OT: 2021 NBA Playoffs

[JimCtheGOAT]

Holiday and middleton both just flat out suck way more often than any other “star” level player that I've ever seen. Its ridiculous. Seems like every other game (sometimes multiple in a row) where they are just terrible.

 

[aceboon]

Bucks really should have tried to swing a trade for CP3 instead considering the picks they gave up for Jrue

 

[LIuconn]

The Bucks cant get Giannis any help. Sweep city if that continues

 

[JimCtheGOAT]

The Bucks cant get Giannis any help. Sweep city if that continues

I feel bad for Giannis. Hes been exorcising his playoff demons and dominating all postseason. Then completely balls out tonight despite being hurt. Gives it his all and gets let down again by those two overpaid / overrated guys.

Giannis gets a lot of crap from fans and the media but hes been let down repeatedly by his coach and “max player” teammates. Series isnt over yet, but it will be if holiday and middleton continue to play this bad.

 

[superjohn]

I feel bad for Giannis. Hes been exorcising his playoff demons and dominating all postseason. Then completely balls out tonight despite being hurt. Gives it his all and gets let down again by those two overpaid / overrated guys.

Giannis gets a lot of crap from fans and the media but hes been let down repeatedly by his coach and “max player” teammates. Series isnt over yet, but it will be if holiday and middleton continue to play this bad.

I've never been a fan of his playing style but he's been great this playoffs and I'm seeing him in a different light. He should've left to join Doncic.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Bucks really should have tried to swing a trade for CP3 instead considering the picks they gave up for Jrue

True is a much better defender than Bledsoe.

I also think he and Middleton struggle with consistently finding their grove playing off Giannis. They also need a better coach.

 

[the Q]

I've never been a fan of his playing style but he's been great this playoffs and I'm seeing him in a different light. He should've left to join Doncic.

They would’ve broken the NBA lol

(Which means I’m 100% for it)

 

[PChoops]

Philly really goofed when they traded Bridges, and its not even a hindsight thing everyone questioned it on draft night.

Watching him at Nova I didn't think he be that good. Thought he be a good role player type, but with him, Ayton and Booker that might have something. I don't see them making this far again, but definitely contending in the west in floating around 4-8 for the playoffs in the future.

 

[HooperScooper]

This may be the worst coached game I have seen in an NBA Finals.

He is letting Phoenix run the same pick and roll on his big every time. This leaves the Bucks two options: leave Lopez on the perimeter covering Paul or Booker, or pull Lopez, a tremendous offensive player, off the court. My personal choice would be to switch with everyone but Lopez, but basically anything else but Lopez covering Booker or Paul in space is a win. Trap on the screen, play a zone, literally anything would be better than what Budenholzer is doing on defense.

On offense, it has been one and one isolation basketball the whole game. Lots of low percentage shots. Also, Bucks should pick and roll with Lopez and then have him post up or get the ball on the roll vs a guard down low.

This isn't that hard, and most high school coaches would adjust better than Budenholzer. He is in way over his head.

Kendrick Perkins agrees with you.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Hit the Squire In Chatham, great dive that helps balance the preppiness of the town

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Kendrick Perkins agrees with you.

Just about every professional analyst agrees with me. This is not rocket science.

This is the NBA Finals, and Budenholzer is running an offense that would be embarrassing in a Saturday morning pickup game at the YMCA. His defense is only better because of individual talent, but the team defense is pretty bad and Budenholzer always lets the other team dictate the pace and force him to adjust. Budenholzer has been covered the last few years because the Bucks have more talent 1 to about 7 or 8 than just about any team in the NBA, but in the playoffs, when real coaches like Monty Williams have time to game plan against the Bucks, Budenholzer gets embarrassed.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Holiday and middleton both just flat out suck way more often than any other “star” level player that I've ever seen. Its ridiculous. Seems like every other game (sometimes multiple in a row) where they are just terrible.

Yep. Middleton and Holiday are "terrible" and "flat out suck". Great take for two Olympians, one of whom has made multiple all-star games.

 

[Lefty2one]

One of the Ringer's pods summed up Middleton perfectly: if you think he sucks, wait 24 hours. If you think he's great, wait 24 hours. Dude is like the weather. He'll have at least one monster game at home; I don't think PHX is sweeping this series.

Jrue has been so frustrating to watch. He's a lot better than he's showing. He looks exhausted and run down.

 

[Mr. French]

Yep. Middleton and Holiday are "terrible" and "flat out suck". Great take for two Olympians, one of whom has made multiple all-star games.

He actually said they are inconsistent, and there are too many times for really good players that they are terrible or flat out suck. It's tough to argue with that, unless you paint it as saying they always suck.

 

[superjohn]

One of the Ringer's pods summed up Middleton perfectly: if you think he sucks, wait 24 hours. If you think he's great, wait 24 hours. Dude is like the weather. He'll have at least one monster game at home; I don't think PHX is sweeping this series.

Jrue has been so frustrating to watch. He's a lot better than he's showing. He looks exhausted and run down.

 

[superjohn]

He actually said they are inconsistent, and there are too many times for really good players that they are terrible or flat out suck. It's tough to argue with that, unless you paint it as saying they always suck.

This is what Waylon does with everything, it's called gaslighting.

 

[Lefty2one]

This is what Waylon does with everything, it's called gaslighting.

Strawmanning applies too.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Yep. Middleton and Holiday are "terrible" and "flat out suck". Great take for two Olympians, one of whom has made multiple all-star games.

You've got a way with taking on hyperbole. I'd like to see you do with what this guy says. Have at it...

Budenholzer is running an offense that would be embarrassing in a Saturday morning pickup game at the YMCA.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Both teams playing really well. Great ball movement by both teams. Bucks finally mixing it up on the PnR defense, but the Suns are reading every adjustment. Fun game to watch tonight.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Middleton's inconsistency is really just bad shot selection, often due to poor ball movement. The fact that Middleton hits as many contested pull up 3's as he does shows how good he is.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

PJ Tucker actually kind of sucks. He is useless offensively and just clutches and grabs on defense.

Watching Tucker, I have trouble pointing to anything he does well enough to justify all the minutes he gets, but it does seem like the Bucks are better as a team when he is on the court.

 

[superjohn]

Bucks have played amazing tonight and the Suns are still right there.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Cam Johnson looks unstoppable at times. If he wants to put the work in, he could be an all-star in a year or two.

Edit; Then Cam Johnson writhes on the floor in fake pain for 3 minutes because Giannis grabbed his jersey. The funniest part of it was when the mop girl was cleaning the floor right up to his body. Even she didn't believe it.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Antetekuomnpo is such a wrecking machine inside, why bother shooting 3's in the finals? I would have no problem with him launching a few in a January game against Detroit or Indiana, but in the Finals? Just dominate down low.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

The issue is the way they use Giannis. It makes it tough for the second and third option to find a grove. Giannis is best when he is ball dominant from the top of the key like Lebron and Luka. But he isn't a distributor like they are, so his teammates have to guess when they will be needed. They have no real offensive flow. Either Giannis dominates as a one man show, or he doesn't. On the nights he doesn't, sometimes Middleton and Holiday are good, sometimes they aren't.

The Bucks should consider running the Triangle next season. They should consider a new coach for defensive adjustments.