Milwaukee Bucks 2019 - 20 Season Thread

[adambr2]

If there's a negative today, it's that Middleton is once again a total playoff no-show. I don't expect him to carry the team but seeing a 1 for 8, 2 point, 3 turnover line out of a guy you just invested 35M a year in is a little disturbing.

 

You can maybe get away with it against Orlando but against the Heat or Celtics these performances are going to make things tough.

 

He had a great regular season. Either he's just going through a major funk or he just can't handle the lights when they get brighter.

[adambr2]

Nice win, but they certainly have a lot of work to still do. 20 turnovers is far too many, and Middleton continues to be an enormous negative. They are fortunate that Orlando shot so poorly in the first half.

 

Regardless, got the win when they really needed it. It just wasn't the "they're back" win I was hoping for. Maybe in Game 3.

[DuWayne Steurer]

IDK, Orlando never really threatened, and it can be said that they shot so poorly because Milwaukee played defense the way we know they can. Yes, Middleton needs to shoot better, but aside from that, it was a blowout. They're back in command.

[CheezWizHed]

I watched a decent amount of the second half... even with a blowout, they were uncomfortably sloppy. I was never comfortable watching them play that game despite a large lead.

[HiAndTight]

Two good shooters doesn't add up vs the rest of the league. Korver is a 3rd but he's basically unplayable because of everything. Mathews is good enough/fine. That is not that good enough when comparing to the rest of the league. Lopez is good 'for a big guy' but he's still not a good shooter. Aaand, don't forget Giannis is generating a crazy amount of open shots that other teams aren't, and these other guys are still just mediocre. If you disagree I'd urge to watch the other games more closely.

 

 

 

 

 

Lets see...HILL-1, KORVER-2, MIDDLETON-3, MATTHEWS-4.

Not sure how you get to "TWO" out of that. Ersan is AGAIN as I said about a 36.5 pct 3 point shooter,

 

And yes, good shooter for a big IS relevant since the entire premise is tatyou surround Giannis with Shooters. So if you've got one of the best 3 point shooting 7-footers, the position he plays is obviously relevant. It'd be foolish to compare him to a JJ Reddick as Reddick isn't one of the best rim protectors in the entire league.

 

And really? Yeah, if I don't agree with you then I should watch more basketball....because it's not possible YOU'RE just wrong. Man...that is such an obnoxious and arrogant response.

[HiAndTight]

I think that if you primarily watch one team, you will think that team is better at "shooting" than it is, because the game has changed so much. On most teams everyone can shoot now to some degree. Growing up it was normal to have 2 or 3 guys on the floor that could REALLY shoot. Someone like Larry Sanders would have no role or a very limited role on a team now because of that. It's all about stretching the floor now.

 

 

I'm fully aware of how the NBA has evolved...and I'm not suggesting we're the Warriors with their Hampton's lineup.

 

What I AM saying is we have ENOUGH. When you look at the length we have, the size, everything we have and then you look at Bledsoe who was our 7th worst 3 point shooter at ~.345 pct including two of the better 3 point shooters in the league(and a 3 point specialist in Korver) THAT'S not the problem.

 

 

We have guys who can knock down the open shot and I think DiVincenzo and Connaughton are both capable shooters.

 

But when you have ONE guy you can rely on to break the defense down...and really only one guy, your offense becomes predictable. If you have another facilitator....say just a Chris Paul at this stage(you're ignoring the salary). Even as he's lost a step, I think he'd do a much better job of running the offense and getting some guys some easier baskets.

 

 

So I'm not saying we're a great 3 point shooting team. I'm saying given all the things we can do well, how incredible we are at protecting the rim, how many points in transition and in the paint we get, our team defense, our shooting is not the problem.

 

Game 1 I believe the problem was A-we just couldn't get out and run because we weren't getting stops on D and then...as I said, our offense becomes stagnant and we don't have anyone who can get guys easier baskets.

 

 

Moving forward, I'd like to see the Bucks start some of their sets with guys in the post. Brook OR Robin Lopez can both score with their back to the basket. It's one of Middleton's strengths. And it's more likely to yield some easier shots than just Giannis coming downhill with 3 guys waiting for him to block off whichever way he tries to go with the Euro step.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

You have to weigh the fact that Korver is useless besides doing that one thing, though. You can't leave him in to play defense for an extended period of time and he's zero threat to attack the basket.

 

Hill and Mids are great 3-pt shooters. Korver is too, but as I said...

 

The rest are really nothing special. You have to crack 38% to make the top 40 in today's NBA which is pretty remarkable. Matthews and Ersan are decent at it, but nothing to write home about. Matthews is a much more versatile player than Korver though.

 

I would not call the Bucks a poor shooting team, just not a great one. I think it's fair to say it doesn't stack up with a lot of the league, but the rest of league doesn't have Giannis, so it's a balancing act. We might have enough, I'm less convinced of that than I used to be, though.

[HiAndTight]

If there's a negative today, it's that Middleton is once again a total playoff no-show. I don't expect him to carry the team but seeing a 1 for 8, 2 point, 3 turnover line out of a guy you just invested 35M a year in is a little disturbing.

 

You can maybe get away with it against Orlando but against the Heat or Celtics these performances are going to make things tough.

 

He had a great regular season. Either he's just going through a major funk or he just can't handle the lights when they get brighter.

 

 

He was pretty outstanding last year in the post-season through game 2 of the Raptors series...

 

So I'm not sure he can't handle the bright lights(not saying it's not possible...just not ready to label him a Bledsoe-esque type player).

 

The thing was...even in I think it was game 4 last year vs the Raptors when he was not shooting the ball well. He was outstanding in every other facet. The offense was kinda running through him.

He just looks utterly lost right now. He can't put the ball on the floor, some ugly turnovers when he just couldn't handle a basic pass.

 

 

 

Things aren't going to get easier for him against Miami with Butler and then perhaps the Celtics with Brown, Taytrum and Smart...so he really needs to take these next 3-4 games to figure it out.

[HiAndTight]

You have to weigh the fact that Korver is useless besides doing that one thing, though. You can't leave him in to play defense for an extended period of time and he's zero threat to attack the basket.

 

Hill and Mids are great 3-pt shooters. Korver is too, but as I said...

 

The rest are really nothing special. You have to crack 38% to make the top 40 in today's NBA which is pretty remarkable. Matthews and Ersan are decent at it, but nothing to write home about. Matthews is a much more versatile player than Korver though.

 

I would not call the Bucks a poor shooting team, just not a great one. I think it's fair to say it doesn't stack up with a lot of the league, but the rest of league doesn't have Giannis, so it's a balancing act. We might have enough, I'm less convinced of that than I used to be, though.

 

 

 

Again, I'm not saying we're a great 3 point shooting team. I'm saying with everything else we have....we have ENOUGH shooting to win. I don't think our shooting is the problem, I think it's the lack of a second guy who get can the offense going.

 

I'd actually like to see the ball in DiVincenzo's hands more. I think he's probably the next best option on this team to be able to get things going. And it might help him get back to the level he was playing at earlier this year.

[adambr2]

I watched a decent amount of the second half... even with a blowout, they were uncomfortably sloppy. I was never comfortable watching them play that game despite a large lead.

 

Yeah, this was my take as well. I never felt watching like they are back in command. They did play better defensively than Game 1, but Orlando did miss a ton of open looks in the first half-- we all know if we shot as poorly as they did we would point to it as an unsustainable oddity.

 

To sum it up, they're still not playing the basketball they're capable of. It's enough to get them through Orlando but they have some work to do after that.

[tmwiese55]

You have to weigh the fact that Korver is useless besides doing that one thing, though. You can't leave him in to play defense for an extended period of time and he's zero threat to attack the basket.

 

Hill and Mids are great 3-pt shooters. Korver is too, but as I said...

 

The rest are really nothing special. You have to crack 38% to make the top 40 in today's NBA which is pretty remarkable. Matthews and Ersan are decent at it, but nothing to write home about. Matthews is a much more versatile player than Korver though.

 

I would not call the Bucks a poor shooting team, just not a great one. I think it's fair to say it doesn't stack up with a lot of the league, but the rest of league doesn't have Giannis, so it's a balancing act. We might have enough, I'm less convinced of that than I used to be, though.

 

Exactly. We have 2 good shooters in Khris and Hill. Korver who can't play cuz he's bad at everything else. Then a bunch of blah/mediocre guys. Again, this is not good compared to the rest of the league. Then, and this is where watching the other games matter that you just shunned, the other teams guys are drilling off the dribble with hands in their faces, and quick releases. our guys are all catch/shoot when wide open and they're still this mediocre. They can't generate anything for themselves. You can be mad that I said it all you want, but seriously I have no idea if you watch these other teams you think we're the same. Can we still win since we have Giannis, yes we can. But we have very little margin for error with only really 2 legit good shooters playing (or that should be playing vs good teams). If you have 4-5 good, plus the mediocre guys like we have then you have enough guys that a few of them are gonna be hot to make up for when the others aren't. In a way, that we're forcing Korver out there when he is atrocious at everything else shows you how desperate they are for shooting.

[Mr Southpaw]

I think that if you primarily watch one team, you will think that team is better at "shooting" than it is, because the game has changed so much. On most teams everyone can shoot now to some degree. Growing up it was normal to have 2 or 3 guys on the floor that could REALLY shoot. Someone like Larry Sanders would have no role or a very limited role on a team now because of that. It's all about stretching the floor now.

 

 

I'm fully aware of how the NBA has evolved...and I'm not suggesting we're the Warriors with their Hampton's lineup.

 

What I AM saying is we have ENOUGH. When you look at the length we have, the size, everything we have and then you look at Bledsoe who was our 7th worst 3 point shooter at ~.345 pct including two of the better 3 point shooters in the league(and a 3 point specialist in Korver) THAT'S not the problem.

 

 

We have guys who can knock down the open shot and I think DiVincenzo and Connaughton are both capable shooters.

 

But when you have ONE guy you can rely on to break the defense down...and really only one guy, your offense becomes predictable. If you have another facilitator....say just a Chris Paul at this stage(you're ignoring the salary). Even as he's lost a step, I think he'd do a much better job of running the offense and getting some guys some easier baskets.

 

 

So I'm not saying we're a great 3 point shooting team. I'm saying given all the things we can do well, how incredible we are at protecting the rim, how many points in transition and in the paint we get, our team defense, our shooting is not the problem.

 

Game 1 I believe the problem was A-we just couldn't get out and run because we weren't getting stops on D and then...as I said, our offense becomes stagnant and we don't have anyone who can get guys easier baskets.

 

 

Moving forward, I'd like to see the Bucks start some of their sets with guys in the post. Brook OR Robin Lopez can both score with their back to the basket. It's one of Middleton's strengths. And it's more likely to yield some easier shots than just Giannis coming downhill with 3 guys waiting for him to block off whichever way he tries to go with the Euro step.

 

Both points in bold are astute.

 

Both DD and PC need to play more. They are both extremely athletic, play great defense, are team oriented, can make plays on their own, and can shot when they are open. One of the two should be on the court almost all of the time.

 

We have at least four good post players. The Lopez brothers are easy to see. They can get quality inside shots almost anytime they want. Middleton is the classic turn around jump shooter ala Bobby Dandridge. He can get a high percentage shot better than half the time he posts up. The fourth post player we hardly ever use is Giannis, He does not need to get up a head of steam to dominate over other players. Posting these four in different sets and playing a little inside out basketball will make the three point shooters look a lot better. Last point about posting up... it will cause other teams to foul. Last games we shot 16 free throws, Orlando shot 32.

[Mr Southpaw]

I think that if you primarily watch one team, you will think that team is better at "shooting" than it is, because the game has changed so much. On most teams everyone can shoot now to some degree. Growing up it was normal to have 2 or 3 guys on the floor that could REALLY shoot. Someone like Larry Sanders would have no role or a very limited role on a team now because of that. It's all about stretching the floor now.

 

 

I'm fully aware of how the NBA has evolved...and I'm not suggesting we're the Warriors with their Hampton's lineup.

 

What I AM saying is we have ENOUGH. When you look at the length we have, the size, everything we have and then you look at Bledsoe who was our 7th worst 3 point shooter at ~.345 pct including two of the better 3 point shooters in the league(and a 3 point specialist in Korver) THAT'S not the problem.

 

 

We have guys who can knock down the open shot and I think DiVincenzo and Connaughton are both capable shooters.

 

But when you have ONE guy you can rely on to break the defense down...and really only one guy, your offense becomes predictable. If you have another facilitator....say just a Chris Paul at this stage(you're ignoring the salary). Even as he's lost a step, I think he'd do a much better job of running the offense and getting some guys some easier baskets.

 

 

So I'm not saying we're a great 3 point shooting team. I'm saying given all the things we can do well, how incredible we are at protecting the rim, how many points in transition and in the paint we get, our team defense, our shooting is not the problem.

 

Game 1 I believe the problem was A-we just couldn't get out and run because we weren't getting stops on D and then...as I said, our offense becomes stagnant and we don't have anyone who can get guys easier baskets.

 

 

Moving forward, I'd like to see the Bucks start some of their sets with guys in the post. Brook OR Robin Lopez can both score with their back to the basket. It's one of Middleton's strengths. And it's more likely to yield some easier shots than just Giannis coming downhill with 3 guys waiting for him to block off whichever way he tries to go with the Euro step.

 

Both points in bold are astute.

 

Both DD and PC need to play more. They are both extremely athletic, play great defense, are team oriented, can make plays on their own, and can shot when they are open. One of the two should be on the court almost all of the time.

 

We have at least four good post players. The Lopez brothers are easy to see. They can get quality inside shots almost anytime they want. Middleton is the classic turn around jump shooter ala Bobby Dandridge. He can get a high percentage shot better than half the time he posts up. The fourth post player we hardly ever use is Giannis, He does not need to get up a head of steam to dominate over other players. Posting these four in different sets and playing a little inside out basketball will make the three point shooters look a lot better. Last point about posting up... it will cause other teams to foul. Last games we shot 16 free throws, Orlando shot 32.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Pretty dominant half from the Bucks. Finally defending at a high level in the bubble. Giannis making free throws. Just lots going right.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Middleton shooting well and it's a blowout.

[adambr2]

Great game. Nice to see Middleton play well.

[adambr2]

Middleton has completely turtled yet again. He is the only reason this Game 4 is close.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I don't know what his deal is, but we should all pray it's exclusive to something ORL is doing.

[adambr2]

This went from 3 to 16 in almost no time.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Middleton has completely turtled yet again. He is the only reason this Game 4 is close.

 

Good thing games don't end after 3 quarters then. He's feeling it now.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

It's hard not to be worried about him. A 30-point game where he shoots 12-of-22 would help. We need him to be the guy he was all year, not Tony Snell.

[FVBrewerFan]

21-2 run and counting, wow

[adambr2]

Middleton has completely turtled yet again. He is the only reason this Game 4 is close.

 

Good thing games don't end after 3 quarters then. He's feeling it now.

 

Wasn't saying they did and I'm sure you know that. He obviously needs to play at the AS level he's capable of and not the way he has in this series overall if the Bucks are to advance beyond this round.

[adambr2]

We played fairly well today outside of Middleton the first 3 (but yes, he was clutch in the 4th).

 

Vuc played great. Give the Magic credit, they've fought hard with a big talent deficiency.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Middleton has completely turtled yet again. He is the only reason this Game 4 is close.

 

Good thing games don't end after 3 quarters then. He's feeling it now.

 

Wasn't saying they did and I'm sure you know that. He obviously needs to play at the AS level he's capable of and not the way he has in this series overall if the Bucks are to advance beyond this round.

 

Just trying to give credit where it's due. He had a very nice game 3, and hopefully following that up coming alive in the 4th quarter of this game will lead to more consistency now.