Statement game
I know I know it’s the NBA and some don’t care but we have Giannis and they don’t.
I hate the Celts - not quite as much as the Bulls or Lakers or Sixers but it’s damn close. A big reason is like those teams mentioned they have given Milwaukee fits over the years.
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Easily worst shooting quarter of the season
still only down 7
Giannis with another BS charge called against him.
Bucks battling back tied w/2 mins in 2Q
I’ll tell you this- Bledsoe lagging back when he’s the guy guarding Irving should earn him a one way ticket to the end of the bench. The guy just yakked 3 in a row and your f’ing around getting back? Stupid...
Can’t hold them back when your offense is completely dysfunctional... that’s when offense is affecting your defense there.
Irving going off doesn't help either.
Middleton has had a terrible night as well. 3-13 and 1-7 from 3.
Music City posted:Can’t hold them back when your offense is completely dysfunctional... that’s when offense is affecting your defense there.
Offense is dysfunctional because Middleton has been off. The offense really takes off when he gets hot.
No one can make a friggin shot...
Giannis is 8-14 and really hasn't been featured. He doesn't look quite right tonight. Maybe lingering effects of the concussion?
Well, this one has gotten away from them. Celtics have done to the Bucks what they have done to other teams.
First major test? Chock this one up to “not there yet”.
Bucks right back in it for a while. Got within 3 and then back to 9.
Bucks haven't played well and they are still in a game where the Celtics have gone 23-49 from 3.
The Bucks are probably going to lose, but it's very clear the Celtics can not guard Giannis. It's not even an contest.
If Middleton and Divecenzo knock down 3s consistently they are going to be very tough to stop.
Giannis misses an easy shot that would have tied it.
And then the Bucks play great defense to get it back - that wouldn't have happened last year.
And then Bledsoe chokes on the free throw
Bledsoe. Ooph
If you could upgrade from Bledsoe you should, but you probably just have to rely on him to play better.
Well, they came back. Actually pretty impressive. You get the sense that an ECF of Bucks/Celtics would be exactly what it should come down to.
Middleton makes 2 shots and they win. The Celtics are in Bledsoe’s head.
Missing crunch time free throws and layups. Not the clutch performance you need from your PG. Wonder if Boston is still in his head?
Bucks really did not play that great but still had a real chance to win it. Against a decent team on the road that’s what you want.
It doesn’t change my opinion that in the East it’s likely Boston 1, Toronto 2, and Milwaukee 3. That could change but best guess.
They had to hit 24 threes to win by 4... they’re evenly matched. The Bucks did not play well and could have won anyway.
Stevens had a good game plan on Lopez and Henson. They could not defend or stay with Horford and the Boston bigs and they paid for it on both ends of the court. Milwaukee has to solve for that if they end up playing each other in the playoffs.
As up and down as the Bucks played they had every opportunity to win this game. Middleton makes a couple of more shots or Giannis or Bledsoe make their FTs at the end and they probably steal one.
The good news is the Bucks know they can play and compete against those guys. I’m sure the Celtics do as well.
That's why Maker made such a difference in the playoff series last year. He is big enough and athletic enough to get out and contest those 3 pointers after playing help defense. Lopez and Ilyasova are huge upgrades over Henson and J. Parker (who may be one of the worst defensive players in the league), but I think they need to get Maker into the rotation and have him take the rest of Henson's minutes.
This is probably obvious for most Bucks' fans, but I feel that I'm starting to get to the point where I underappreciate how good Giannis has become. I was watching last night and thinking during that game that Giannis wasn't really playing that well. Then you look at the box score after the game and he puts this stat line up:
33 points, 13-22 FG, 7-11 FT, 11 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 3 Steals
He's averaging 26/14/5 and that's including two games where he played 19 and 23 minutes. The scary thing is that he's not shooting that well right now. It's disappointing that his three point shooting has not improved, but he if gets hot from outside I think it's possible he'll go off for 55-60 points in some game.
The Celtics have good defensive players and none of them could stop him. It wasn't even a fair fight. And that's with them backing off 2-3 steps when he begins a drive.
They turned the ball over a sh!t-ton last night. Like Warriors sloppy.
They still had a shot at the end after being down by 15 in the Garden. It was actually impressive.
"Someday we'll figure out how to beat those guys." - Lou Brown
MichiganPacker posted:33 points, 13-22 FG, 7-11 FT, 11 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 3 Steals
He's averaging 26/14/5 and that's including two games where he played 19 and 23 minutes. The scary thing is that he's not shooting that well right now. It's disappointing that his three point shooting has not improved, but he if gets hot from outside I think it's possible he'll go off for 55-60 points in some game.
This is a good point. When you look at how Giannis scores, it requires so much energy. The great “scorers” would not have to exert as much energy because they were making jump shots. Right now, it’s easier to think Middleton could go for 50 before Giannis for that reason alone. Look at Klay Thompson- the guy gets going and he takes 50 dribbles for 50 points.
Until Giannis believes in that jumper, it won’t matter. That’s the only thing holding him back. He can hit it in practice, pregame- but he misses a couple and he tosses it and drives.
Giannis was unstoppable from the inside.
NBA defenders get the same look on their faces after Giannis scores in the paint on them that MLB hitters get when they strike out against Hader. They just shake their heads and realize there is nothing they can do.
It's almost too easy for Giannis to score inside. Why risk missing an open 3 point jumper if you can just face the guy up and do a Euro-step dunk from about 18 feet?
I think it comes down to this- attacking the rim against (often) 3/4 defenders takes its toll. Jumpers don’t... hell, that’s how I play pick up games in my 40s.
