Agree, no let up. Force the action and play a hard 48 minutes.Originally Posted by MUFAN2003
Agree, no let up. Force the action and play a hard 48 minutes.
Sounds like Harden is going to try to play. Need to really step it up and make him work. Not sure he will make it for a full game.
I wonder if this will be a similar situation to the one Anthony Davis was in against the Suns. He strained his groin early in the series......then in the elimination game, he was on the floor for the tip but came out after the first dead-ball. Never returned.
Bucks need to be prepared for him to play and play well, but I wonder if this is just a feeble attempt at diversion. Do anything to throw off the Bucks' preparations.
Despite the obvious blown opportunity.....16 point lead at half and as much as 17. What bothered me the most is never trying Giannis on Durant under 8 or 7 minutes in the 4th Quarter.
Giannis was the 2020 DPOY and 1st team All-NBA Defense multiple times. He is 6'11" with a 7'4" wingspan. Nobody else on the Bucks, when Durant comes off the screen and shoots, can affect Durant's line of sight towards the basket or affect the trajectory on his shot (causing Durant to change it). It is like a cone drill for Durant in practice.....he knows when he rises up he will have a clear look at the hoop. I like using Tucker and others throughout the bulk of the game, but come the 4th quarter, under 8 minutes, when it is possession-by-possession, I think you have to give the assignment to Giannis (assuming no major foul trouble....3 fouls or less).
Such a blown opportunity. It feels like it is over now. If there is any hope, it is that Harden and Irving (if even available) still won't be much healthier for game 6 and potentially game 7. You might have the exact same opportunity in a Game 7. Granted, why have any confidence when they had a 17 point lead and couldn't get it done in Game 5. Disappointing.
Agree MUFan. Wasted opportunity. Try Giannis on Durant, even for just a few series.
When Durant was covering Lopez we just had Lopez spread out at the 3 line, which essentially gave Durant a break on D. Bring Lopez to the low box and make Durant expend some energy on D.
Why do we always revert to isolation ball down the stretch when moving the ball worked so well for most of the game? Is that on Giannis, or on Bud for not getting Giannis to move the ball around.
I thought going into last night that the series was ours, and it should have been. Now I am not looking forward to watching the next game, as I fear it may be just what Brooklyn needs, a series win and rest for Irving and Harden.
I posted much of this on Scoop but I'm still pretty flabbergasted by the decision making in the second half last night. They were targeting Lopez a ton and the Bucks had no answer. Drop coverage on KD is ineffective, that 12 footer is like a layup for him. And given how well things went Sunday playing small I'm furious that they didn't play it that way sooner. By the time Bud woke up and made the change, the momentum was already firmly with Brooklyn and it was too late. Thought they erred in picking KD up as far out as they did. It let them get into their action sooner to give him more space to get downhill. And if left guys like Griffin and Green open on the perimeter and they punished it. Fourth quarter saw too many soft switches on high ball screens for Durant, which led to Connaughton on him twice. Poor communication on others. It was a disaster.
As for the offense, the fact that they had Harden out there for 40 minutes and didn't attack him more than a few times is malpractice. I don't have a problem with iso ball when it's used correctly. There were a handful of times when Holiday had Harden up top, and rather than spread the floor and let him cook they brought a ball screen which brought help or a switch. Just dumb f*cking basketball for the last 19 minutes of the game.
Because it's the Bucks, they'll win Game 6 and bow out meekly in Game 7. Same as it ever was.
Good points. The Giannis fadeaway in the wide post, one-on-one against Harden, epitomized the stupidity of the offense in the 2nd half. When things get tight, on the road, they just seem to become paralyzed. Saw a tweet that the Bucks need a sports psychiatrist.
It sure seems to be conventional wisdom that the Bucks win Game 6 and then lose Game 7 like most road teams do. If Harden remains 50% (?) and Irving can't return, losing this series will be a tough pill to swallow. It will start looking like the 80's again.....very good but never the best in the East.
On to game 7. We have to keep playing the way we did yesterday. Share the ball, and work for good inside shots. I don't think Giannis shot a 3, which leads to better offense.
I agree Goose. They can beat Brooklyn up inside (off the drive or post-up) with Jrue, Giannis, Brook, etc. Maintain ball and player movement in the 2nd half.....if you go isolation, don't settle for jumpers and attack Harden.
For me, it will not be enough to lose Game 7 and say they played a hard fought series. With Brooklyn nicked up, Bucks need to be the rare team to win a Game 7 on the road.
This is their opportunity.
Yes!!!!!! I wouldn't have bet on it....but the Bucks did it. Making history with a Game 7 road win! So happy for Giannis, Middleton, Brook, Jrue, PJ and Coach Bud.
Felt like the refs and announcers wanted Brooklyn to win....oh well.
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