Not a great start (down 24-18) in a game they should win and ensure they avoid Boston or Cleveland in Round 1.
Got it done vs. the Hornets with some big help from Kaminsky (1-12 FG).They are locked into at least the 6th seed. Will play either the Raptors or the Wizards in Round 1. Not sure who they match up with better. Lost the season series 3-1 to both teams.
If they can get Middleton out of his shooting slump and Monroe with some energy, they can beat either. Washington is a better matchup, their defense is more inconsistent. Toronto gets Lowry back and the Bucks have been killed by that guy forever. Their improvement in defending the 3 is why they made the playoffs. Both teams will shoot 25-30 3s a game, so that and rebounding will decide the series.
A series win would be great, I'd like to see them at least have a competitive series.
I think to eventually get deeper into the playoffs Giannis is going to have to improve his outside shooting. He's already going to be a perennial all-star, but if he could knock in shots in the 10-16 foot range, it would make him a Durant/LeBron level player. Here's some stats from Basketballreference.com comparing Giannis to other guys who get the ball to decide games in the 4th quarter. He's on par with anybody inside of 10 feet. Outside of 10 feet (especially the mid-range 10-16 foot range he's significantly worse). Giannis mid-range jumper will probably decide the playoff series.
0-3 Feet
Giannis 71%
Lebron 78%
Westbrook 58%
Durant 79.7%
Leonard 66.4%
Thomas (Celtics) 53.0
Curry 64.1
Thompson 66.4
Harden 68.1
3-10 Feet
Giannis 39.4%
Lebron 38.5%
Westbrook 31%
Durant 49.2%
Leonard 51.9%
Thomas 59.3
Curry 40.8
Thompson 39.0
Harden 36.6
10-16 feet
Giannis 33.85%
Lebron 44.0%
Westbrook 43.4%
Durant 42.7%
Leonard 44.6%
Thomas 51.6
Curry 45.1
Thompson 47.9
Harden 41.2
3 Pointers
Giannis 27.2%
Lebron 30.7%
Westbrook 34.4%
Durant 36.7%
Leonard 38.0%
Thomas 38
Curry 41.2
Thompson 41.6
Harden 34.5
That list really reveals where Isaiah Thomas does his damage. Pretty impressive.
What Gianns doesn't have at all is a pull-up, which is what made Michael so devastating. He gets you going hard to fend off the penetration and then pops up with a jumper. It was money, especially in the 4th quarter. I'd also like to see that jump hook get a little deeper. With his length, it's a great tool to get a strong look inside 10 feet. And if he can add a decent fadeaway off the ISO post up, like Middleton does on the baseline, he's so long it'd be impossible to defend.
Toronto matchup locked in now. They're going to be tough if Lowry plays well. The Bucks beat them without him, couldn't with him in. Defend the 3, rebound, make shots. Advance...
If Giannis ever developed a pull up he'd become one of the top 50 players of all time. I don't know if he ever will, but it's exciting to be even having this conversation about a 22 year old guy who is going to be playing in Milwaukee for at least 4 more years. He is likely to go down as the second best player in their history.
Jordan's fallaway jumper was probably the second most difficult shot to block ever. He'd back guys down and then rise up and fall back. Kareem's hook was the most devastating shot ever.
Up 52-39, but let the Celtics go 18-4 to finish the half. Too many quick shots or bad possessions and Thomas burned them for 10 straight in transition to finish the half.
Good season.
Hope they show something against a tough Toronto team.
on a side note, i cant believe how bad Teletovic was this year. Really thought he would be their 3 point shooter. He was just awful this year.
...and the there's the other Telly. Telly Hughes....makes me want to punch my TV.
No one giving them even a punchers chance to beat Toronto. I suspect this series will be a real bloodbath. The two teams with the best after all star break records? Milwaukee and Toronto...
Packdog posted:Good season.
Hope they show something against a tough Toronto team.
on a side note, i cant believe how bad Teletovic was this year. Really thought he would be their 3 point shooter. He was just awful this year.
Don't why they bother playing him. Brutal!
Toronto is the one team I didn't want to see them play because it's a bad matchup for the Bucks. The Bucks have struggled to defend the perimeter and the Raptors have a lot of guys that can hurt you.
It goes without saying but for Milwaukee to have any realistic shot they have to take game 1 or game 2 to flip the series to their advantage.