Official Game Thread: Bucks at Hawks -- ECF GAME 3

[RandomFan]

Also, anyone saying we need this player or that player, just no. THIS is the problem.

We simply aren't healthy. Even our backup wing in Cam hasn't been healthy long enough to earn his new coaches trust yet. 

If we lose this series the only thing we need to do is regroup, get healthy for next year, add a #20 draft pick, maybe a depth free agent, and add another year of off-season work and experience and come back and whoop azz. 

[Carmine]

I don't like the whole next year narrative, nothing is guaranteed in the NBA. Just because were hurt now, doesn't mean we can't get hurt again. If you have a window of opportunity to make it to the FINALS, you have to seize it. 

Tidbits:

* Okongwu was hampering Giannis as noted by other posters and Reggie Miller, yet only got 8 minutes. Moving away from what's working... mind boggling.

* Trae hurt likely cost us the game, I think he plays game 4 but I don't like our chances if he plays hobbled.

- Team too reliant on Trae, I love Onyeka but part of the reason I was clamoring for Haliburton. The amount of pressure a secondary ball handler can take off of Trae would be huge. Lou's a scorer, not a ball handler or PG. (Skylar Mays showed some good things 2)

* Nate got us to the ECF but is being stubborn, we can talk about the refs all day but this was a winnable game. The unwillingness to move away from what's clearly not working is very questionable, I know Schlenk is watching closely.

 

Bucks are not scary, never have been... never will be. Your best player has too many flaws and squeaked out a win against the shell of bogdanovic and young. Give Middleton his flowers, he stepped up when his team needed to in crunch time. However Khris was incorrect when he said "they don't have anyone who can guard me". We actually do but they're pining the bench for god knows why? Hopefully Schlenk can add some meaningful depth to the wing position this offseason, I like Solo but he's not a player that should be getting this many minutes.

[Diesel]

1 hour ago, NekiEcko said:

I think we are fine, Bucks was built to get to the Final right now (heck Coach Bud job was on the line and still is) while we are just at starting line.  We know that the NBA, the Ref, Media and others does not want us there.  But we are here and we move.  Right now, our future is super bright and any victories that we get from this series is a plus.  Think about this, this team went through Randle and the Knicks, Embiid and Sixers and now Freak and Bucks, name one team in the East that can go through all of those teams in a row.  

My feeling is that even though the Bucks were "built to win",   after watching the game last night, I believe we can beat them in 3 more games.  It took the game of his life (Middleton) for them to secure the win last night.   Middleton is streaky.  I think we have to play better defense and hopefully Trae is OK and better before the next game.   We looked good against Giannis when OO was on the floor and it may require having his energy and size out there guarding Giannis.   He gave G.A. some problems.   We just need to keep Collins out of foul trouble and instead of shooting a lot of threes... do more post ups on the switch with our Forwards. 

[Diesel]

The one thing that  I hate though...

Clint Capela's Free Throws. 

 

It's more mystifying than Ben Simmons to me.  Clint's hands are not that big.   Has he never worked with a shooting coach?  i worried about it in the Philly series and I hope it doesn't come back to get us in this one.   

[Thomas]

1 hour ago, Carmine said:

* Okongwu was hampering Giannis as noted by other posters and Reggie Miller, yet only got 8 minutes. Moving away from what's working... mind boggling.

00 was playing sp well second half I wouldn't have taken him out till he was flat out gassed. No preset rotation minutes anymore. His impact is felt defensively just about the second he steps on the floor.

[Thomas]

8 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

Unleash Cam and OO for 20+ minutes in game 4.

Absolutely.

[marco102]

8 hours ago, Peoriabird said:

1 freaking month which is my point.

It was longer than one month it was around the time you took your hiatus because you couldn't deal with the fact he was playing well and I called you out for it. Now here you are spamming the board again with your agenda. 

Some players play through injury well and others don't. Now this isn't to say the injury is 100% the reason Bogi struggled, because he had a few inefficient games against the Knicks and sixers before the injury. It is you always go to absolutes to prove you were right about something which I personally don't get.

Remember the more you spam about this the harder the clap back will be and then I guess you'll take another two month hiatus.

[kg01]

Let's highlight some positives, shall we?

That defensive sequence by Kevin Joseph Heurter was beautiful.  Man went 1-on-3 and got the stop.

Gwu-Tang going beast-mode on Giannis for that stretch was special.

PJ FTucker being able to drill that 3-point "shot" with Giannis hands touching the ball while it was in the cylinder?  Wow, what a play!  (checks with the judges)  Wait, it was an obvious offensive goaltend?

Oh well, I'm sure the L2M report will properly identify that play and ..... wait, since it didn't happen in the last 2 minutes it's just yet another blown-a** call that screws us and there's nothing we can do about it but seethe and complain on the internets?

[kg01]

6 minutes ago, marco102 said:

It was longer than one month it was around the time you took your hiatus because you couldn't deal with the fact he was playing well and I called you out for it. Now here you are spamming the board again with your agenda. 

Some players play through injury well and others don't. Now this isn't to say the injury is 100% the reason Bogi struggled, because he had a few inefficient games against the Knicks and sixers before the injury. It is you always go to absolutes to prove you were right about something which I personally don't get.

Remember the more you spam about this the harder the clap back will be and then I guess you'll take another two month hiatus.

Hehe, quoting this just in case he has you on ignore.  Wait, what if he has me on ignore?  Oh nooooo

[Thomas]

When injuries start playing a part, that "go with what brung us here" becomes less effective. In our case right now it was a big part of a loss last night. Am sure you know who I am referencing right here. The other thing called Solo has nothing to do with an injury, he is just way outclassed this far in the postseason. Has only had a handful of helpful minutes at all postseason. On the positive side play 00 more minutes and don't take him out when his impact is so high. 

[NBASupes]

11 minutes ago, kg01 said:

Let's highlight some positives, shall we?

That defensive sequence by Kevin Joseph Heurter was beautiful.  Man went 1-on-3 and got the stop.

Gwu-Tang going beast-mode on Giannis for that stretch was special.

PJ FTucker being able to drill that 3-point "shot" with Giannis hands touching the ball while it was in the cylinder?  Wow, what a play!  (checks with the judges)  Wait, it was an obvious offensive goaltend?

Oh well, I'm sure the L2M report will properly identify that play and ..... wait, since it didn't happen in the last 2 minutes it's just yet another blown-a** call that screws us and there's nothing we can do about it but seethe and complain on the internets?

So many missed calls that favored Milwaukee

[NBASupes]

7 hours ago, bleachkit said:

If Nate does not play him in game 4 IM DONE WITH HIM. I will be officially hoping Nate turns down the job. If there one thing I absolutely hate, it's that loyalty to the vets bullshit. You play the best players, always. 

I hope he does but the issue is, I still think Nate feels the game came down to execution. I don't feel he sees Solo as the liability he's been all playoffs so far.

[Thomas]

8 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

....and who the Hell is guarding wide eye Bobby Portis?  He's giving the Bucks easy points.

...and what's up with the token 10 minutes for OO? Play him vs WideEyes to match his activity.

Yeah, Portis and Middleton killed us in particular later in the game. If Giannis is off the floor when Portis is on that is another reason for 00 to get more minutes right there. Want 00 to get as many minutes guarding those two as he can handle conditioning wise.

[kg01]

4 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

So many missed calls that favored Milwaukee

Still not saying that's why we lost.  We didn't respond well to their run late, in particular.

But the consistent ref-related mistakes make it harder to swallow the notion that the loss was "all" about our execution.

[benhillboy]

John (127/ 119) and OO (117/ 113) are the only players with a positive rating so far.  John is always gonna pay big dividends with his shooting efficiency and rebounding but has only taken 2 FTs all series.  Not good.  OO is just a pure defensive possession ender so advanced stats always gonna love on him.

The numbers show we just can’t guard them as currently rostered.  Or as currently configured by Nate.  Trae with more turns than assists is really killing.  Awful shooting and 6 total FTAs from Bogi, Lou, and Kevin ain’t helping either.  
 

I gotta give the Bucks props though.  They know that if they control the glass (+7 per game) the series is theirs to lose.  I figured Portis would play well but damn.  Dude just having his way out there.

[NBASupes]

1 minute ago, benhillboy said:

John (127/ 119) and OO (117/ 113) are the only players with a positive rating so far.  John is always gonna pay big dividends with his shooting efficiency and rebounding but has only taken 2 FTs all series.  Not good.  OO is just a pure defensive possession ender so advanced stats always gonna love on him.

The numbers show we just can’t guard them as currently rostered.  Or as currently configured by Nate.  Trae with more turns than assists is really killing.  Awful shooting and 6 total FTAs from Bogi, Lou, and Kevin ain’t helping either.  
 

I gotta give the Bucks props though.  They know that if they control the glass (+7 per game) the series is theirs to lose.  I figured Portis would play well but damn.  Dude just having his way out there.

They for sure got a better starting lineup when healthy.

[Thomas]

3 minutes ago, benhillboy said:

I figured Portis would play well but damn.

Knew he was pretty good but he was flat out clutch last night. Had no idea on that stuff myself. Just more pain and I feel very old this morning with a large part of that knowing we could have and should have taken the game and rolled over the last few minutes in my mind way too long.

[benhillboy]

5 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

They for sure got a better starting lineup when healthy.

The team sorely needs some high-level dribble-drive finishing/ foul drawing in the offseason.  And if some size, passing, and defensive IQ could come in the form of an Andrew Bogut clone that would be sweeeeet.  We’d be set.

[Diesel]

32 minutes ago, kg01 said:

Still not saying that's why we lost.  We didn't respond well to their run late, in particular.

But the consistent ref-related mistakes make it harder to swallow the notion that the loss was "all" about our execution.

I think a lot of that was Trae being hurt.   Honestly, when Trae was hurt... We went to more ball movement and taking advantage of our  size advantages (at times).   I mean Gallo was smoking Holliday or whoever they had on him until they started doubling Gallo.  Then the refs stopped calling the obvious hacks on Gallo.   I think when Trae came back... he took a few too many heat checks.  When he saw that he didn't have it and every step hurts... I think he should have sat.  Hard to say in the heat of battle but I would rather preserve him and let the others bring us in. 

 

[Diesel]

27 minutes ago, Thomas said:

Knew he was pretty good but he was flat out clutch last night. Had no idea on that stuff myself. Just more pain and I feel very old this morning with a large part of that knowing we could have and should have taken the game and rolled over the last few minutes in my mind way too long.

He's good.. but the refs were letting him get away with a lot of handsiness especially on the offensive end.  I didn't know that you could push to create space.   In comparison, 2 of the fouls on Collins... I didn't even see.. even with the slow mo.