2024-25 Milwaukee Bucks thread

[adambr2]

On 11/14/2024 at 11:12 AM, Joseph Zarr said:

I mean, it was called a foul. BUT, I think there is a very reasoned take that it was emphatically not the right or appropriate call. As they say: "Ball don't lie."

Yeah when I saw the replay the next day it definitely looked clean. When I was posting about it I was just following the box score/gameplay.

[Joseph Zarr]

4 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

Yeah when I saw the replay the next day it definitely looked clean. When I was posting about it I was just following the box score/gameplay.

Yeah and the NBA also came out post-game with their final two-minute report stating the refs blew the call - ie it wasn't a foul - and they couldn't review the play itself because they called it a foul on the floor. Is what it is. The zebras are literally always lurking.

[young guns]

21 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

and they couldn't review the play itself because they called it a foul on the floor.

Wait.  Isn't that the whole point of replay?  To fix bad calls made on the floor?

[Joseph Zarr]

9 minutes ago, young guns said:

Wait.  Isn't that the whole point of replay?  To fix bad calls made on the floor?

It is, yes. BUT, it has limitations. NBA refs can not review fouls they have called to overturn them. I think they can review the type of foul (?). But, in the particular case of this foul they were literally only determining the clock when they called the foul. What I didn't understand (and still don't understand) is the refs determined it was a two shot shooting foul on the floor when they blew the whistle. That, to me, is patently absurd. That didn't qualify as one via any other criteria other than the refs determined it was a shooting foul. And, obviously, I never saw it as any type of foul to begin with and the NBA agreed. 

[HarryDoyle]

Probably not the best idea to depend on a mid-range jumper by Giannis to win the game.

It's hard to believe this team is only three years removed from a championship. They look like a G League team now. A play in tournament game looks like their ceiling.

[Joseph Zarr]

It's essentially a day later and I still can't make sense of the breakdowns in the Bucks defensive rotations on the final inbounds play in the 'W' versus Houston. How does this happen in an NBA game in the final seconds? It shows to go you mental lapses and brain farts happen at even the absolutely highest of levels of sports:

(Embedded under the game-saving Giannis defensive masterclass that led to Dame's winning lay-up. Giannis steps on the out of bounds line. No call. Refs owed us one. Heck, they owe us 10 more. LOL)

[nate82]

What in the actual heck was Giannis and Green doing in that play?  That is just bad defense and pure luck they didn’t get a shot off.  

[Joseph Zarr]

6 hours ago, nate82 said:

What in the actual heck was Giannis and Green doing in that play?  That is just bad defense and pure luck they didn’t get a shot off.  

Great ?'s. I have yet to come up with a sensible answer. It was a complete and utter cluster of poor execution. That's all there is. Glad they stole the 'W'. BUT, I felt that botched play in general was a perfect metaphor for their season to date.

[sveumrules]

Bucks improve to 2 W - 0 L in the Emirates Cup with their win tonight over last year’s arch nemesis Pacers squad.

If they can pull off the B2B against the Hornets that would put them on the precipice of .500 heading into their third Emirates Cup game in Miami on TUE.

[adambr2]

I admittedly haven’t followed NBA Cup play whatsoever since it started to know if it’s anything that anybody really cares about or what kind of prestige is at stake other than a little extra cash for the players. But it’s nice to see the Bucks playing better lately. Giannis is still Giannis but bench options like Trent especially are probably better than we give them credit for and better than we’ve had in the past.

[Joseph Zarr]

I mean, despite the 57% FT woes, Giannis is once again raising the bar. He essentially does this every season. AND, well, it's absolutely bananas. Historic Shaq/Wilt-like season in 2023/2024? Meh. Let's raise the bar. For a player who does this year-in and year-out, I will just never take it for granted. He may have entirely fallen to the back drop of the national discourse, but it never ceases to amaze me how unbelievably dominant he is. Let us never ever take his game and his presence on the Bucks for granted.

[sveumrules]

Giannis has looked much more confident from the midrange in the early going this year.

Obviously small sample but he is shooting 53.8% from 10 to 16 feet versus a 36.7% career average at that distance.

From 16 feet out to the three point line he is at 49.1% so far compared to 36.8% for his career at that range. Has also upped his attempts big time here from 7.2% of his FGAs last year to 16.0% so far this year.

[sveumrules]

Some team level stats from their recent turnaround...

First Ten Games (2 W - 8 L)
110.6 oRTG (19th)
115.7 dRTG (22nd)
-5.1 netRTG (22nd)

Last Seven Games (6 W - 1 L)
115.4 oRTG (9th)
108.1 dRTG (8th)
+7.3 netRTG (6th)
 

[nate82]

The Bucks are still missing Middleton and there still isn’t any news on when he will return.  It is looking like it will be later in the season possibly after the All Star game.  This is really concerning with Middleton and I am not sure he will be the same player.

[sveumrules]

8 minutes ago, nate82 said:

The Bucks are still missing Middleton and there still isn’t any news on when he will return.  It is looking like it will be later in the season possibly after the All Star game.  This is really concerning with Middleton and I am not sure he will be the same player.

Last time we saw Khris he put up 24.7 PPG | 9.2 RPG | 4.7 APG on 48% shooting in the playoffs while playing eleven minutes per game over his season average.

He's always had an old man's game that wasn't overly reliant on athleticism so I'm fine with them slow rolling him back in hopes it increases his chances of being healthy and ready to go come playoff time.

[Joseph Zarr]

5 hours ago, sveumrules said:

Giannis has looked much more confident from the midrange in the early going this year.

Obviously small sample but he is shooting 53.8% from 10 to 16 feet versus a 36.7% career average at that distance.

From 16 feet out to the three point line he is at 49.1% so far compared to 36.8% for his career at that range. Has also upped his attempts big time here from 7.2% of his FGAs last year to 16.0% so far this year.

Yeah, he has shot the 3rd most mid-range jumpers in the League. He's hitting those at a 48% clip. You add that suddenly very real threat and his hesi-Euro step attack to the basket no longer strictly relies on getting the ball in transition. It's just an unbelievable single off-season development. Early? Yes. BUT, it's a very real thing. It's so odd, on the other hand, to see how the tight high release on that form has not translated at all to the charity stripe.

[SeaBass]

17 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

It's so odd, on the other hand, to see how the tight high release on that form has not translated at all to the charity stripe.

His FT and 3PT shooting is all mental, he has the mechanics. His mid range twos aren't that much shorter than the 3 pt line but for some reason it's a whole different world if he backs up a step or two.

[Joseph Zarr]

3 minutes ago, SeaBass said:

His FT and 3PT shooting is all mental, he has the mechanics. His mid range twos aren't that much shorter than the 3 pt line but for some reason it's a whole different world if he backs up a step or two.

Yeah. I personally don't like much of anything in his entire FT process. I wish he would quicken up the process and not get so mechanical. I mean, of Giannis hits FT at a 70% clip in his current form? I don't even know.

[jay87shot]

On 11/24/2024 at 2:48 PM, nate82 said:

The Bucks are still missing Middleton and there still isn’t any news on when he will return.  It is looking like it will be later in the season possibly after the All Star game.  This is really concerning with Middleton and I am not sure he will be the same player.

He was medically cleared like 3 or 4 days ago but said he still didn't feel ready. I would hope he his back in the next couple games. He has had long enough, however with the team playing better and how little the nba regular season matters I am fine with him being out a couple weeks just to get to 100% before he is back. Trent, Green, Prince, and Jackson are all playing solid so no need to rush, but he had missed a month or so longer than expected for no given reason.

 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

To be honest I'd feel better if they didn't even play Middleton until April and get him in game shape at the end of the season. I'd roll the dice on that as opposed to him playing now and expecting him to be available when it counts.

[RedStickBrew]

Bucks are looking good so far tonight. Helps when they play some D, rebound, and the threes are falling I guess

[Underachiever]

Watching my first Bucks game of the season. So what’s the problem?

[RedStickBrew]

8 minutes ago, Underachiever said:

Watching my first Bucks game of the season. So what’s the problem?

Just wait

[Underachiever]

Just now, RedStickBrew said:

Just wait

As soon as I typed that, Miami went to the “refs won’t call them all” defense

[RedStickBrew]

Bucks are on a roll. Held on tonight for a good win