adambr2

Getting slaughtered on the glass. Not being aggressive going for boards, not taking care of the ball, and keeping up our poor playoff FT rate. If they continue to play like they have in the 2nd there is still ample time to blow this series.

What an absolutely stupid foul by Mirotic. If you're going to foul at least prevent the drive and bucket.

Giannis needs to calm down. He's not looking for the open man, he's making sloppy passes again, and collectively the team needs to start rebounding much better to prevent the reloads.

If they play like this for 3 more quarters, they'll win. Lowry, Powell, Gasol and VanVleet are not good enough to make it rain at 70% from 3 all game.

I cannot believe Giannis did that again.

Well, if we had come out like this in Game 3 we'd be up about 15 right now. Unfortunately, the Raps just happened to be shooting out of their minds as well.

What a weak sauce call on Brogdon.

The FT struggles are really getting to be a problem. You can't continue to shoot FTs in the 60's percentage range and expect to compete with a team like Golden State.

I am so sick to death of Kyle freaking Lowry. He's not this good.

You would think our manager would realize this, but apparently he does not. I do think the manager and GM get this. I know there was the Stearns quote, but they're aware. This was similar with Jennings last year. His stats skyrocketed because he'd be used as a garbage man or just be kept in after blowing a lead. And again, a large chunk to open this season had too shallow of a bullpen. There have been a lot of times that Claudio has come in against a power lefty with a righty behind him and a lefty after that. He then retires the lefty (or even if he doesn't). Hader's unavailable. So what do you do? Do you pull Claudio right away and go to...Matt Albers who then will get pummeled by the lefty afterwards? Or do you just pray that Claudio gets the middle righty (or two) out in between and then can give you an advantage again against the lefty? The lack of Jeffress and Knebel early in the year moved Claudio from option 4 or 5 that can be deployed situationally to option 2b, with 2a being Guerra. If Claudio doesn't get the first lefty out, you can't bring in Knebel with confidence of getting anyone out past said lefty. You now have to keep Claudio in and pray he gets a righty or two out to get to the next lefty. If not, you are going off the edge of a cliff. You don't HAVE to. I've said on multiple occasions that this team should start burying pitchers out in corner OF spots on occasion for a single AB when they want to bring the pitcher back in after one AB. That would maintain the platoon advantage for the inning and hopefully keep Counsell from doing crazy things like he did with Claudio against the Braves. Also Jennings wasn't that comparable to Claudio. For his career, Jennings has had very mild platoon splits. He was not great against RHB, but he was at least usable, and typically wasn't used against them in high leverage situations except as a last resort. Claudio is different. He has extreme platoon splits and has his entire career. He is a true LOOGY. Nothing about him has given any indication that he would be successful transitioning to a traditional multi-inning role.

What in the world has happened to Braun's plate discipline?

I don't have much hope for Corey Ray anymore. I think he's a bust. A lefty Keon Broxton.

I understand you believe Burnes has the potential to be a high leverage arm in the pen, but he doesn't currently belong in that conversation until he can straighten out his issues. 14 HR allowed at this point is extremely alarming particularly when he's only started 4 games. Burnes will be fine eventually, but right now he's got to earn a major role back. Agree about Peralta needing to head to San Antonio, though not necessarily in agreement about the trust issues. Don't agree that Anderson going to the pen strengthens the pen. He's been far more effective as a starter.

I do think we'll win the series. I just think it's more like a 85%-90% chance rather than the mortal lock that some seem to. I think collectively we tend to overuse the "this this and this all went wrong and we still almost won" arguments. I'm losing count of how many times we've played the "our worst night" card in the playoffs so far. Each game is it's own animal. Giannis might go for 40 on Tuesday and Kawhi might go for 50 and we lose by a point. One of Giannis' best games this season, I recall, was a home loss to Philly. Toronto will probably be favored to win on Tuesday, as they were today, and then if the bounces don't go your way all of the sudden you've got a best of 3. Now hopefully we can put that all to rest on Tueaday, but we take way too much for granted against a 58 win team. Leonard could go MJ on us the rest of the series, we just don't know. Again, I do think we'll win this series. We just seem to assume an awful lot for a team that hasn't been to the Finals in almost 50 years. We're not the Warriors -- not yet anyway. Well, it's only been two times really that we've talked about everything going wrong, Game 1 vs Boston and then last night. Second, I hate when people talk about the history of a franchise when the oldest player on the team wasn't even alive when this run of 50 years started. It has nothing to do with Giannis or Lopez or anyone. And would it somehow be more likely if Big Dog hits that shot in the last seconds vs Philly and the Bucks get routed by the Lakers? Then it'd be a team that hasn't been there in 18 years. I would agree, we are probably a bit TOO confident. The Raptors are a really good team and Kawhi is a freakishly talented player. I think the very few small warts Giannis does still have in his game can be exposed with Kawhi on him and if Middelton isn't hitting his shots, things could go the wrong way. 85-90 pct confidence though is pretty damn high. And Warrented given how the stars had to align for Toronto to beat us.(and Kawhi getting away with the double dribble to essentially put the game away) I've seen crazier things happen in sports. But Toronto winning 3 of the next 4 with 2 in Milwaukee seems unlikely to me. I also think it's unlikely, and that's why I said 85-90%. I agree, still pretty good. When I speak in historical context I am comparing us to a team like the Warriors who have been there, done that so much in the last few years. Even if they get down -- to have been in this spot so many times recently. It doesn't matter to them or anyone else if they have homecourt, or what seed they are. Confidence wise, comparing the two teams, that part of it DOES matter. It gives them a psychological edge that we (and all others) just don't have yet. I'm not saying that the Bucks teams of the 70s have anything to do with this one.

I do think we'll win the series. I just think it's more like a 85%-90% chance rather than the mortal lock that some seem to. I think collectively we tend to overuse the "this this and this all went wrong and we still almost won" arguments. I'm losing count of how many times we've played the "our worst night" card in the playoffs so far. Each game is it's own animal. Giannis might go for 40 on Tuesday and Kawhi might go for 50 and we lose by a point. One of Giannis' best games this season, I recall, was a home loss to Philly. Toronto will probably be favored to win on Tuesday, as they were today, and then if the bounces don't go your way all of the sudden you've got a best of 3. Now hopefully we can put that all to rest on Tueaday, but we take way too much for granted against a 58 win team. Leonard could go MJ on us the rest of the series, we just don't know. Again, I do think we'll win this series. We just seem to assume an awful lot for a team that hasn't been to the Finals in almost 50 years. We're not the Warriors -- not yet anyway.

The demoralizing thing about today is was such a winnable game in which just one of our guys stepping up like Lopez in Game 1 changes the entire outcome. No one did. Middleton just had a rough game. He'll be fine. Bledsoe is different. I'm getting pretty convinced that he's a guy who just can't handle the bright playoff lights. He looked like a total head case, and not for the first time this postseason.

B game? Middleton was 3 for 16 and couldn't crack double digits. I'd hate to see his F game. He was marginally better than Bledsoe which is saying nothing.

In most cases yeah, in this case I would much rather wipe the smug look off Drake's face and end his team's season right in front of him.

No we shouldn't. Game 1 was very typical of how the Bucks have won all year, outlasting teams in the late third and fourth. This is a 58 win team they're not playing the Pistons. The wins are wins. Exactly, these aren't the Pistons, and they're not necessarily going to be able to get away with winning that way all series against a 58 win team.

I think we should quit acting like the series is a given, or at least the players should, because simply showing up as we have in Games 1 and 3 is not going to cut it. We should frankly be down 2-1.

Game over. Fitting for it to end on a turnover. Pathetic performance. Might be time to stop reading your press clippings and spend some time on free throw and layup drills.

I think that's probably game. Absolutely terrible performance all around by our marquee players in a game that goes in our favor if one single player steps up. 66% from the charity stripe will cost you games.

Even Brogdon can't manage to hit both his FTs.

Another stupid turnover.

We can't buy a call, Kawhi gets one if he gets breathed on.