers, their offense has gone in the tank and for the Bucks it’s their defense that has gone south not to mention they are turning the ball over like crazy.
So maybe it’s not a fluke what we saw yesterday out of both teams although I think Portland is probably better than a typical 8 seed and they match up really well against LAL.
All I do know is if the Bucks don’t somehow regain their mojo we can forget about the NBA Finals they probably won’t make it out of the East. And we all know what could happen there. The future of the franchise is literally at stake because I don’t see Giannis wanting to stick around if they don’t at least get to the Finals. It’s a strange year all around so it would be fitting to see the nuclear scenario happen. I’m hoping at some point the light bulb goes on and this team snaps back into their dominant selves once again.
Steve Ashburner craps all over Milwaukee, Budenholzer, and the Bucks in his article on NBA.com. The Bucks are relegated to matinee showings in the first round and that never happened to Lebron no matter where he played.
And for the first time, I am starting to believe the media will win in their quest to make the Milwaukee Bucks irrelevant- being elevated by this superstar, whom they don’t deserve. They'll do everything in their power to make it impossible for the Bucks to keep Giannis in Milwaukee.
The Bucks virtually had no choice but to extend Middleton with the richest contract ever offered a Bucks player. But in the end, he’s not on Lillard’s level. As Ashburner points out, Middleton has averaged less than 14 ppg shooting under 40% his last 6 games played. He’s making life easy for teams who want to build a wall around the paint to stop Giannis. That’s not changing unless someone steps up.
Worked with Steve at the Beloit Daily News a long time ago.
At some level, building a team completely around Giannis is going to lead to this. Basically, guys stand around for large parts of the game at the perimeter and Giannis does all the movement. Middleton isn't Lillard, but he's not a dud. He'd probably be much better in another offense in the post-season.
The problem in the playoffs is that teams prepare for the Giannis offense (like Ashburner states) and he no longer gets as many easy looks and the defensive rotations are much better on the kick-outs. However, they still score enough to beat most mediocre teams and play well until the 4th quarter against everyone. Then, when it gets to the 4th quarter and it's a close game, the defensive intensity ratchets up. Now, the Giannis 5 out centric offense struggles even more against good defensive teams. The problem is that the Bucks then need Middleton to take over, but you've played a completely different style of offense for the rest of the game and for most of the season. Everyone then expects Middleton to just flip a switch and be the superstar offensive player. In the game yesterday, Middleton took 6 shots in the first 2 and a half quarters. But then you expect him to take over and lead them back? In an offense designed for, and with personnel built around, a completely different type of player?
It's inherently what you get with Giannis and his significant offensive limitations outside of the paint. If he never improves the jump shot or 3 point shot, he's basically a superstar version of Draymond Green or a more athletic Shaq that can guard on the perimeter. Giannis is a guy who is one of top 10 defensive players in NBA history, a great rebounder, and a good slasher. But, like Green, he's not the guy to run your offense through in the clutch. He struggles at the line and he can't consistently knock down even a 15 foot shot.
You know who Middleton really is? He's Glenn Robinson with the ability to play defense.
I’d say he’s more like Harrison Barnes. Against weak competition, his analytics are inflated and look great. Then when it’s time to ramp it up, there’s nothing there.
Budenholzer has to adjust to the fact that they do not have another star player, and that 5-out only works against bad teams. They need more movement, more motion, and more effective P&R. Unfortunately, they need a PG who can facilitate that. Bledsoe is a good player in the things he does- attack the rim, muscle up on D, push pace with his speed. He’s not Rubio, or Paul, or a smaller Lebron in how he runs the sets and gets someone a great look.
The trouble is on this team he needs to be Dame Lillard, bailing them Bucks out on bad possessions. That all the Blazers did last night to beat the Lakers- Lillard hit a couple deep threes and that was the difference in the game. McCollum hit a couple contested 2s, as well- who on the Bucks hits those shots in the clutch? No one, and it’s been that way for some time.
I don’t know if Giannis will ever be that guy. I don’t know if it’s the scheme, or what- but how different is his game now compared to a year ago, now that it counts? He’s the same player. He showed Sobe signs this year, but this league is built on guys that can step up in the critical moment and bury that 3, or pull their team out of a funk single handedly and just go into a hot zone no one can stop. Not really seeing that from him- not now. Is it the bubble? Was it an illusion based on regular season basketball? Is the pressure of living up to the league’s stars getting to him? Has that pressure made him more hesitant, less assertive, reduced his confidence level that much?
The NBA has lots of guys who can do it anecdotally, or during the season in February- and until someone goes VanVleet in the playoffs on this team, the answer is: no one can. It’s in their heads. That was more than evident yesterday as they melted every time Vucevic hit a 3.
The Bucks should get past the Magic- but they’ll need to look like and play like a totally different team to beat anyone else. You can get Miami is kicking their chops- they’ve outplayed and out-coached the Bucks all season long.
I also think it can’t be understated just how different the bubble environment is v true home court advantage. I mean, it wasn’t just the Bucks. The Lakers got beat and the Clippers could have very easily have lost to Dallas. Toronto is trailing the Nets late in their second game.
The Bucks were virtually unbeatable at home, and now it’s basically a non factor so they can’t get that extra juice from the fans. As a team they need to fire up each other. With the exception of the second half v Miami a week or so ago, they’ve lacked energy and enthusiasm.
There are 18 guys (listed below) in the NBA making more than Middleton (30 million this year). Two other guys make around 30 million: Paul Millsap and Dame Lillard. (From basketballreference.com)
Giannis is going to be at the top of this list as soon as he extends his contract. Giannis is probably the only guy on this list who isn't a threat to score outside of 5 feet from the rim. Anyone else you are nervous if they get an open 15 footer. With Giannis, it's a great outcome for the defense.
Giannis is what he is which is - one of the top 10 players in history who isn't a good shooter. He's probably never going to be a good shooter. He'll be 26 at the end of this year. It's unlikely he's all of sudden going to start knocking down 15 foot jump shots with ease.
The problem with building an offense around him (or Ben Simmons) is that it's not an offense that works well with another non-shooter, creator type, especially in the half court. The Bucks were forced to sign Middleton because no one else was coming to play with Giannis. Part of that is being in Milwaukee, but part of that may be that a lot of superstar players aren't going to want to defer to another guy in this type of system. Bud's style doesn't make guys that are good players better on offense unless they are spot up 3 point shooters. Middleton and Lopez changed their style of play to fit Bud's system. It works a lot, but sitting out at the 3 point line waiting for kickouts is not what they are best suited for.
I hope I'm wrong, but Giannis best fit if he wants to win titles is to go to a place where he's a complementary offensive player and not the #1 option. That's why he makes so much sense to people in Golden State. He can be a better version of Draymond and be the guy finishing at the rim on the roll from Steph Curry, and not the guy handling the ball. (Or Lillard, Chris Paul, Westbrook, Harden, LeBron, Irving, K. Walker). Bledsoe is not that guy.
Giannis is a 20 point/15 rebound/Defensive player of the year guy on a superteam - unless he improves his outside shot (or becomes more confident with it). Right now, when he gets the ball at the top of the key in the half-court it's like the other 4 guys are playing against 5 defenders because his defender sags off of him so much. He's not effective running the pick and roll because he's no threat to shoot and that allows his defender to sag off and help on the guy rolling. Against Toronto, when they'd run pick and roll, Giannis would pass up the open 15 footer to try to get to the rim, get stopped about 8-10 feet from the rim, and then shoot a contested jump shot.
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I think Giannis has wasted enough time shooting threes. What he needs to something off the dribble plus a reliable post move. We’ve seen flashes of these- but not enough- he needs something that represents a go-to array of moves when he needs a basket. That’s what the Champs have.
Completely weird playoffs indeed
The Clippers are in a dogfight with Dallas and Lakers and Bucks down 0-1. By most expert accounts, the Clippers, Lakers, and Bucks were the most likely to win it all yet in the bubble so far they are 1-3 in the playoffs. The Clippers very easily could have lost game 1.
Is there any scenario possible that in a regular season with home court advantage those 3 teams lose 3 of 4 to start the playoffs (at home)? Highly unlikely, but it’s reality with the bubble. You are going to see more upsets I think. Now, over a 7 game series the better team should advance but all bets are off right now.
Remember the reaction after game 1 vs the Celtics last year? Pepperidge Farms remembers.
That was my initial thought also (Boston game 1) but Boston was better than this Orlando team and the Bucks haven’t looked right since play got suspended in March. Something’s got to give. If this team is legit they will steamroll these guys starting tonight.
@Tschmack posted:That was my initial thought also (Boston game 1) but Boston was better than this Orlando team and the Bucks haven’t looked right since play got suspended in March. Something’s got to give. If this team is legit they will steamroll these guys starting tonight.
The big thing is defensive intensity. It will still be panic time if they lose Game 2 no matter what. But there are two very different outcomes even in a loss.
If they come out and play like crap on offense, but their defensive effort improves and they look like the best defensive team in the league again that still provides some hope. Shooting eventually regresses to the mean and their defense is what's going to allow them to advance deep in the playoffs.
If they come out and get blitzed again on defense and give up 120+, that's a much worse sign (win or lose).