Tschmack posted:Maybe if the officials actually called a goddamn foul on him he’d get to the line 15 times+
They look at Lowry wrong and he’s on the line. Giannis gets hammered constantly and nothing.
This.
For all the analysis of things the Bucks did wrong, if Van Vleet doesn't go 7 for freekin 9 from behind the arc, the Bucks win. Especially if Giannis makes a couple more FT's.
Some other thoughts:
The Bucks had nice runs that were chipped away by Raptor 3's mainly. Start of game. Third quarter. The third quarter run was chipped away by two Van Vleet 3's and a 2 point FG.
Then you have Leonard's 2 3's that gave the Raptors the lead in the 4th quarter. Unreal.
The sequence near the end of the game was just bad luck. A shot barely grazes the rim (would have been a 24s violation) and lands right in Gasol's hands. It is hard to be positioned for that. Shortly after that is the Brogdon out of bounds.
Barkley said inserting Brogdon in the starting lineup was a mistake. He made good sense. He said the offense already had enough shooters and any Brogdon shots would simply reduce the number of shots by others. But, as a bench player, his offense would be much more needed.
I wonder if Middleton deferred taking shots in the beginning to give Bledsoe a chance to get going. Regardless, he was close to a no show.
The fates did us no favors whatsoever.
What was more disappointing, the outcome of the game or Rodgers attempt to slam a brew?
MichiganPacker2 posted:phaedrus posted:ChilliJon posted:How the *$#@ does Giannis only take 9 shots from the line!?!?!?!?!? He needed to get his mother ****ing self to the line 15 plus times. WTF!?!?!?!?!?! Toronto willed him to go to the line.
I guess Giannis needs to ask Leonard.
(And did Leonard ever commit A LOT of uncalled fouls.)
I disagree. Kawhi is in Giannis' head. He's intimidated and, for the first time in a year, he's not able to just use his superior athletic ability to overcome something. Giannis' box scores are deceptively good. The eye test shows he's struggling. The Bucks need him to be LeBron to advance and he's become just another good player in this series.
Just want to clarify. I meant when Leonard has the ball and is penetrating. In one of the penetrations, he blatantly elbowed the defender with his left arm.
It has gotten to the point that when Leonard penetrates, he is handled similarly to Duane Wade the year the Heat beat the Mavericks in the finals. There was almost no way a foul would not be called and almost no way he would miss a free throw.
If Toronto is close at the end of any game, given Kawhi's clutch play, if he often penetrates, it is not a good recipe.
Leonard hits 93% of his FT. He’s going to the paint every chance he gets. Giannis is 60% from the line in the playoffs? So he’s making a sound analytical business decision by driving and kicking or putting up a 3.
Giannis gets the same calls Leonard gets if he finishes. Every time. He just has to not be afraid of going to the line. And honestly. The NBA does not want the likely MVP shooting airballs from the stripe in the eastern conference finals. That’s just a bad look for everyone involved.
Giannis is one of the most insanely great offensive talents ever. But **** man. Hit some free throws. Unfortunately. Toronto in game 6 probably isn’t the best venue to try and find your FT stroke.
Leonard is getting 3-4 more FT attempts per game in the playoffs compared to the regular season. His style of play hasn’t changed.
Who goes to the hoop more than Giannis? Just about no one. Yet in the last 3 games on average he’s gotten 8-9 FT attempts when all playoffs he was getting 12-15 FTs per game on average. And he’s playing more minutes in this series.
Clearly the Raptors have decided they are going to clog the lane and get physical with Giannis. That’s their prerogative I guess. But they need to call a foul a foul and right now he’s getting hacked and grabbed and pushed a lot with no recourse. We all see it. That’s why I think he’s struggled the last few games. I’d be frustrated too.
Kawhi Leonard came into the NBA as a below average shooter. He developed it. Giannis is 24... he has to develop it.
Theres only one player in the rotation that has any experience at this level of basketball- George Hill. The rest of these players are deeper than they’ve ever been. The pressure is different, it’s real, and they’re showing it.
Toronto has been through this, and their best player was a Finals MVP before. Before he was hurt, he was probably the best player in the NBA- or damn close. I think most, myself included, overlooked this very key factor that helps decide playoff series’.
If the Bucks go down swinging, that’s the best you can ask for at this stage. It’s disappointing because they really looked like they could win this thing, but what Toronto has done the last 3 games is hard to ignore.
If betting is your thing. Keep in mind game Toronto / Philly game 7 was their everything. They are playing with house money now. They are dangerous.
Giannis is going to have to go win this game 6. That’s all there is to it.
Honestly. I don’t think Giannis is ready for this. He’s got holes in his game that have been exposed. He’s going to be better because of this series. And his better is scary.
We will find out
I just don’t think the Bucks are ready to pack it in. Two of their kisses could have easily been wins in this series.
Plus I don’t think Van Vleet and that bench will play 3 good games in a row. The Bucks are due.
Perimeter shooting can't stay cold forever. Can it?
Pressure should be off. Series is Toronto's to lose at this point. Just play your game.
Perimeter shooting can stay cold forever.
Giannis has to drag this sad bunch to the finals. On his back. He has to show Leonard he’s the best player in this series. On the road. In game 6. That’s all there is too it. Giannis can lean on Hill. But if he thinks anyone else on that roster other than Hill is going to get this series back to Milwaukee he’s watching the finals from home.
I'd prefer they go down swinging by playing Giannis, Brogdon, and Middleton 42+ minutes. Tighten the rotation to those 3, Lopez, Ilyasova, Hill, Bledsoe, and some combination of Brown and Connaughton. No more Mirotic turnstile defense.
The Bucks are -32 in 52 Mirotic minutes the last 3 games.
They are actually +2 in the 102 minutes without him on the floor.
The Bucks have vastly exceeded anyone's expectations this year. I'm going to enjoy the game tonight with that in mind. I don't expect a win.
Giannis is a superstar, but Kawhi Leonard is a threat from anywhere inside of 25 feet if he's open. Giannis is one of the top 5 player in NBA history inside of 5 feet, but he clearly has to develop some type of shot from 5-12 feet. Kawhi has played in 104 playoff games. Giannis has now played in 33.
The other thing is that I lose track of the fact that Toronto's other guys are much more accomplished. Lowry is a 5 time all-star and has played in 80 playoff games. Gasol is a 3 timer and has played in 76. Middleton and Lopez are good, but not great, players. Both guys have made one all-star team. The Raptors big guy off the bench, Ibaka, has now played in 126 playoff games.
Before this year, just Ibaka alone (109 games) had played in more playoff games than the Bucks preferred starting five combined- Giannis (19), Middleton (19), Lopez (24), Brogdon (13), and Bledsoe (24).
If the Bucks manage to keep the key pieces this summer, it's a good bet they'll be back to this point again. They will probably keep Middleton and Brogdon, and bring them both back to play with Giannis and Bledsoe. It won't work out to keep Lopez, Mirotic, or Hill. Get some development from DiVincenzo, try to find another paint protector like Lopez and learn from this run.
I'd love a win, but that would be gravy at this point.
I anticipate a different narrative from you in about 50 minutes.
Giannis has to go win this game.
Lowry is a historical playoff head case. Gasol brothers are a playoff fail thread on their own.
Leonard has beaten the brakes off Giannis. On one leg. Giannis has to go get his signature win.
Good sign that Middleton is getting involved early
I am a little worried the Bucks are aggressive and the refs screw them.
Outside of that, c'mon Giannis, make decent decisions when you penetrate.
And yeah, Middleton starting hot is huge.
JFC it’s not about Giannis. Do you watch Bucks games?
He will get you 25 and 10 every night. At a minimum.
When they win it’s the other guys that have to contribute
What the **** call is that
that is not a goaltend nor is it a foul
I am watching this with the sound off. It is so much better. None of Reggie Miller's inane "insights"
I actually don't mind Chris Webber.
Tschmack posted:What the **** call is that
that is not a goaltend nor is it a foul
Don't know if it was goaltending or not, but Connaughton pulled his arm back - no foul.
The refs generally suck and this is the pair that the Raptors have a good record with.
Tschmack posted:JFC it’s not about Giannis. Do you watch Bucks games?
He will get you 25 and 10 every night. At a minimum.
When they win it’s the other guys that have to contribute
He must do better than he has.
Give it a rest
He will get his. The other guys need to contribute
Tschmack posted:Give it a rest
He will get his. The other guys need to contribute
He can't pull his BS out of control penetration act. And he needs to make FT's.
Wow, I'll sure take that 1st quarter.
Gotta stay intense every second of this game.
BS out of control act? Yeah OK. Thanks for the analysis.
Giannis could score 55 a night and some would still bitch about it.
Like I said earlier do you actually watch the NBA and the Bucks?
MichiganPacker2,
You make me think of the guy in the bar in the movie Groundhog Day. The one who says to Phil Connors:
I think you're a half cup empty kind of a guy!
Tschmack posted:BS out of control act? Yeah OK. Thanks for the analysis.
Giannis could score 55 a night and some would still bitch about it.
Like I said earlier do you actually watch the NBA and the Bucks?
C'mon, man.
I am talking about when he penetrates, really has no shot, and nothing good happens.
Anyway, let's just call it a truce, but that's how I see it.
The strength of the Bucks is their quality of depth. Yes they have the unicorn but when they play well the bench and depth have an impact. It’s what they have done all year.
Yet people want to critique Giannis and his goddamn free throws. It’s a lazy take. Honestly it’s a stupid take. Without Giannis this is a 40 win team.