Bucks v. Pacers

[weeds]

Lots of chirping between these two teams during the season and of course the Pacers knocked the Bucks out of the Mid-Season tournament - or, whatever that was ... it really sounds as though these two teams don't much care for each other. Of course, the Pacers have the fact that the Bucks are probably going to start out with Giannis - they've fared pretty well playing as a "team" when he has been out - working in their favor. One would think that the Bucks would play with the infamous CHIP ON THEIR SHOULDER after the Pacers denied him his game ball, giving it instead to a young guy who scored his first NBA points ... LMAO.

Then, there is the kid from the city I've lived in for the last 31 years, and, an additional 5 years while in college, Tyrese Haliburton who kind of has a knack for making the Bucks look learning impaired... odd that I'm actually looking forward to watching these two beat the livin' sh*t out of each other with no reasonable expectation that the Bucks are going to actually beat these guys. In the NBA these days, losing a season series 4-1 as the Bucks have to the Pacers, doesn't mean a whole lot, always seems to be a matter of who scores the most points in the last 5 minutes.

AND THEN, there's Lillard --- now, I'll grant you that Stephen A Smith doesn't carry any weight with me ever ... this was a link that the JSO provided as part of Lillard's denial that he isn't happy in Milwaukee. I don't need Smith to tell me that ... but ... his presentation (and his history of disparaging Milwaukee) is well so ... Stephen A Smith-ish ... hahaha...

Damian Lillard fires back at opinions, like those by Stephen A. Smith, that he's unhappy with the Milwaukee Bucks

Bucks guard Damian Lillard knows there has been a lot of speculation about his happiness in Milwaukee, and he addressed that Friday.

www.jsonline.com

 

[Voyageur]

It starts tonight. The Bucks are hosting the Pacers. It appears Giannis will not play. He may not play during the entire series against the Pacers. Can the Bucks beat them without him?

I'm anxious to see how the Bucks players attack this game, and how Rivers handles his rotations. So far he's proven he's horrible at rotational basketball. Too many rubbery legs during the last 6 minutes of games because of it.

 

[weeds]

Go get 'em guys.

 

[Poppa San]

You mean the NBA "real games" are finally starting?

 

[Voyageur]

It appears the Bucks are in a lot of trouble. They just can't stay with the Pacers and their speed on the court. They move the ball down the court so fast that the Bucks are trailing as defenders. The Pacers are already moving the ball around and the Bucks are still getting back trying to sort out their defensive coverage. You can't win when you're on your heels.

Another disaster as a year, as it appears at this point.

 

[weeds]

It appears the Bucks are in a lot of trouble. They just can't stay with the Pacers and their speed on the court. They move the ball down the court so fast that the Bucks are trailing as defenders. The Pacers are already moving the ball around and the Bucks are still getting back trying to sort out their defensive coverage. You can't win when you're on your heels.

Another disaster as a year, as it appears at this point.

Yeah, I noticed that as well. Pacers played a fast game and made the Bucks look old.

 

[weeds]

Getting blown out on your home court. Not promising ... also the first team to lose on their home court thusfar.

 

[weeds]

Lillard is doubtful with an Achilles strain.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I missed this new thread as bad as I miss watching the 2021 Bucks!

I was going to post after the Bucks blew out the Pacers in Game 1, glad I didn't, they quickly returned to the new and very unimproved Bucks.

Whether they finish with a 1-4 or 2-4 bowing out of the 1st round, this team is in some trouble. I just hope that they don't use the excuse of "Giannis was out and then Dame, otherwise we would have won". Maybe having Giannis healthy gets you a 2nd or 3rd win in the series, but this team is so underwhelming, I can't even get myself to watch them live anymore. The last 2 games, I waited for the final score and then just watch the 7 minutes of "highlights".

 

[Voyageur]

I guess everyone knows how I feel about this season. It's going to be nauseating watching this team tore apart, especially if Horst is allowed to stay on the job, and they don't dump Rivers.

They need people in there who can do the job. Might as well get rid of the President too, because he's obviously not very bright when it comes to basketball, allowing Horst to do the Denny ****** impression so long.

Wow! D-i-m-w-i-t is banned? Really?

 

[Voyageur]

Wow! I couldn't believe what I saw. When they're allowed to play full out, and they're told it's their game, we have some guys who can really light it up when needed, and play shut down defense when necessary. Seven men who refused to give up, and turned their intensity into a route. For the first time, in a long time, we saw guys who have been forced to be "role players" actually come out of their shells and play with intensity on both sides of the ball. Seven guys, and every one of them playing a complementary game to each other with no selfishness whatsoever.

It may have been one and done with them. They have to be exhausted. To do it again, with the same magnitude of intensity might not be so easy, especially on the road. But, no matter what, we now know for certain that a lot of players who could bring game both ways have been stifled by the role playing they've been forced to endure. Most of that has to do with coaching, and how when a player is not utilized properly, their game really suffers.

Looking forward to seeing if these guys can carry it over to the next game, in Indy. If they can, you just never know where this could lead. They might make it out of this round alive.

 

[Heyjoe4]

I guess everyone knows how I feel about this season. It's going to be nauseating watching this team tore apart, especially if Horst is allowed to stay on the job, and they don't dump Rivers.

They need people in there who can do the job. Might as well get rid of the President too, because he's obviously not very bright when it comes to basketball, allowing Horst to do the Denny ****** impression so long.

Wow! D-i-m-w-i-t is banned? Really?

s-e-x-y is banned as well. No ****!

 

[Heyjoe4]

Wow! I couldn't believe what I saw. When they're allowed to play full out, and they're told it's their game, we have some guys who can really light it up when needed, and play shut down defense when necessary. Seven men who refused to give up, and turned their intensity into a route. For the first time, in a long time, we saw guys who have been forced to be "role players" actually come out of their shells and play with intensity on both sides of the ball. Seven guys, and every one of them playing a complementary game to each other with no selfishness whatsoever.

It may have been one and done with them. They have to be exhausted. To do it again, with the same magnitude of intensity might not be so easy, especially on the road. But, no matter what, we now know for certain that a lot of players who could bring game both ways have been stifled by the role playing they've been forced to endure. Most of that has to do with coaching, and how when a player is not utilized properly, their game really suffers.

Looking forward to seeing if these guys can carry it over to the next game, in Indy. If they can, you just never know where this could lead. They might make it out of this round alive.

That's a good point V about guys not getting a chance to play finally getting a chance to play - and producing. They are all pros, and when guys who get 5 mins/game suddenly get into the real flow of a game, they're gonna produce.

As a practical matter though, a lot of these guys are not gonna get minutes ahead of a healthy Giannis and Lillard. I'm just very happy they all showed up when they needed to. The Bucks could have easily folded the tent and they didn't.

No looking back now. They need a repeat performance on the road. No easy task. But last night was terrific.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

That was actually an entertaining game to watch last night, lots of lunch pail guys playing hard and not letting a bad 1st Q. effect them. I have to wonder if some of it had to do with the Pacers being a bit green when it comes to playoff experience and they thought they would just just blow out the Giannis-Dameless Bucks again? Game 6 in Indiana is going to be a game where the Pacers fans won't let their players coast.

Watch, Giannis and Dame play Thursday and the Bucks get blown out.

 

[AmishMafia]

That was actually an entertaining game to watch last night, lots of lunch pail guys playing hard and not letting a bad 1st Q. effect them. I have to wonder if some of it had to do with the Pacers being a bit green when it comes to playoff experience and they thought they would just just blow out the Giannis-Dameless Bucks again? Game 6 in Indiana is going to be a game where the Pacers fans won't let their players coast.

Watch, Giannis and Dame play Thursday and the Bucks get blown out.

They will be benched early and put up for trade at halftime.

 

[Voyageur]

They will be benched early and put up for trade at halftime.

Which actually brings up an interesting point. If either of them is back for game 6, what role do you give them in the game? My thought is that Rivers might want to work them in slowly, and give them instructions to play the game with the guys they have on the floor, not their personal game which ignores everyone else's talents.

This has bothered me for years with the three coaches we've seen recently. They focus too much on the "star's games" and not enough on the team effort, because stars have off nights, are injured, and sometimes just don't show up in the lineup like they should. My theory is that when this is happening, you give them time on the bench to try to get the game straightened out in their head. Sometimes that lights a spark that's been missing.

I seriously believe it would help both Giannis and LIllard to find they're required to be part of the team concept. This has been bothersome for quite some time.

 

[Heyjoe4]

That was actually an entertaining game to watch last night, lots of lunch pail guys playing hard and not letting a bad 1st Q. effect them. I have to wonder if some of it had to do with the Pacers being a bit green when it comes to playoff experience and they thought they would just just blow out the Giannis-Dameless Bucks again? Game 6 in Indiana is going to be a game where the Pacers fans won't let their players coast.

Watch, Giannis and Dame play Thursday and the Bucks get blown out.

Maybe the Pacers thought Giannis and/or Lillard were going to play. They seemed unprepared for the guys from the Bucks who showed up.

I don't expect we'll see either for whatever is left of this series. Achilles tendonitis is nothing to mess with. Ask Kevin Durant.

 

[Voyageur]

Maybe the Pacers thought Giannis and/or Lillard were going to play. They seemed unprepared for the guys from the Bucks who showed up.

I don't expect we'll see either for whatever is left of this series. Achilles tendonitis is nothing to mess with. Ask Kevin Durant.

I agree. I think we've seen Lillard's last game as a Buck. Could be the same for Giannis. But, I think they may keep him, and try to rebuild around him, but.... hard to say. It all depends on if they're smart enough to dump Horst, and rebuild the sidelines.

 

[Heyjoe4]

I agree. I think we've seen Lillard's last game as a Buck. Could be the same for Giannis. But, I think they may keep him, and try to rebuild around him, but.... hard to say. It all depends on if they're smart enough to dump Horst, and rebuild the sidelines.

That's a lot to think about.

I do think Lillard will be traded. He just never seemed happy here. I don't blame him. The guy wanted to go to South Beach and he got sent to Milwaukee. At least he was professional about it. I never heard him complain or diss the city. And even that doesn't change the fact that it was just a dumb trade. Essentially Horst gave up Holiday's defense and leadership for a pure offensive player, albeit a HOF one. But they already had a great offensive AND defensive stud in Giannis. Only one guy can shoot the ball.

I don't know what they can get for Lillard. Portland had a hard time finding a place for him, and I think he accepted Milwaukee thinking he had a realistic chance at a championship. First thought wrong, again.

I think Giannis will stay one more year. But he's in his prime and he wants more rings. I wish I could say he can expect that here. He can't.

And yeah, find a new GM. It was a trade that just didn't make sense, and it gutted the Bucks.

 

[weeds]

Yeah... I can't bring myself to watch tonight.

 

[Firethorn1001]

Yeah... I can't bring myself to watch tonight.

Forgot it started at 530. Didn't miss much.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

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[Team Ronny]

Hopefully the get rid of Rivers too!! They need a young up and comer.
They also have to get a better supporting cast around Giannis and Khris. Lopez is old and everyone not named Lillard sucked!! The days of relying on a big 3 are over..have to be more well rounded.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Hopefully the get rid of Rivers too!! They need a young up and comer.
They also have to get a better supporting cast around Giannis and Khris. Lopez is old and everyone not named Lillard sucked!! The days of relying on a big 3 are over..have to be more well rounded.

Your point about not being able to rely on a big 3 is timely. The Pacers won the game last night with their bench. But that was just one game. The problems with the Bucks are much deeper.

In hindsight, or maybe just plain sight, trading for Lillard and trading away Holiday was a huge error in judgement. It's like having Pat Mahomes and Lamar Jackson on the same team. Only one guy gets the ball at a time. The fragmented and weak coaching never figured out how to maximize the play of Giannis and Lillard while both were on the floor.

And even that trade might have worked out if it hadn't happened so close to the start of the season.

As for coaching - I do think Coach Bud's time was up. Griffin was a huge mistake. And that mistake was compounded by firing him mid-season and bringing in Rivers. Rivers had no time to put his own imprint on the team, and the second half schedule was brutal. It would have been better to ride it out with Griffin, and re-evaluate at season's end. I doubt the end would have been much different.

Where do they go from here? Hard to answer. First give Rivers a full year to make it his team. Second, think about what this team should look like and how they should play. There was never any time for the team to establish a new identity after the Lillard/Holiday trade.

 

[Voyageur]

Your point about not being able to rely on a big 3 is timely. The Pacers won the game last night with their bench. But that was just one game. The problems with the Bucks are much deeper.

In hindsight, or maybe just plain sight, trading for Lillard and trading away Holiday was a huge error in judgement. It's like having Pat Mahomes and Lamar Jackson on the same team. Only one guy gets the ball at a time. The fragmented and weak coaching never figured out how to maximize the play of Giannis and Lillard while both were on the floor.

And even that trade might have worked out if it hadn't happened so close to the start of the season.

As for coaching - I do think Coach Bud's time was up. Griffin was a huge mistake. And that mistake was compounded by firing him mid-season and bringing in Rivers. Rivers had no time to put his own imprint on the team, and the second half schedule was brutal. It would have been better to ride it out with Griffin, and re-evaluate at season's end. I doubt the end would have been much different.

Where do they go from here? Hard to answer. First give Rivers a full year to make it his team. Second, think about what this team should look like and how they should play. There was never any time for the team to establish a new identity after the Lillard/Holiday trade.

Like I've been saying since they traded away Holiday to get Lillard, it was a huge mistake, and it would cost them dearly. Holiday was a team player, who knew his role was to create offense, and propel the defense, by neutralizing the oppositions top point guard by dominating him on both ends of the court. He knew scoring and "getting his share of the shots" was not important, what was important is to insure that others get shots that are more easily made. Lillard, on the other hand, is a spectator when he's on defense, and doesn't care if he dominates the ball and takes shots where there is nobody even close to being able to rebound a missed shot. Add to this the fact that he doesn't think it's necessary for him to transition quickly on defense, to insure the opposition can't get easy fast break points.

In other words, as was well stated already, he sucks. Even if he gets 40 points in a game, his horrible defense allows over 40, and his entire game has been neutralized.

I have no idea what they'll get for him, but I hope it's draft picks, not a handful of wannabe NBA players, and a washed up player or two. But, that's what I hate to admit, will probably happen, because people who really understand the game now also see the weaknesses in Lillard's game. The only coach who could have pulled Lillard into the mix, through his coaching, was Terry Stotts, and Adrian Griffin got rid of him before he even got a chance to make it happen. A total muck up that started over two years ago.

Be prepared. It could be another 10 to 20 years before the Bucks become a power in the NBA again, and because of ownership that includes Jimmy Haslam, it might not even be in Milwaukee.

I'm going to wait, hoping for the axe to fall on Horst, and everyone on the sidelines. It's got to be a new start, and if they're wise, they will even trade Giannis and get a bucket full of additional draft picks. What we need is a complete changing of the guard over they next two to three years, and the cap space to sign at least two, maybe three, players, who can be leaders on the floor.