Playoff Observations

BKN will make a solid run at a title next year but will not get past the Celts on the way to the ECF. Same with Philly which will NOT dump Simmons. MIL vs. Celts in the ECF.

Cowherd pushing today Beal for Jaylen and that would be enough to get us to the ECF. Interesting. Is that what Brad's working on?

db

A. Sherrod Blakely @ASherrodblakely
about 19 minutes ago
The @Jaryd Wilson star Trae Young had an MRI taken earlier today and it revealed a bone bruise to his right foot. He will be listed as questionable for tomorrow’s Eastern Conference Finals Game 4.


Bob


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Also he'd take Damian Lilliard for MS, JB and 2 1st Round Draft Picks. That's a little rich but I'm guessing the numbers work out.

dbrown4 wrote:Also he'd take Damian Lilliard for MS, JB and 2 1st Round Draft Picks.  That's a little rich but I'm guessing the numbers work out.  

dbrown,

WTF too rich for my blood.


Bob


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Let me pose this question.  I don't know if anyone stayed up late last night to watch Clips vs. Suns G5, but how is it that the Clippers have lost their best scorer for multiple games deep in the playoffs mind you and have somehow managed to reinvent themselves on the fly actually looking batter without Kawhi, yet we lose any of our guys to injury and we seem to fall apart, not being able to find our asses with both hands ever?  

Wazzupwitdat?  I hope Ime can figure that out immediately and implement it.  

db

Good question db

Maybe part of it is having quality veterans.  The Clippers have that.

Each of the Clippers four players who scored in double figures is 30 or 31 years old. Their best player, George, stepped up. Cousins is the low minutes scorer off the bench when you need points when your starteres are sitting.

Brad Stevens did a piss poor job as did Danny getting him the right pieces, that 19 draft sucked, hopefully Romeo will give us something this year. Reggie Jackson is playing the best ball of his career and young Terence Mann has had his moments, so it’s not just the vets. Lue has done a great job of getting something out of everyone on the fly and Brad called zone and the team collapsed from that point on.

True, dboss.  The future for us will continue to get much brighter then!!

The way to a championship has never changed.  You still need veteran leadership.  Danny changed the speed at which you get to championship back in 2007-08, going from worst to first in one season.  The difference, for example, between that team and the Brooklyn Nets was our 3 guys were forced to check their egos and status at the front door before coming in.  And they did it willingly and some say they did this on their own.  Clearly, beyond a shadow of a doubt, none of those three clowns in Brooklyn did that.  Their individual behaviors scream this out.  And I don't think they will ever figure this simple fact out and no one has told them or is going to tell them that no matter how many points they can put up, healthy or otherwise.  That is my sole premise for why they won't make it or be around to hoist the trophy.  It's corny, but there is no "I" in TEAM.  Now according to Michael, there is an "I" in WIN!  But none of those clowns are in the same ballpark as Michael (or Russ) and never will be.  They are at the desperate latter stages of their careers where they are looking back wondering where the years went and are now realizing what they got may be all the get based upon all their decisions made up to this point, failing to realize that over there respective illustrious  careers there is a highly effective, non-negotiable balance between TEAM and ME that must be struck that separates champion from chump.  Each of these guys could have had so many more championships if they had only figured this out or had someone sit them down and tell them this sooner rather than later (or not at all in this case) because they are extremely talented, no doubt.  Some of the greatest players the league has ever seen.  But alas, here we are.  Ego is a killer.

The train wreck will continue into next season. So now it's a potential two-part series unless they take my humble but accurate advice to save themselves from the ensuing humiliation and blow it up now. But this upcoming season in BKN may be even better than the first! I can't make the shoot up!! So stay tuned for Part II!!              

db

Db playing both sides there, okay.

As big of jerks that they are, with Barkley, Dr J and Michael Kay all taking turns blasting them, if these as.holes stay healthy, they could easily get to Finals, but true fans of the game hate them and karma came around this year.

cowens/oldschool,

I expect the injuries to continue and in an even worse fashion.  But it won't matter.  Health won't be the problem, though.  What's between the ears will be the problem.  Plus there can't be any payroll left to spread among the remaining 12 players.  Plus Steve Nash hasn't made any really big rookie coaching mistakes yet, if you don't count the playing Durant 53 minutes and the air ball.  That's coming as well.  

It was said here first.  Blow it up now and save yourself the resulting humiliation.  

db

dbrown4 wrote:Let me pose this question.  I don't know if anyone stayed up late last night to watch Clips vs. Suns G5, but how is it that the Clippers have lost their best scorer for multiple games deep in the playoffs mind you and have somehow managed to reinvent themselves on the fly actually looking batter without Kawhi, yet we lose any of our guys to injury and we seem to fall apart, not being able to find our asses with both hands ever?  

Wazzupwitdat?  I hope Ime can figure that out immediately and implement it.  

db

People starting to finally realize that Ty Lue is a heck of a coach.

Agreed, Ktron. But Monty Williams will prove to be better. PHX won't lose G6. Clips have played with matches one too many times. Luck will run out tomorrow. Williams won't let them jack it up.

db

Giannis has badly air balled at least two free throws in the first half. The Atlanta crowd is in his head, as is the ghost of Chuck Knoblauch.

Hawks up by 13 at the half without Trae. Impressive!

Both series have been entertaining.  

Hope young and the freak can get back.  


Wow Boston is hotta than atl.  Fun to be home.  A ride to Ipswich today?

Milwaukee, we have a problem.  They may be summitting the wrong mountain!  Looks like they may be on K-2 by mistake, not Everest.  For those with no mountaineering interest, while K-2 is "just" the 2nd tallest mountain in the world, it is far, far more technically difficult that Everest.  Way fewer people assault and far fewer summit K-2.  Over 4,000 have summitted Everest.  Less than 400 people have summitted K-2.  And that's already saying a lot for those that have done any mountain climbing in their lives.  

Let's hope and pray Giannis is ok and can get back on the court as soon as possible, which means by the next game.  If not, Bucks are done in 6.  Again, they are very uncomfortable to watch even with Giannis.  Not sure a championship team acts and displays like that but I could be wrong.  Can't seem to pinpoint the problem.  Don't think it's all Bud's fault, although he's got that look of the captain of the Titanic.  Players have to play.  But regardless of Giannis situation, Bud will be done now if they lose this series.  It will classify as another complete meltdown in MIL.    

db

Ty Lue is doing so much with so little. Kawhi, Serge, and Zubac all out. What he does have is a group of wise, tough vets, and he is winning with them. I hope the Clips make it to the Finals. What an upset that would be, and PG would finally have all the media criticism off his back. BTW, what is wrong with Kawhi? I read it was just a knee sprain. Is something torn?

Sun's with 3 former Celtics

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-bucks-fear-giannis-antetokounmpo-130335471.html


Report: Bucks fear Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered severe ACL injury


Dan Feldman
Wed, June 30, 2021, 6:03 AM·2 min read




Giannis Antetokounmpo left the Bucks’ Game 4 loss to the Hawks last night with a nasty-looking knee injury.

How bad is it?

Farbod Esnaashari of Bleacher Report:

Farbod Esnaashari
@Farbod_E
Sources: People within the Milwaukee Bucks organization fear that Giannis Antetokounmpo has suffered a severe ACL injury. However, no MRI has been done yet.
8:32 PM · Jun 29, 2021


That’d be devastating.

To Antetokounmpo. To Milwaukee. To anyone who wants to see a well-played NBA playoffs.

The Buck have a great opportunity to win a championship.

And they could still win without to Antetokounmpo. Which speaks to how shorthanded all the remaining teams are, because Antetokounmpo is obviously an excellent player.

Atlanta guard Trae Young also missed Game 4, though Atlanta pounded Milwaukee even before Antetokounmpo went down. Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard remains out and there’s no expectation he’ll return this season. Suns guard Chris Paul hasn’t looked like himself since returning from coronavirus.

Really, with Paul merely rusty rather than out and holding a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals, Phoenix has become an even-stronger title favorite.

And then there are the already-eliminated All-Stars who missed games in the playoffs:

Nets guard Kyrie Irving

Nets guard James Harden

Jazz guard Mike Conley

Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell

76ers center Joel Embiid

Lakers big Anthony Davis

Celtics wing Jaylen Brown

That doesn’t even count Young (no, he wasn’t an All-Star) or Nuggets guard Jamal Murray.

Hopefully, Antetokounmpo’s injury isn’t as severe as feared. But there are only a few days left in the Eastern Conference finals and a few weeks left in the playoffs. Even a moderate injury could sideline Antetokounmpo the rest of the postseason.

More on the Bucks
Antetokounmpo knee injury cloud over Hawks’ impressive win to even... Giannis Antetokounmpo leaves game after gruesome hyperextension of left knee Hawks’ Trae Young out for Game 4 with bone bruise on foot


Bob


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If Giannis is out, and I fear he will be, they just do not have the heart to pull this out of the fire. Atlanta, on the other hand, is playing loose and free, and even with out Trae, are in a good position to take this series.
All the money that Milwaukee spent trying to make Giannis happy with good players beside and around him and it just does not seem to be working I have to say that as great as Giannis is, he has some major flaws in his game They should have won this game 4-0 or 5-1 Instead, they are fighting for their basketbal lives again. That coach is gone....win lose or whatever. He always looks like he is going to cry when things do not go his way

I am so glad that I’m not a Bucks fan. Our team pisses us off at times but if I had to root for the Bucks? That team is annoying. The way they came out last night as though “We got this” I guess because Young was out was a disgrace.
I hate the Hawks but when Giannis went down they immediately pushed it up another notch.
I don’t usually agree with much of what Barkley says but he is right about the Bucks. They play pretty dumb basketball and it may cost them big.
This was a game they should have run away with. If Giannis gets hurt they’re still up 3-1. Welp.

dboss wrote:Both series have been entertaining.  

Hope young and the freak can get back.  


Wow Boston is hotta than atl.  Fun to be home.  A ride to Ipswich today?

Bring me back one of dem Foot-long Dogs from Simcos on the Bridge!

dbrown4 wrote:Milwaukee, we have a problem.  They may be summitting the wrong mountain!  Looks like they may be on K-2 by mistake, not Everest.  For those with no mountaineering interest, while K-2 is "just" the 2nd tallest mountain in the world, it is far, far more technically difficult that Everest.  Way fewer people assault and far fewer summit K-2.  Over 4,000 have summitted Everest.  Less than 400 people have summitted K-2.  And that's already saying a lot for those that have done any mountain climbing in their lives.  

Let's hope and pray Giannis is ok and can get back on the court as soon as possible, which means by the next game.  If not, Bucks are done in 6.  Again, they are very uncomfortable to watch even with Giannis.  Not sure a championship team acts and displays like that but I could be wrong.  Can't seem to pinpoint the problem.  Don't think it's all Bud's fault, although he's got that look of the captain of the Titanic.  Players have to play.  But regardless of Giannis situation, Bud will be done now if they lose this series.  It will classify as another complete meltdown in MIL.    

db

And it also wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the Bucks ended up playing better without Giannis on the floor. Yeah coach Bud is toast- and he should be.

Bud's chances of staying would have been a lock if they swept or G-swept the Hawks, but that ain't the case no mo. It's all hands on deck.

Initially I thought if they just made it to the ECF, his job would be safe because at least things had improved over last year. And for all it's worth, they were playing the Hawks. It should have been sweep city.

Now, if you remember our 2008 trek in the playoffs, we played 26 of 28 possible games and won a majority if not all on our home court. It certainly wasn't a dominating playoff performance by any stretch. But we still hung a banner. Don't get me going on 2010! That was one that got away with Perk's unfortunate/untimely G5 injury.

db