Toronto Is not elite
The Bucks played 4 guards tonight for a total of 81 minutes (Brogdon, Bledsoe, Hill, and Connaughton).
They got 12 points from them so far.
Tschmack posted:Toronto Is not elite
If Toronto is not elite, the Bucks are G league material based on tonight.
If they don't pull their heads out of their ashes it's going to be a 6 games series.
kcpuck posted:If they don't pull their heads out of their ashes it's going to be a 6 games series.
If they lose the series, they lost it in Game 3.
What's the adjustment? All their guards shit the bed tonight so who do you play instead of Bledsoe? Maybe Sterling Brown?
All I know is, if somehow Drake could end up with a bloody face? That would be great.
Talk about annoying AF.
The Raptors have no respect for Eric Bledsoe. They're not even defending him when he spots up from 3 to help on Giannis. And for good reason: Bledsoe is shooting only 28.6% on catch-and-shoot 3s this season.
I think they have to bench Bledsoe. That 4 year/70 million dollar extension may end up being an albatross.
Bucks' Eric Bledsoe is shooting 4-29 (13.8%) from outside five feet in the Eastern Conference finals.
I'm not sure what to think except that it is now a series.
Being at home may be huge.
Playoffs are about defense and rebounding. Bucks are playing really soft on both counts.
Bud looked shook....like he knew what was coming.
Giannis' +/- was -19, worse on the Bucks.
???
MichiganPacker2 posted:
Bucks' Eric Bledsoe is shooting 4-29 (13.8%) from outside five feet in the Eastern Conference finals.
unbelievable.
Settle down everyone. You play all year to get home court for this exact reason in the playoffs. RELAX!!!!
If the Finals are Toronto vs. GSW, it will be 1 of the lowest rated finals of All-Time.
It's in the NBA's best interest to make sure that doesn't happen.
That starts with game 5
phaedrus posted:I'm not sure what to think except that it is now a series.
Being at home may be huge.
I like your optimism. Kawhi not being 100% may be huge. But they have to figure out what to do with Bledsoe. Playoff Bledsoe May end their run two years in a row.
Bench Bledsoe. Period. He's cold, can't execute.
The Bucks had their chance in game 3... tonight was bad from the opening tip.
Back to Fiserv. Role players play better at home. Home crowd should help...
There are two things that are becoming painfully obvious that Bud must address:
1) Bledsoe is just lost right now. His confidence is shot. You could make a case to keep him in there for his defense but Lowry has clearly outplayed him. At a minimum, they need to start Brogdon and bring him off the bench.
2) Mirotic needs to start making shots or his minutes must be reduced. He’s a defensive liability as it is. If he’s not hitting 3s then he sits. Personally, I would start Ersan and bring Mirotic off the bench.
Finally, I realize Sterling Brown hasn’t played much but his energy and toughness defensively is really needed right now. Middleton and Brogdon are wearing down having to defend Kahwi and he’s got a little more size and bulk as compared fo Brogdon. MB is too important offensively to this team and I think you saw the effects last night (similar to Middleton In game 3).
The Bucks still have everything right out in front of them but have no margin for error anymore. They need to come out tomorrow and punch Toronto in the face. I do not want to see the Raptors think they have a shot. If it’s close I give the nod to the Raptors because they seem to have more experience in those situations. So don’t make it a close game.
As things are currently, I don't think they can play Giannis and Bledsoe extensive minutes together. The Raptors are sagging on Giannis as it is and not even guarding Bledsoe. It makes it harder to penetrate and when Giannis does and draws the double team they are not even rotating to Bledsoe. It creates a situation where the Giannis "hockey" assist (the second pass after he penetrates) is eliminated.
It's hard to win in today's NBA when 40% of the players on the floor are not being guarded until they get to within 10 feet of the basket. You can get away with 1, especially if it's Giannis.
I think you still start Bledsoe, but then rotate to lineups where Brogdon replaces him quickly. Even if Brogdon throws up a dud like last night, they still have to guard him at the 3 point line.
Tschmack, I like your idea of giving Sterling some minutes. He just makes plays. Brilliant defender. I'm wondering too about DJ Wilson, who I believe could stand more playing time as well. Our bench is deep and we should be using more of it.
Trophies posted:Tschmack, I like your idea of giving Sterling some minutes. He just makes plays. Brilliant defender. I'm wondering too about DJ Wilson, who I believe could stand more playing time as well. Our bench is deep and we should be using more of it.
Against Ibaka yes. But the Raptors won’t respect him at the 3 point line and it will clog things even more.
bucks are good, raptors were better, see what happens in game 5.
If I look at this objectively a day later (and not during or immediately after the game when I am pissed off as a fan), the following is true.
If Ibaka, Powell, and Van Vliet play like that again, the Bucks will lose. Heck, the Warriors would lose to them. Ibaka had 17 points and 13 rebounds in 24 minutes. Van Vliet was 5 for 6 from the floor and 3 of 3 from 3. Powell had 18 points.
The chance of those 3 having performances like that again simultaneously are close to zero. Lowry also went off last night, so 4 different guys played out of their minds.
Leonard is hobbled, Giannis has neutralized Siakam, and the Bucks bench can't play any worse. And the Bucks have 2 of the next 3 at home.
Objectively, one should still like the Bucks chances. Especially when Kawhi has to play every other day on the leg injury for potentially 3 games.
As Shaq said earlier, all we have to do is win our Home games.
I am shocked over last night. Toronto looked so much more active on offense and they really hit timely shots. Some of the main stats look very even:
Bucks:
FG% - 46.3
3 pt% - 31.4
FT% - 65.4
Raptors:
FG% - 47.1
3 pt% - 34.1
FT% - 88.9
Well, the FT% disparity is huge. Raptors 24/27, Bucks 17/26 so that is a net loss of 7 points.
Here are the point totals:
Bucks:
FG - 26x2 = 52
3 pt - 11x3 = 33
FT% - 17
Total = 102
Raptors:
FG - 27x2 = 54 (+2)
3 pt - 14x3 = 42 (+9)
FT - 24 (+7)
Total = 120
Raptors had 4 more rebounds and 1 less turnover. The Raptors outdid the Bucks in virtually every statistical category and especially so with # made 3 pointers and FT's.
Bucks defense was not good, but Raptors also shot real well - VanVleet, Ibaka, Gasol all stepped up. Powell did real well.
Having Lopez on the floor is sometimes a liability (when Gasol and Ibaka are in and both are hitting from outside).
Play harder, better defense.
Make more free throws.
Shoot better - especially the guards.
Raptors likely will not repeat this performance especially the reserves in Milwaukee. But, even with solid defense if FT disparity remains and guard shooting is off, I think you can flip a coin in Milwaukee.
I think Bledsoe has to start, but with a short leash. They have to get him penetrating more and making smarter decisions off penetration. Bud needs to rotate smart. Mixing up the guard rotations and seeing what is working.
I'd say the only player that is really killing us is Bledsoe and he knows it. I read he was out of the locker room before the other players were even finished showering. Took no questions in the locker room.
Outside of the Bledsoe factor, just play hard defense, hit more FT's, and shoot a bit better (can Brogdon pull another 2/11? - I doubt it - Brogdon, Hill, and Connaughton ought be enough to offset another Bledsoe no show - in other words as a trio they almost have to shoot better).
Don't understand how you come out in game 4 of the ECF and play lazy defense and soft on the boards. Toronto had so many open looks that I thought Jason Kidd was coaching us again. The Bucks looked soft last night. Toronto was just the opposite, energized and hustling on defense and crushing the boards hard.
Bud has his work cut out for him, cause its not just Bledsoe that is the problem.
The series hinges on game 5. Bucks lose 3 in a row they are done.
BTW, what does 32 turnovers in the last 2 games say about the Bucks mental focus ? Give Toronto some credit, but that is some mentally weak play by the Bucks. Wake the **** up !!
The other thing that concerns me about Bledsoe is besides his atrocious 3pt shooting he’s been pretty shaky at the FT line as well. In the playoffs he’s only making about 2/3 of his attempts. Against Boston and Toronto it’s more like 60%. Right now that makes him a liability out there. I know Bud is being patient with him but it’s almost like the Raptors are daring the Bucks to play him. To that extent, you need to divvy up the minutes accordingly.
Back to Sterling Brown. I know he’s not had a lot of playoff experience, but beside his energy and hustle he shot nearly 37% from 3 this year. If the Raptors continue to pack the paint you need your best shooters out there. Brown could give them a boost if nothing else to take some of the pressure off others defending Kahwi.
George Hill wasn’t as effective last night but he can give Lowry some problems due to his aggressive style and long arms. And he can hit 3s and is a decent FT shooter. See a trend developing here?
I don’t care who starts or who comes off the bench. I do care about guys that can address their issues and needs. Right now, Mirotic and Bledsoe should not be getting much play. In a must win situation you have to pull out all the stops.
You have to sit Mirotic to start games, if only to set the one on defense. His defense was atrocious last night and he looked really bad last night in terms of focus when he didn't bother to help Khris Middleton up when he was on the floor right in front of him. Mirotic played like he was thinking about the off-season last night.
Right now, he's basically Jabari Parker Part 2. You have to use him as instant offense off the bench against the other team's second unit.
What's been even more clear the last two games is that the Bucks live off their defense. When they contest shots and get in passing lanes to create missed shots and turnovers, they get in transition where they might be the second best offensive team in the league. When they rely on half court offense exclusively, their offense becomes stagnant and they basically either have Giannis drive and kick or let Middleton try to pick and roll at the top of the key.
Bledsoe gets named to the All-NBA Defensive team. The same afternoon that was announced a really startling article on how bad Bledsoe has been on offense this post-season. Basically, his shooting percentages would actually be much worse except for the fact that's he's made 5 of 11 from deep when the Bucks are up 17+.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertai...oblem-192522729.html
Key points
Flip it around, and you can see how much the playoff pressure impacts Bledsoe. He is shooting 5-for-11 from 3 when the Bucks are up by 17 or more points, according to Basketball Reference. Otherwise, he is 9-for-51 (17.6 percent) from distance.
Antetokounmpo’s true shooting percentage rises in these playoffs from 56 percent with Bledsoe on the floor to 64 percent without him, per pbpstats.com. As a result, Milwaukee’s offense has scored 109.4 points per 100 possessions when Bledsoe is on the bench against the Raptors to 98.8 points per 100 when he is in the game. That’s the equivalent of the Bucks dropping from a top-10 to league-worst level.
There was a moment where Middleton was really going after Mirotic after Middleton got knocked to the ground. He was really hammering him to get his head in it. I think you’ve seen the end of Mirotic in the starting lineup.
I’m guessing Brogdon gets back in the starting lineup and the Bucks try to attack more side to side with motion and mobility. Then you have 3 ball handlers in the game and shooters everywhere.
Bledsoe is pressing. Pressure does this to guys. But the only remedy Budenholzer has is to play him, stay with him. Coming home, the fans need to encourage him- they cannot beat anyone in front of them without Bledsoe on the floor, First Team All Defensive Team, announced today. He’s the horse you go with now, more than ever. Start Brogdon, get him comfortable, and rotate Connaughton, Hill, and Brown (if he’s healthy) in.
Giannis must shoot the ball. Get in the paint and shoot the ball. They can’t defend you unless you let them- and plowing into 3 guys isn’t working. Get in the paint and put the ball up. I don’t care the result- a few go in and everything changes. Then you can mix up your attack. He’s just refusing to shoot the ball now... don’t give them an out. Make them defend you 94 feet.
Going in I though 6 or 7. After the Bucks dismantled them in game 2, I was convinced it was Boston all over. Sweep or 5. Now it’s 2-2... ok... go out there and do what you do. They’re still better than the Drake Barnies. They just have to earn it.
Take care of home floor and you’re in the Finals. No benching, no overreacting... just play ball. Fiserv will be with you all the way...
We’ve seen this before from Bledsoe. He puts a lot of pressure on himself and I think that impacts his game at times. There’s no question he cares, but sometimes you need to hit the reset button. His teammates seem to respect and appreciate him and have his back, as does Coach Bud. As a result, I think he’ll start but they need to have Brogdon in the starting lineup instead of Mirotic. He played flat out lazy in game 4. That’s not acceptable.
I thought a lot if Ersan should also get the start but he’s been so good off the bench I’m not so sure. All I know is I would prefer Middleton and Brogdon don’t defend Kahwi because they need to have energy to hit shots. Maybe you put Ersan out there to get more physical with Kahwi and then spell him with Sterling Brown.
What I have noticed is it all starts and stops with Lowry. Kahwi may get the credit, but I think he’s the unsung hero and they play much differently when he’s leading and facilitating the offense. This is where I pull Bledsoe and George Hill aside and say “go get him.” That’s what the Bucks did in games 2-3 with pretty good results.
It seems like they thought the Raptors were just going to roll over & die.
Welcome to the ECF Bucks.....you going to play in Milwaukee? Or continue this bullshit turn the ball over, not defend & miss open looks?
Tschmack posted:
I thought a lot if Ersan should also get the start but he’s been so good off the bench I’m not so sure. All I know is I would prefer Middleton and Brogdon don’t defend Kahwi because they need to have energy to hit shots. Maybe you put Ersan out there to get more physical with Kahwi and then spell him with Sterling Brown.
After seeing Kawhi limp around in Game 4, I see how he does more one on one. I'd rather he score 40 than let the accessory guys get wide open shot after wide open shot. Maybe you play Irsan and, for a few minutes, DJ Wilson on him. He's not 100%. Don't let the other guys beat you again, especially when Kawhi is hobbled.