Bucks 2022-2023 Season Thread

[sveumrules]

Easy win over Utah tonight with Giannis (24) Jrue (24) and Brook (26) playing low minutes heading to Denver on the B2B.

Now 24-3 in their last 27 games.

Other games against contenders down the stretch include BOS, PHI and MEM. All three are at Fiserv, though the Celtics game is 2nd end of B2B and will be their 5th game in a 7 day stretch. Pretty brutal scheduling.

Grizz is the 2nd to last game of the season, hopefully things will be wrapped by then.

Looking at potential playoff match ups as the one seed they are 13-8 against teams currently in the six through eleven play-in range, they are 2-2 vs CLE at #4, and they are 2-3 vs BOS/PHI for a 17-13 (.567 W%) cumulative record against East contenders.

They are 36-7 (.837 W%) against the other 20 teams including a pretty ridiculous 23-5 (.821 W%) against the West.

[Samurai Bucky]

11 hours ago, sveumrules said:

Easy win over Utah tonight with Giannis (24) Jrue (24) and Brook (26) playing low minutes heading to Denver on the B2B.

Now 24-3 in their last 27 games.

Other games against contenders down the stretch include BOS, PHI and MEM. All three are at Fiserv, though the Celtics game is 2nd end of B2B and will be their 5th game in a 7 day stretch. Pretty brutal scheduling.

Grizz is the 2nd to last game of the season, hopefully things will be wrapped by then.

Looking at potential playoff match ups as the one seed they are 13-8 against teams currently in the six through eleven play-in range, they are 2-2 vs CLE at #4, and they are 2-3 vs BOS/PHI for a 17-13 (.567 W%) cumulative record against East contenders.

They are 36-7 (.837 W%) against the other 20 teams including a pretty ridiculous 23-5 (.821 W%) against the West.

Up 2.5 with 9 games to play (8 for the Celtics).  One more game against the Pacers.  Hopefully George Hill doesn't go off again.

[homer]

Eastern Conf. playoffs are going to be great. Absolute buzz saw to get to the Finals.

[sveumrules]

39 minutes ago, homer said:

Eastern Conf. playoffs are going to be great. Absolute buzz saw to get to the Finals.

I’ll be pulling hard for a Knicks upset over the Cavs in round one.

Bucks are 3-0 against NY this year and they don’t have the size inside that CLE does with Mobley/Allen

[adambr2]

I really wanted this one, or at least to be competitive in it. Not because we needed it, but because I thought it was ultimately one of the most impactful games in the MVP race. Looked good in the first half, but things really didn't go our way late. 

[homer]

really tough back to back

[adambr2]

1 hour ago, homer said:

really tough back to back

Yeah definitely. Wasn't too surprised at the result. Unfortunately doesn't get much easier this week getting Boston on the back end of an away/home back to back. 

Strategically, I wonder if they'd be better off resting Giannis and a couple others in Indiana and going full strength Friday against the C's.

[HarryDoyle]

Jrue with the fiddy.

[HarryDoyle]

Uh, what just happened?

Say what you want about playing a second game in as many days. Getting embarrassed like they did tonight and Denver is not a good sign heading into the playoffs.

[CheezWizHed]

Boston was unconscious with their 3s last night.  Granted, our D there is still a bit weak. Frankly, I think it was good...leave the Bucks with a bitter taste in their mouths and remind them the playoffs won't be easy. 

[adambr2]

I don't know if we can beat the Celtics. 

Not that we aren't better, not that we aren't an outstanding team, but it just feels like a team that has our number somehow, we don't match up well against, however you want to say it. 

In the playoffs last year -- it just always felt to me like Boston had things pretty well under control. And yes I know it went 7 games and we were up 3-2. It was an outstanding steal of Game 5 that gave us a chance to steal the series. And who knows, we could find a way to steal one more and beat them this year. But I hate the matchup. Assuming we hold onto #1, I'll be rooting for the 76ers all the way, because I'm a lot more confident in that matchup for a ECF.

Either way, just feels like it's Boston or Milwaukee in the Finals. But yeah, it was a little disheartening to be so non-competitive last night, 2nd game of a back to back or not. 

[adambr2]

Giannis > Embiid

Bucks > 76ers

 

I'm just saying, MVP voters.

[sveumrules]

15 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

Giannis > Embiid

Bucks > 76ers

 

I'm just saying, MVP voters.

Giannis and Jokic are the two best players on the two best teams.

Giving MVP to Embiid is a joke, really. Almost as bad as giving Smart DPOY last season.

Finals MVP is all that matters now.

[CheezWizHed]

On 3/31/2023 at 1:20 PM, adambr2 said:

I don't know if we can beat the Celtics. 

Not that we aren't better, not that we aren't an outstanding team, but it just feels like a team that has our number somehow, we don't match up well against, however you want to say it. 

In the playoffs last year -- it just always felt to me like Boston had things pretty well under control. And yes I know it went 7 games and we were up 3-2. It was an outstanding steal of Game 5 that gave us a chance to steal the series. And who knows, we could find a way to steal one more and beat them this year. But I hate the matchup. Assuming we hold onto #1, I'll be rooting for the 76ers all the way, because I'm a lot more confident in that matchup for a ECF.

Either way, just feels like it's Boston or Milwaukee in the Finals. But yeah, it was a little disheartening to be so non-competitive last night, 2nd game of a back to back or not. 

I watched this game from tip to finish and it was really, really, really bad.  I sort of thought the same thing about them "having our number".  And I'd certainly rather see the 76ers than the Celtics.

But Boston was also ridiculously hot from 3pt land.  That game was done half way through the 2nd. Boston certainly has the ability to do that (and did that in the playoffs to us), so our 3pt D does need some work.  But I don't see much difference between last year's Boston team and this year's.  We have Mids back, plus Crowder to defend Tatum (though he oddly didn't play much until the game was out of hand).  With my "cream and green" colored glasses on, I kind of wonder if they held back their main defensive game plan for the playoffs. 

Either way, it will be a competitive series and I feel better about it this year than last. 

[Joseph Zarr]

12 hours ago, sveumrules said:

Giannis and Jokic are the two best players on the two best teams.

Giving MVP to Embiid is a joke, really. Almost as bad as giving Smart DPOY last season.

Finals MVP is all that matters now.

I find the MVP debate fairly contentious across the respective fanbases. All three men are fantastic basketball players. I am simply grateful we have a Giannis. All is forgiven Hammond. 

[Joseph Zarr]

1 hour ago, CheezWizHed said:

I watched this game from tip to finish and it was really, really, really bad.  I sort of thought the same thing about them "having our number".  And I'd certainly rather see the 76ers than the Celtics.

But Boston was also ridiculously hot from 3pt land.  That game was done half way through the 2nd. Boston certainly has the ability to do that (and did that in the playoffs to us), so our 3pt D does need some work.  But I don't see much difference between last year's Boston team and this year's.  We have Mids back, plus Crowder to defend Tatum (though he oddly didn't play much until the game was out of hand).  With my "cream and green" colored glasses on, I kind of wonder if they held back their main defensive game plan for the playoffs. 

Either way, it will be a competitive series and I feel better about it this year than last. 

I tend to think, in agreement with @adambr2, the Bucks could really really struggle against Boston in the Playoffs yet again -Midds or no Midds in 2023. Their shooting just separates them - yes, they were absurdly hot in their recent 41 point blow out but that's not really that anomalous with the Celtics. They tend to shoot lights out more often than not whereas the Buckaroos tend to go really really cold in the Playoffs. We don't have a single defensive weapon that can slow down Tatum and Brown due to their size, strength, and athleticism (I don't know an NBA team that does). And, then you couple this with the assured eventuality that Al Horford will go nuclear at random points and Grant Williams will suddenly re-discover a 45% clip from deep and how they'll find ways to play Brook Lopez off the floor...it's just a nightmare matchup for our squad. 

My greatest hope for this post season is Boston is upset. That is what I am hanging my hat on. 😔

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I'm getting a kick out of all the Boston-phobia, not here but everywhere. The Bucks will be just fine. I suppose they could lose but I would still bet on them. Every year there is some regular season match-up given far too much weight. They'll be fine. I'd actually feel worse if the games were close. When you lose by 30 and 40 there is nothing to gain by psychoanalyzing.  It will be a clean slate if and when they play again. 

For the Tatum love affair going on, I would suggest visiting a Celtics board and they are 4-6 in their last 10. He's no doubt a great player, but he is well known to sprinkle in his share of ice cold shooting games. The advantage in a 7 game series is always to the team with the best player, particularly when that player scores from 4 feet away.

[HarryDoyle]

Unless Holiday can defend both Tatum and Brown at the same time, I don't know if we can beat them in a seven game series.

[Joseph Zarr]

8 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

I'm getting a kick out of all the Boston-phobia, not here but everywhere. The Bucks will be just fine. I suppose they could lose but I would still bet on them. Every year there is some regular season match-up given far too much weight. They'll be fine. I'd actually feel worse if the games were close. When you lose by 30 and 40 there is nothing to gain by psychoanalyzing.  It will be a clean slate if and when they play again. 

For the Tatum love affair going on, I would suggest visiting a Celtics board and they are 4-6 in their last 10. He's no doubt a great player, but he is well known to sprinkle in his share of ice cold shooting games. The advantage in a 7 game series is always to the team with the best player, particularly when that player scores from 4 feet away.

Well, I don't think 'Boston-phobia' is the accurate term here. 'Recent track record' would be the more appropriate usage, imho. The last two (consecutive) losses in the 2022 Playoffs were by a combined 41 points. And, the two most recent regular season losses were, um, by a combined 62 points (let's not count the OT win when the Celtics were playing their 'C' squad). SO, say what you want as you are obviously entitled to your opinion, but they have had the Bucks number by a good margin in meaningful and statement-making games of recent lineage and they have the shooters and the play style that is just a very very tough match-up for the Bucks. I guess what I'm saying is these aren't unfounded concerns. Until the Bucks prove otherwise, I will continue to be skeptical they can turn a magic switch. Home court advantage could be absolutely huge, obviously, and could be the ultimate deciding factor if they face each other and the Bucks can hold serve. 

[CheezWizHed]

Yes, Boston is probably our worst case match up, but the Celtics did need 7 games (yes, 3 of those wins weren't pretty) to get past the Bucks last year.  

And the playoffs are the playoffs... intensity and game plans amp up.  The regular season has begun to feel like the NFL preseason --- kind of vanilla. 

I do kind of wonder what happened to the Buck's defensive improvement against the 3 this year... it seems to be waning as the season wears on.  Hopefully that bounces back in a 7 game series (Bucks in 6) against  Boston. 

 

[wallus]

3 hours ago, HarryDoyle said:

Unless Holiday can defend both Tatum and Brown at the same time, I don't know if we can beat them in a seven game series.

This is why we traded for Jae Crowder.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Like I said, those matchups mean something if you think the Celtics are 30 points better than the Bucks. 

Last year's playoffs aren't even the same team. Middleton didn't even play and the rest of the Bucks roster is different. This year that last game was the Bucks coming off a back to back. They played like poop, but I am fairly confident the Bucks aren't going to lose 4-0 by 40 points each game. They'll be fine. The playoffs are a different animal. 

Boston also has to beat Philly. Could the Bucks lose to Boston, yeah sure. Are they the worst matchup? Yeah probably by default. Would I pick the Bucks to win still? Yes absolutely. A series is about who has the best player and adjustments in the series. I think we will be fine and win in 6.

[nate82]

The +/- for the Wizards starting 5 were all negative and negative by a lot.  That is just a horrible team I almost feel bad for Bradley Beal but then again he decided to stay there for whatever reason. 

[patrickgpe]

Magic number is 1 for the number one seed 

[adambr2]

1 hour ago, nate82 said:

The +/- for the Wizards starting 5 were all negative and negative by a lot.  That is just a horrible team I almost feel bad for Bradley Beal but then again he decided to stay there for whatever reason. 

251 million dollars