2025 Playoffs - Round 1, Game 3 - Pacers at Bucks - 4/25/25 - 7:00 - NBATV/ESPNU/FDSWI

[StickeeFingaz]

I’d be very surprised if Doc trots out the same starting lineup, it must change.

[LUKE23]

I’d be very surprised if Doc trots out the same starting lineup, it must change.

One part of this statement is true.

[WeMajor34]

Will be at the game tonight and fully ready to lose my voice screaming. I’m expecting a rowdy bunch in MKE. Hopefully not too many Pacers fans there.

Bucks in 6 starts tonight

[The Wet Whistle]

I do actually think the Bucks get this one. It's really hard to sweep. That said, I'd still predict a convincing series loss

[dedned]

Will be at the game tonight and fully ready to lose my voice screaming. I’m expecting a rowdy bunch in MKE. Hopefully not too many Pacers fans there.

Bucks in 6 starts tonight

[rilamann]

This is the 3rd year in a row where I have been the pessimistic jerk because of my low expectations for the Bucks.

But in these 3 years, the Bucks have actually failed to even meet my low expectations.

I wasn't high on the Bucks all season, but I didn't have them going out like this. Not with a top 3 MVP candidate.

You know it's bad when the end result makes me look like I was being a homer the whole time.....lol.

[bucksfansince88]

Giannis needs to channel his inner Kahwi and dominate the game on both sides of the ball!

[Serge28]

Going to have to wait to watch tonight's game - 3 hours after it finishes (which is when NBA.com posts them if you have League Pass), so at 12:30 am CT. :/

Plan is to go to NBA scoreboard page, turn off scores, turn off my phone at 7:00 pm CT and then not look at anything electronic for 5.5 hours.

[stellation]

Everything turns around today. This series. The stock market. The smell of roses. The world.

What’s up, Doc? What is up indeed.

[jschligs]

Going to have to wait to watch tonight's game - 3 hours after it finishes (which is when NBA.com posts them if you have League Pass), so at 12:30 am CT. :/

Plan is to go to NBA scoreboard page, turn off scores, turn off my phone at 7:00 pm CT and then not look at anything electronic for 5.5 hours.

As much as I hate Fan Duel Sports Network, I pay the stupid $20/mo just to be able to watch live and chat with you homies.

[engelmartin]

I think the home court counts for something, and really we should have won game two if our guys didn’t just leave Indiana wide open for threes all game long. Not sure how they’re going to remedy that but Siakam is due for a stinker

[FrieAaron]

This is the 3rd year in a row where I have been the pessimistic jerk because of my low expectations for the Bucks.

But in these 3 years, the Bucks have actually failed to even meet my low expectations.

I wasn't high on the Bucks all season, but I didn't have them going out like this. Not with a top 3 MVP candidate.

You know it's bad when the end result makes me look like I was being a homer the whole time.....lol.

The thing about being pessimistic in sports is you're going to be "correct" the vast majority of the time. Whether you were a fan of the Bucks or the Lakers or Celtics. But I can't help but wonder how much it hindered your enjoyment of the best stretch of basketball in Milwaukee for decades. Sure, there is plenty to be frustrated about with the Bucks, especially over the last two seasons, but I wouldn't trade our last 10 years for any other team in the league.

[tedbrogen]

Giannis needs to channel his inner Kahwi and dominate the game on both sides of the ball!

Giannis has been himself the first two games. Assists are down but that’s on guys missing open looks, not him. The issue is that 34/18 from him doesn’t cut it when Prince/Kuz/Brook are digging a giant hole by giving the Pacers open layups and wide open threes since they can’t stay in front of anybody.

Like maybe Giannis can salvage one game in the series if he puts up 50 but he cants score the 120 or 130 himself that’s it’s going to require to win a game if they keep trotting out Prince/Kuz/Brook.

In conclusion, Pacers on four or five. Four if Doc rolls out the Land Before Time lineup to start the game so the Pacers can build a lead to silence the crowd.

Absolute best case in this series with Doc is Pacers in six if Giannis off in a couple games for 50, but that would be an all time carry job by Giannis to overcome how truly awful Prince/Kuz/Brook match up against this Pacers team. In all fairness to those three, they would also be awful in matchups against the Knicks, Cavs, and Celtics.

[Baddy Chuck]

It wouldn’t.

Look at who he’d be matching up with. I think your statement could hold in the aggregate for the regular season, but in the playoffs we have to look at the individual cases.

Indy basically has 3 guards on the court at all times with a decided quickness advantage against Prince, and that’s before the idea of Indy searching for him defensively to exploit his lack of quickness in even worse matchups.

Meh, they play Nesmith a ton (with Siakam and Turner) who is far from some quick guard.

He’s a hell of a lot quicker than Prince, and really I look at nesmith as a guard. He’s 6’6” with non-exceptional length and a slight frame, and he doesn’t have the play style of a bigger player.

He’s more limited off the bounce than his counterparts, but I just don’t think that will all of a sudden mean a lot for Prince’s utility.

I don't really care for Prince playing but I guess we just disagree on Nesmith. This series 50% of his shots are catch and shoot threes, 100% of his baskets are assisted and he's shooting 25% whenever he has to dribble twice. He's not out there creating mismatches being switched on to basically anybody on the court we could have out there and he certainly not using it to attack like say Hali/Nembhard/Matthurin. He's 6'6, 215 with a 6'10 wingspan. Hell, he's basically Taurean Prince.

[pifhluk23]

One thing we've got going for us is Siakam Turner Nembhard and Neismith are all shooting way above expectations. 50-60% fg and 3p. Hopefully that ends tonight.

[MickeyDavis]

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[PG Graveyard]

Big money likes the Bucks. Hope they are right

[rilamann]

This is the 3rd year in a row where I have been the pessimistic jerk because of my low expectations for the Bucks.

But in these 3 years, the Bucks have actually failed to even meet my low expectations.

I wasn't high on the Bucks all season, but I didn't have them going out like this. Not with a top 3 MVP candidate.

You know it's bad when the end result makes me look like I was being a homer the whole time.....lol.

The thing about being pessimistic in sports is you're going to be "correct" the vast majority of the time. Whether you were a fan of the Bucks or the Lakers or Celtics. But I can't help but wonder how much it hindered your enjoyment of the best stretch of basketball in Milwaukee for decades. Sure, there is plenty to be frustrated about with the Bucks, especially over the last two seasons, but I wouldn't trade our last 10 years for any other team in the league.

I was actually very optimistic with the Bucks between 2018-2022. I didn't start to lean more towards the pessimistic side until the 2022'23 season.

2018-2022 was awesome and I enjoyed the ride. And I still enjoy watching Giannis, but I lot of my frustration comes from the fact that the Bucks are now squandering a once in a lifetime talent.

For example, I didn't stay up late on school nights back in the 90's to watch the Bucks of Todd Day & Eric Murdock lose to the Clippers. Only for the Bucks to finally land a generational talent and be perennial first round losers.

We did get a championship so I will always have a certain level of satisfaction and gratitude. But it's hard for me to really enjoy having a once in lifetime talent when the team is first round losers. We might as well still be the Herb Kohl era Bucks lead by Michael Redd.

The Bucks have only won 1 playoff series since 2021 and that 1 series win came against a horrible Bulls team.

But the point of my post was pointing that you know it's bad when - year after year - the Bucks fail to meet even the pessimistic guy's pessimistic expectations.

[Baddy Chuck]

I was actually very optimistic with the Bucks between 2018-2022. I didn't start to lean more towards the pessimistic side until the 2022'23 season.

MAN'S TEAM erasure.

[CharityStripe34]

We need a Bucks RGM sanity meter if the same starters are announced.

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