Neutral court and not sure a single player has shot in this arena before today.Setting offensive basketball back to the 90s so far. Good defense, but man that's just some bad offense.
Shooting def has improved in the 2nd half, maybe they're getting used to it. Weird crowd too, very muted, I guess that's the neutral court effect as well.Neutral court and not sure a single player has shot in this arena before today.
No doubt. I’d imagine mostly locals, tourists and Californians who flock there in droves on weekends. Guessing not many Hawks or Thunder fans were flying in for the game.Shooting def has improved in the 2nd half, maybe they're getting used to it. Weird crowd too, very muted, I guess that's the neutral court effect as well.
Exactly what it felt like. A bunch of casino zombies. Too bad, felt like it took away from the game to not have an involved and passionate crowd.No doubt. I’d imagine mostly locals, tourists and Californians who flock there in droves on weekends. Guessing not many Hawks or Thunder fans were flying in for the game.
It felt like a bubble game.Exactly what it felt like. A bunch of casino zombies. Too bad, felt like it took away from the game to not have an involved and passionate crowd.
Seems to me he gets hacked relentlessly. This isn't Harden grifting his way into calls, he's a physical force they can't handle.I can't remember an NBA star I enjoyed watching less than Giannis. He gets an absolutely amazing whistle.
Maybe next game.Once the three point shooting normalizes OKC is going to run away with this. Impressive bricklaying so far.
I still can’t shake the idea that the Bucks are the biggest threats to the C’s in the East, if EVERYTHING breaks right for them.Giannis with a completely dominant quarter on both ends, just an incredible two-way performance in that third quarter.
This is the ideal game for the Bucks. Good team defense that hides Lillard, Giannis and Dame doing what they do on offense, and Trent/Green/Prince being very reliable shooters playing off of Dame and Giannis.I still can’t shake the idea that the Bucks are the biggest threats to the C’s in the East, if EVERYTHING breaks right for them.
“Giannis isn’t human” + “Just enough shooting to randomly win the 3 point battle four times in a series” seems like a path to scare the C’s.
That’s especially true on the off-chance that Middleton gets healthy enough to approximate what he did in the 2021 title run, when he was great for them offensively (that’s the big upside, and while it probably isn’t realistic, if it happened…)
Their offensive approach just doesn't seem that impressive, lots of iso from marginal players. 25 points in the 2nd half before garbage time. SGA kept them in it for a while, but there was no question GA was the best player on the floor.In their final two games last year against Dallas, OKC shot 25/82 (30%) from three
Narrator: Sometimes it never normalizes in a one game sample (4-31!).Once the three point shooting normalizes OKC is going to run away with this. Impressive bricklaying so far.
Does okc have a scoring problem? They're 10th in offense which is fine(if not great for a title contender), but considering they lead the league on steals, I assume they get a good portion of their offense in transition. Shai is arguably the best half court scorer in the league, but if his shot is off and they aren't forcing turnovers, they really get bogged down offensively.In their final two games last year against Dallas, OKC shot 25/82 (30%) from three
Yeah there is a very narrow lane for the bucks to win a title, and Boston is just a really rough matchup for them. It's just too easy for Boston to generate consistently good looks against them and we match up as well as anyone against giannis and dame. Could they beat us 4 times by making difficult shots while we miss good ones? Sure, but there are a half dozen teams I'm more worried about than the bucks.This is the ideal game for the Bucks. Good team defense that hides Lillard, Giannis and Dame doing what they do on offense, and Trent/Green/Prince being very reliable shooters playing off of Dame and Giannis.
They should really let Seattle host it next year if they're going to put it at a neutral site.NBA cup: Best thing, end of bench guys getting $500k. Worst thing, playing in front of a bunch of gambling zombies who don't give a shit about basketball. Cmon, let's play this in front of real fans.
NBA cup: Best thing, end of bench guys getting $500k. Worst thing, playing in front of a bunch of gambling zombies who don't give a shit about basketball. Cmon, let's play this in front of real fans.
I’ve expected many tweaks on the way to growing this thing and I’m going to say next year we see a shift to home arenas for these final 3 games. It was nice in theory to create a Final Four type atmosphere in Vegas…..but who is traveling halfway or all the way across the country to see their favorite NBA team play?They should really let Seattle host it next year if they're going to put it at a neutral site.
In theory its Chet & J-Dub, just too young/inexperienced at this point. Tonight was good for them.OKC is very, very good, but as I’ve been saying since last offseason they needed a second scoring option and creator more than they needed Caruso or Hartenstein, and it’s still an issue against top level teams.
The dream would be Durant, even if the dream ignores cap realities and the fact that Phoenix isn't looking to blow things up. It's not just inexperience and a reliable second option, they still need size and being able to play Durant next to either hartenstein or chet would be great for them. I'll keep banging the markkanen drum too, though obviously that doesn't fix the experience issue(he's never even made the playoffs) and it lacks the full circle nature of Durant returning home for the final stage of his career.In theory its Chet & J-Dub, just too young/inexperienced at this point. Tonight was good for them.
All the assets are there to add a veteran scoring option (Butler?)
I agree he’s not grifting, but he initiates so much contact. He puts his head down, barrels into people, falls down … profit! He’s clearly a great player, and maybe the rules just can’t account for his level of physicality, but there are times where it seems like there’s no legal way to defend him.Seems to me he gets hacked relentlessly. This isn't Harden grifting his way into calls, he's a physical force they can't handle.
Bucks also seemed waaaaay too excited about the win, and not the end of bench guys.NBA cup: Best thing, end of bench guys getting $500k. Worst thing, playing in front of a bunch of gambling zombies who don't give a shit about basketball. Cmon, let's play this in front of real fans.
This was the old LeBron complaint but when you are that quick and that powerful to be able to gain an angle on your defender and placing him out of position then he’s vulnerable to them initiating contact and creating the foul. That is what makes them so unstoppable is the skill to beat their man to the spot prior to creating contact and drawing the foul. Giannis has led the league in offensive fouls 4-5 times. I think it’s been him and KAT something like 9 of the last 10 years at the top so it isn’t impossible to stop him….you just need to get to your spot quicker than he does. That is what is nearly impossible and why he’s so great.I agree he’s not grifting, but he initiates so much contact. He puts his head down, barrels into people, falls down … profit! He’s clearly a great player, and maybe the rules just can’t account for his level of physicality, but there are times where it seems like there’s no legal way to defend him.
Hey, Lakers were able to use a Cup win to springboard a run to the play-in, maybe Milwaukee can do the same.Bucks also seemed waaaaay too excited about the win, and not the end of bench guys.
Yea, Markkanen felt like the final OKC piece but seems committed to Utah.The dream would be Durant, even if the dream ignores cap realities and the fact that Phoenix isn't looking to blow things up. It's not just inexperience and a reliable second option, they still need size and being able to play Durant next to either hartenstein or chet would be great for them. I'll keep banging the markkanen drum too, though obviously that doesn't fix the experience issue(he's never even made the playoffs) and it lacks the full circle nature of Durant returning home for the final stage of his career.
This is hilarious. Adam Silver's fail cup.Hey, Lakers were able to use a Cup win to springboard a run to the play-in, maybe Milwaukee can do the same.
AJax was mine & others draft binky, after a Championship run at UConn. Nice 2nd round pickup. He can easily play the Corner3 role on offense for MILWasn't able to see the game but according to MacMahon, SGA was 3-12 versus AJJ. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43035450/oklahoma-city-thunder-score-season-low-81-nba-cup-finale
AJJ seems like a really good weapon to have against teams like OKC where one guy is the main focal point of the offense. Not so much against BOS, which has lots of ways to get him off ball.
If AJJ could ever learn to shoot though, MIL will have really struck gold. Hopefully not for a couple of years though.
Yeah, even if you assume they don’t shoot 3s as poorly as they did it’s still like 105 points in a game there against a defense that has been pretty shaky. Not greatYou don't want to overreact too much to one game, but I definitely came away from that with serious concerns about OKC's offense. They feel like a cargo-cult of Boston, where you can see the concept, but every piece is a bit worse in a way that adds up quickly.
- fewer dynamic decision makers, which means less ability to generate quality 3s after breaking down the D
- less shooting: Caruso instead of PP/Hauser adds up quickly
- JDub is really good, and more efficient than Jaylen, but OKC's offense craters when SGA is off and it's JDub running the show
- SGA is amazing, but he's not as good a creator as JT (more structural assists for SGA, being the PG). How much of this is downstream from OKC not having dynamic decision makers once the D is in rotation?
It all adds up to an offense that is going to struggle to get out of the West, imo. Dallas, Memphis, GS, Minnesota, Denver can all exploit those weaknesses quite hard.
Green’s insertion into the rotation was a catalyst to the Bucks turnaround. He shot something like 17-27 3-pt FG in his first couple games which really opens up the floor for Giannis and Dame.AJax was mine & others draft binky, after a Championship run at UConn. Nice 2nd round pickup. He can easily play the Corner3 role on offense for MIL
AJ Green is the young guy Milwaukee Media loves. Plays decent defense and is a confident bench shooter.
Some of you try really hard to shit on this thing. It's weird.This is hilarious. Adam Silver's fail cup.