Milwaukee Bucks 2019 - 20 Season Thread

[nate82]

I found the Drummond trade to be weird but I guess Detroit thought he was going to opt out after this season and they were going to lose him. The return they got was just meh with an expiring in Knight, Henson and a 2nd round pick. I guess for Detroit even making it as the 8th seed and having to play the Bucks is probably not something to be chasing after anyways.

 

I am glad the Bucks didn't make a move as I think the roster is fine the way it is.

[adambr2]

I don't know what it is about playing Philly with these guys but that was an absolutely hideous first quarter.

[adambr2]

Better offense in the first half. This game would be a blowout if we could hit a 3 to save our life. I'm glad that our franchise player isn't an out of shape big guy who looks like he could go Greg Oden on us at any time.

[FVBrewerFan]

I don't know what it is about playing Philly with these guys but that was an absolutely hideous first quarter.

 

Bad quarters happen. Philly has no heart or chemistry, they don't scare me. Miami will be the toughest competitor. They play hard and now have what they needed, a couple shooters. Even they don't scare me, but they will give the Bucks the biggest challenge.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Horford and Embiid went a combined 11 of 43. Even worse, they shot 3 of 21 on 2 point baskets. The Bucks interior defense is simply crazy good.

 

Bucks didn't play a great offensive game, but a win is a win.

[sveumrules]

Horford and Embiid went a combined 11 of 43. Even worse, they shot 3 of 21 on 2 point baskets. The Bucks interior defense is simply crazy good.

 

Bucks didn't play a great offensive game, but a win is a win.

 

Yup.

 

The first step is deterrence. The Bucks allow an NBA low 22% of their opponents FGA between 0-3 feet & 15.3% of their opponents FGA between 3-10 feet (7th lowest).

 

League average FG% is 66.2% at 0-3 feet, Bucks allow an NBA low 59.9%. So we deny the highest % shots more frequently than any other team & when teams do shoot from there they convert at a league low rate. Can't get much better than that.

 

League average FG% is 39.5% from 3-10 feet while the Bucks allow an NBA low 31.4%, 2nd lowest is 36.6%, a massive difference.

 

It's moving a little farther out, but the Bucks are also top 5 in the NBA defending midrange & long twos, 38% vs 41.1% league average from 10-16 feet & 37.1% vs 40.6% league average from 16 feet to the 3P line.

[homer]

I realize people are still focused on that Toronto series from last year but it's going to take some team getting ridiculously hot from three, Giannis sucking, and no one else playing well for the Bucks to lose a seven game series.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

No one in the East is even remotely threatening to me. The Bucks are rolling people over so badly that 10 point wins over contenders feel lackluster. Giannis is playing 30 minutes a night. I will be surprised if any Eastern Conference team pushes them to six games. The Raptors needed lights out shooting from a totally random guy to squeak out some games and they're going to do that without Kawhi against a better team?

 

The only teams that concern me at all are the two in Los Angeles. My concern with the Bucks is the same it's always been. Their best player isn't a great shooter, that's it. If someone makes life hard for him they lack a second star, but even that is waning as Middleton has pretty much done that this year.

[DuWayne Steurer]

That's just it. We've come to expect absolute dominance and greatness every night from the Bucks. A four or five point win is an indicator of some sort of weakness from our team. A 10 or 11 point win is ho-hum.

 

I think some fans try to look at a single bad loss or maybe a narrow victory over a bad team as a flaw in the team or a flaw in the game plan. It's basketball. Sometimes the shots just don't fall. Personally I'm happy they didn't make a single move at the deadline and kept this team exactly how it is, and I'll really be shocked if they don't go to the finals.

[Mr Southpaw]

Horford and Embiid went a combined 11 of 43. Even worse, they shot 3 of 21 on 2 point baskets. The Bucks interior defense is simply crazy good.

 

Bucks didn't play a great offensive game, but a win is a win.

 

Yup.

 

The first step is deterrence. The Bucks allow an NBA low 22% of their opponents FGA between 0-3 feet & 15.3% of their opponents FGA between 3-10 feet (7th lowest).

 

League average FG% is 66.2% at 0-3 feet, Bucks allow an NBA low 59.9%. So we deny the highest % shots more frequently than any other team & when teams do shoot from there they convert at a league low rate. Can't get much better than that.

 

League average FG% is 39.5% from 3-10 feet while the Bucks allow an NBA low 31.4%, 2nd lowest is 36.6%, a massive difference.

 

It's moving a little farther out, but the Bucks are also top 5 in the NBA defending midrange & long twos, 38% vs 41.1% league average from 10-16 feet & 37.1% vs 40.6% league average from 16 feet to the 3P line.

 

It is hard to watch the NBA because of the lack of defense intensity. It is easy to watch the Bucks because the do just the opposite.

[Samurai Bucky]

I realize people are still focused on that Toronto series from last year but it's going to take some team getting ridiculously hot from three, Giannis sucking, and no one else playing well for the Bucks to lose a seven game series.

I recall Giannis sucking for multiple games because of the defense Toronto played against him. This year, I have seen Giannis show more finesse around the basket, so I'm more encouraged. Middleton needs to continue to hit his shots. The supporting cast needs to be consistent as well. Bring out the Cobra Finish!

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Giannis sucking was still putting up stats. He just wasn't as efficient and the supporting cast shot 25%. You can win against the best doing one of those things, but not both. One of the games they won was due to Lopez making it rain and dropping 30 pts otherwise it's plausible they could have won one game.

 

The entire team is better though, they are not running it back with the same team. Matthews and Korver have been nice additions and Middleton is playing like the star they paid for but hadn't quite proven himself to be.

[jjfanec]

Giannis sucking was still putting up stats. He just wasn't as efficient and the supporting cast shot 25%.

 

Yeah Giannis put up 23/14/6/1/3 for the series but his shooting percentage was just 45% and free throw 58%. That field goal percentage was 13% lower than his regular season numbers! Free throw was 15%. His numbers would have been insane with close to his regular percentages

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Well his FTs have carried into this season and remain a problem, the point is that 45% from the league MVP shouldn't spell imminent death for a title contender. The Bucks need to prove they can win a series even when Giannis is slowed down, because that is going to happen again, it's not a matter of "if." They can't have Bledsoe going ice cold or Middleton chipping in 11 points on the nights that happens. Giannis was still really productive that series. They didn't lose because of him or because they "gave up uncontested threes," they lost because nobody else stepped up offensively.

[tmwiese55]

Correct, and even him being shut down like that was commanding so much attention from the D that everyone else should have things much easier. Basically open 3s should have been easy to come by. If they make 1 or 2 more in Game 3 they're currently NBA champs.

[patrickgpe]

I'm surprised they didn't make a move, but none of the guys who got moved really excited me that much. Marcus Morris, Jae Crowder, and Iguodala were mildly interesting, but I'm not too broken up about missing out on those guys.

 

I don't think any team did enough to separate themselves. I still think the Bucks are the best team in the East and are good enough to win a title.

May I ask, what to do the bucks need. They are basically ranked at the top of every important category stat wise. They have the best record in the NBA. I would not really want to upset team chemistry. I suggested adding a vet, but one that would really not play, just like Gasol last year.

[patrickgpe]

Marvin Williams and Charlotte are working on a buyout and he plans to sign with the bucks. I ask why? I don’t see how he fits in the rotation. He doesn’t have extensive playoff experience. He’s 33. This is a guy if they cut bender to sign I won’t be happy.

[adambr2]

He's a solid defender and can shoot the 3. It's a lot better than losing Christian Wood for Tim Frazier.

[brooks_quichenick]

Wonder who gets cut. I like this move though, he's a good defender for some of the more athletic bigger guys that Ersan can't hang with defensively. Can catch and shoot the 3 pretty well. By all accounts a great locker room guy.

[patrickgpe]

My personal preference would be brown

[LouisEly]

We're not even at the All-Star break and the Bucks have a 13.5 game lead in their division and a 6.5 game lead in the East.

[brewerfan82]

I'm not super knowledgeable of Williams, but this makes me feel good about it

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6VrALOYM4I

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I remember a spirited debate at my high school lunch table that we were screwing up picking Bogut and should be taking him. My guess would be DJ Wilson.

[pacopete4]

Do the Bucks push for the 70+ win season or do they let off the gas a bit and make sure they are healthy heading into the post season?

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Thing is no one plays crazy minutes as it is. They'll hit the franchise record without even really trying. I'm guessing they're going to fall just a bit short. I wouldn't be forcing Giannis to play 40 minutes to get the 68th win or anything, but I wouldn't sit him down for the last 5 games either. I think they're on pace for 70 at the moment though.