2023-24 Bucks Season Thread

[patrickgpe]

Dame is playing as I expected. Putting up wonderful offensive numbers and got toasted a few times on D. I get you make the move you did every time but Holiday will be missed in some areas this year. 

[HarryDoyle]

Is there a reason Middleton isn't playing? Is he hurt again?

[LouisEly]

I don't know what that graphic is that TNT uses on replays that is blue with white bumps, but I find it really weird and somewhat bothersome.

[young guns]

This Lillard guy is pretty good.

[young guns]

12 minutes ago, HarryDoyle said:

Is there a reason Middleton isn't playing? Is he hurt again?

Earlier they said he was still under a minutes limitation due to the offseason surgery.

[patrickgpe]

Couldn’t have asked for a better debut for Lillard 

[adambr2]

1) Giannis still cannot hit a FT to save his life. 

2) Lillard can, and that was the difference. 

[nate82]

Pretty obvious that the 4th is going to be Dame's offense to run.  Which turns out it is going to be a really good idea because Giannis still sucks at shooting FT's. 

[sveumrules]

17/17 on free throws and zero turnovers.

Who was the last closer they had like this? Maybe Ray? He had a 13/13 FT and 1 TO game in 2001.

 

[SeaBass]

Not Giannis's best night, 7 TO, -13 +\- worst on the team (though Bobby's -10 was probably worse considering he played 26 fewer minutes). Feels like he is a bit rusty yet, needs to work on those free throws. Lots of losing control of the ball while dribbling. Good thing Dame found it late or they don't win this one. It also didn't help that it seemed like Philadelphia just could not miss from 3. Sheesh!

Gonna be a fun year, looking forward to when they settle in and Dame can just be a dude doing his thing instead of the new guy finding his way.

[Joseph Zarr]

Dame just does not disappoint. I watched him for five years straight when I lived in Troutdale, Oregon (15 minutes from PDX). I worked at a brewery in downtown Portland so was more than able to hop over to Moda on many occasions just to watch Lillard play the game of basketball. 

I want to reiterate again: as a lifelong Bucks fan this pairing is a surreal manifesto to my only remaining dream of NBA basketball in Milwaukee. I am walking a path of basketball heaven. And I will enjoy every moment.

Now you all know. Now you see what I've seen for the past five years. And, this is just a blip on the radar. There is NO better clutch performer in the League. Period. Not Curry. Not Bron. Not Jokic. Nobody. Not a single player in the League can close games like this man can. The rest of the nation, because of the rightful gravity of Giannis, is finally going to find out how utterly gifted and unparalleled this man is with the ball in his hands. I was at his 71 point game with father in law (on a whim!) after my wife and I visited the in-laws this past February when he was given a remission ticket. He literally could have scored in the 90's. He's on another level. He just is. 

Enjoy the ride. We are so so so lucky as Bucks fans.

[Joseph Zarr]

3 hours ago, sveumrules said:

17/17 on free throws and zero turnovers.

Who was the last closer they had like this? Maybe Ray? He had a 13/13 FT and 1 TO game in 2001.

 

The thing with Dame is that FT gravity doesn't leave in the post season. AND, what's even more sublime: as he's ages his FT % in the post season has gotten to absurd levels. His past two playoff appearances, at a clip of over 8 FT's/ Game he is hitting at an over 90% clip. Absurd. Bananas.

[adambr2]

Are free throws a technique based, improveable thing? Or are they more of a mental, either you have it or you don't have it thing, or a combination of both?

Genuine question just out of curiosity from someone who never really played basketball at any level. 

[Fear The Chorizo]

2 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Are free throws a technique based, improveable thing? Or are they more of a mental, either you have it or you don't have it thing, or a combination of both?

Genuine question just out of curiosity from someone who never really played basketball at any level. 

At this level, I think it's more mental for guys with any kind of perimeter game who can't make at least 70% from the line...it's not like they don't practice excessively and work on improving technique.  I've always though less is more with free throws, and seeing Giannis go through a 15 second ritual every shot from the stripe is just painful - and winds up getting the entire arena putting even more pressure on himself.  Just get the ball, bounce it a time or two, line up the seams and shoot the damn thing.

[LouisEly]

7 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Dame just does not disappoint. I watched him for five years straight when I lived in Troutdale, Oregon (15 minutes from PDX). I worked at a brewery in downtown Portland so was more than able to hop over to Moda on many occasions just to watch Lillard play the game of basketball.

I've stayed at McMenamins in Troutdale!  Love that place.  Can bar hop on the property, and have legit snooker tables in the downstairs bar.  One of the most fun and unique places I've stayed at.

[Joseph Zarr]

7 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

I've stayed at McMenamins in Troutdale!  Love that place.  Can bar hop on the property, and have legit snooker tables in the downstairs bar.  One of the most fun and unique places I've stayed at.

Yeah baby. The McMenamins Edgefield is pretty awesome within the greater pantheon of McMenamins. Loved going there in the summer. Fun gardens. Music. When I first moved to PDX, my now wife took me to a McMenamins in NE Portland (I think it was the Kennedy School ?) and I had spicy tater tots and a hard cider. It was my first very Portland moment. Regardless, McMenamins is a fantastic business model and having talked to the employees it appears they are treated quite well within the greater business. Glad you liked it!

[CheezWizHed]

4 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Are free throws a technique based, improveable thing? Or are they more of a mental, either you have it or you don't have it thing, or a combination of both?

Genuine question just out of curiosity from someone who never really played basketball at any level. 

Certainly both.  A very large part of it is muscle memory and the ability to repeat a shot.  But there is also the part where you were just running and now standing still; your heart is pounding, adrenaline running, everyone watching... You have to be able to block everything out. 

[CheezWizHed]

So, very fun game last night. 

• Obviously, defense has work to do.  New system, losing Holliday... there is time for that to improve.
• Dame was impressive.  I was worried watching preseason as he looked very passive.  Not so much last night.  His second gear while driving is a sight to behold.
• Giannis needs to learn now when to peel back.  Looking for Dame when he drives and people sink on him.  Looking to play more with the ball out of his hands and off the pick-n-roll. Defense on bigs w/o reaching.  Free throws. Good challenges for him this year. 
• Nice to see Beauchamp out there a lot.  I really think he is going to grow into that Middleton replacement role in the future.  Beasley's D wasn't quite up to snuff, so MB was a nice replacement.  Really moves well around the court.  

[GAME05]

It got talked about a lot during Shaq's FT troubles that the taller guys can't get as much of a down-angle on their shot as the shorter guys, leading to a worse %.

[SeaBass]

I looked up Giannis's FT stats and the last two seasons he's averaged roughly 8 makes out of between 11 to 12 attempts per game. If he can keep that up I honestly think that's more than satisfactory from him.

[young guns]

Maybe someone should teach him to use the backboard.  I've always thought it weird how growing up it was taught to use the backboard, but in the higher levels it feels like a pure nothing but net shot is the only acceptable way to make a shot.

[owbc]

11 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Dame just does not disappoint. I watched him for five years straight when I lived in Troutdale, Oregon (15 minutes from PDX). I worked at a brewery in downtown Portland so was more than able to hop over to Moda on many occasions just to watch Lillard play the game of basketball. 

I want to reiterate again: as a lifelong Bucks fan this pairing is a surreal manifesto to my only remaining dream of NBA basketball in Milwaukee. I am walking a path of basketball heaven. And I will enjoy every moment.

Now you all know. Now you see what I've seen for the past five years. And, this is just a blip on the radar. There is NO better clutch performer in the League. Period. Not Curry. Not Bron. Not Jokic. Nobody. Not a single player in the League can close games like this man can. The rest of the nation, because of the rightful gravity of Giannis, is finally going to find out how utterly gifted and unparalleled this man is with the ball in his hands. I was at his 71 point game with father in law (on a whim!) after my wife and I visited the in-laws this past February when he was given a remission ticket. He literally could have scored in the 90's. He's on another level. He just is. 

Enjoy the ride. We are so so so lucky as Bucks fans.

I went down there to see the Bucks play Portland in 2020. It was an easy blowout win for the Bucks and Giannis certainly shined, but what I remember most about that game is how absurdly good Dame was.

The ceiling for the Bucks for the next 3 years is equivalent to Shaq and Kobe together at their prime. 

[nate82]

Now if we could only get Connaughton and Giannis to stop shooting bad 3's we will be set.  Connaughton is still bad at help defense he leaves his man when there is no chance to help and it gets thrown in the corner where he left his assignment for an easy 3. 

The bad Bucks offense showed up in the game a lot.  This is the give Giannis the ball and everyone else play statue offense.  It doesn't work and hasn't worked.  Giannis should not be on the floor if Dame/Middleton are not on the floor.  The offense is just horrible when this happens.  It is everyone standing around watching Giannis drive into 3-4 defenders and then Giannis taking a bad shot or losing his dribble while driving. 

[zurch1818]

19 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

Certainly both.  A very large part of it is muscle memory and the ability to repeat a shot.  But there is also the part where you were just running and now standing still; your heart is pounding, adrenaline running, everyone watching... You have to be able to block everything out. 

I agree with this. There's always the jump shot free throw to help the mental aspect.

 

[HarryDoyle]

I think Flavor Flav must've cursed the Bucks with that singing performance.