PG Blazers - Win

[BigO]

A lot of strange takes in here, complimenting this team or certain players for mounting comebacks and coming through in the clinch.

Just note that these are the same players that put us in the hole in the first place (looking at you Bobby - and coach Grief obviously). I'm not crediting guys that put us down by 25, and then somehow manage to scrap our way out of it again. They're just cleaning up their own mess. We should never have been in that hole in the first place, and Boston showed that it won't work against the good teams.

It seems to be the case so far that a chaotic but hugely talented system-less offense of individuals (including 3 guys who are all franchise leaders in points), is somehow overcoming an embarrassment of a defense that seems to be getting worse.

This needs to change.

So Bobby single handedly put the Bucks in a hole? Now that's a strange take. No one had a good first half, but only a few rose to the challenge and ignited the comeback and Bobby was at the forefront.

This is what so many don't get about Portis:

1) He is one of the few Bucks who can post up and AND take his man off the dribble and historically do it in a very efficient manner. What other Buck can do that except Giannis? His 3 point shooting is down, but he is still a threat.

2) He is a great rebounder, second only to Giannis, yet plays far fewer minutes. And for those who don't know, defensive rebounding is a big part of playing defense. He averaged 7.4 defensive rebounds a game last year. That's elite, given his minutes. This year, everyone's rebounds are down, because of how Griffin has them playing much further out on the court.

3) I think Portis plays very good one on one defense. His team defense is lacking, as is almost every other Buck, except Giannis and Brook.

4) His enthusiasm and drive are underrated. The Bucks need more players like him, not less. He should be playing more minutes, not less.

I wouldn't trade Portis unless I got a near all-star in return. Without Portis, I hate to see what would happen to the rebounding and scoring off the bench.

[Ron Swanson]

SRS and net-rating mean absolutely nothing this early in the season. But if you guys wanna believe that Orlando, Minnesota, and OKC are the class of the league along with Philly and Boston, then knock yourselves out.

[greekbuck34]

SRS and net-rating mean absolutely nothing this early in the season. But if you guys wanna believe that Orlando, Minnesota, and OKC are the class of the league along with Philly and Boston, then knock yourselves out.

Yeah its a mess...
From the players who are available for most part of the season so far:

Bobby and Beasley have better +/- than Giannis right now and people want Beasley out of the starting lineup since the 1st game while Bobby did not have a particular great start of the season.
Dame, who is an actual Clutch God this season and without him we would probably be closer to a .500 record than 1 loss away from the 1st seed, has the worst +/- on the team except from MarJon and AJJ who are the two guys we constantly asking to see more.

[TroyD92]

I did an 8 day bender in thailand just for the hell of it on my bday this year.

It makes more sense how crappy they played thinking they could just show up hung over and beat the blazers.

HK I always wanted to ask are you actually from Hong Kong or an expat?

Born in Madison, grew up in Milwaukee suburb Graduated from UW Milwaukee.

Spent 10yrs living in South Florida, before moving to Hong Kong.

Now close to 14yrs in HK. Definitely a long term expat.

I'm a packers season ticket holder which I ironically got only after I moved to FL. But I used to fly up for one or two games a year.

Now my brother uses them, I haven't gone in a few years. My bro also is an (on/off) 20yr bucks season ticket holder. That's how I got to go to all the finals home games. I flew in for that.

I'm in US for several weeks over the holidays now. Unfortunately there are no bucks games the Xmas week I'm in Milwaukee

It's still wild to me when I'm in hk or Asia and I see someone wearing bucks gear. That was impossible 5-6 years ago.

Very cool. I'm in Japan for about 5-6 months out of the year. Should definitely make my way over to HK one of these days

[jimmybones]

That #9 seed did knock 3 other teams besides the Bucks out of the playoffs, including Boston. I think they deserve a little more respect put on their name.

Based on the last three games, might be early for Rilaman to take a victory lap on firing Bud.

That said, seems clear Giannis wanted a new voice in the locker-room. But the odds were always great that we'd go backward with a new hire.

I did my victory lap the day Bud was fired, about a week after we lost 4-1 to a #9 seed. I was just happy that he was gone and I still am.

I'm not here to say that Griffin is some sort of a great head coach. Griffin wasn't my top choice either, but it's still too early to definitively say how good or bad of an NBA head coach he is when his entire head coaching career spans a total of 17 games.

My thing is that Bud is grossly overrated as an NBA head coach and absolutely had to go after last season. Is Griffin the answer? I don't know yet, I would have much rather had Nurse, but I would also much rather roll the dice with Griffin than go through a repeat of last season with Bud.

So far so good, through 17 games we are 1.0 GB for the best record in the league and in the Driver's seat for the #1 seed in the season tournament. You'd never know it by reading half the posts around here.

Bucks thru 17 games last season under Bud 12-5 record, 3 double digit losses.

Bucks thru 17 games this season under Griffin 12-5 record, 3 double digit losses.

And remember, the Bucks have a rookie head coach and haven't even begun to play their basketball yet.

But keep trying to tell yourself that we're going backwards.

Great post. It actually lowered my Bucks anxiety rating by about 10%

[Ron Swanson]

I can't tell if Mr. "every successful Packers/Bucks coach is actually awful" himself going full contrarian and defending Griff just to throw more dirt on Bud is surprising, or pretty on-brand. Both?

[sidney lanier]

I don't mind the "Bucks are a mess" narrative now being propounded by some here as well as by the East Coast bias boys like Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine on NBA radio. This morning they cited the friction between Giannis and Griffin when Griffin wanted Giannis to return to the bench instead of loitering at the scorer's table to get back in the game and also alleged that Lillard was over-deferring to Giannis early in the game, which accounts for the Bucks finding themselves stuck in early deficits.

Why don't I mind? These nit-picks are tells that they know what they will be up against when things click into place in a month or two.

[HKPackFan]

HK I always wanted to ask are you actually from Hong Kong or an expat?

Born in Madison, grew up in Milwaukee suburb Graduated from UW Milwaukee.

Spent 10yrs living in South Florida, before moving to Hong Kong.

Now close to 14yrs in HK. Definitely a long term expat.

I'm a packers season ticket holder which I ironically got only after I moved to FL. But I used to fly up for one or two games a year.

Now my brother uses them, I haven't gone in a few years. My bro also is an (on/off) 20yr bucks season ticket holder. That's how I got to go to all the finals home games. I flew in for that.

I'm in US for several weeks over the holidays now. Unfortunately there are no bucks games the Xmas week I'm in Milwaukee

It's still wild to me when I'm in hk or Asia and I see someone wearing bucks gear. That was impossible 5-6 years ago.

Very cool. I'm in Japan for about 5-6 months out of the year. Should definitely make my way over to HK one of these days

Yes! It's only 4hrs away! We could catch a morning Bucks game if in season.

Japan is amazing. Been a bunch of times, love it there.

[old skool]

A couple of thoughts about what was, for me, a pretty stupid game to watch. (All eye-test; I'm bad at advanced stats.)

1. It looked like Jackson was told to try to defend without fouling. He succeeded in not fouling, but his defense seemed to suffer. I think he can figure things out with time and development, but he is not ready for prime time at this point.

2. Beasley did a phenomenal job defensively by fronting his man and denying an entry pass to his man. He used his aggressiveness and athleticism to avoid those situations where his man gets the ball and easily blows by him because of his slow reaction.

3. One common denominator with the Bucks doing well in 4th quarters is the reliance on the vets and limited minutes for Beauchamp, Jackson and Green.

4. Down the stretch in the Portland game, the team seemed to be having fun with the new defensive schemes. Even with the score close and the game on the line, Lopez and Beasley were laughing and having fun. Lots of conversation and gesturing between the new additions and the old guard. Positive signs of growing chemistry; no signs of tension.

5. Griffin's defense seems to be more disruptive on the perimeter and generate more deflections on drives. Not obvious if that works against all teams, or just poor teams like Washington and Portland.

6. Having Portis exert perimeter pressure cuts down on the double figure rebound games he routinely posted a year ago.

7. Green has made one of his last six 3-point attempts.

8. The Bucks are 12-5, as a result of playing Giannis, Lillard and Lopez major minutes, with minimal rest games. A year ago, they seemed to care less about wins, playing the stars fewer mpg and resting more often.

9. Good job by Griffin managing timeouts. Had two left for the Brogdon foul challenge and the end of game in bound ball advancement. Also doing a good job with purposeful rotations (Thanasis notwithstanding) that seemingly balance competing in the moment with conserving energy for the end of game.

No team should feel good about winning a game after falling behind 81-55. That says more about the opponent than the "victor".

[old skool]

I don't mind the "Bucks are a mess" narrative now being propounded by some here as well as by the East Coast bias boys like Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine on NBA radio. This morning they cited the friction between Giannis and Griffin when Griffin wanted Giannis to return to the bench instead of loitering at the scorer's table to get back in the game and also alleged that Lillard was over-deferring to Giannis early in the game, which accounts for the Bucks finding themselves stuck in early deficits.

Why don't I mind? These nit-picks are tells that they know what they will be up against when things click into place in a month or two.

Isola is a huge fan of the Bucks. He and Scalabrine regularly pay homage to Giannis, reveling in their adoption of a small market team. When not reporting on the Nets or Celtics, their analysis of the other 28 teams seems to come from Hoopshype and skimming League Pass. Their full-time gigs don't leave room for any nuance. Just parroting other reports. 55% entertainment. 35% hot take analysis. 10% personal banter.

[TroyD92]

Born in Madison, grew up in Milwaukee suburb Graduated from UW Milwaukee.

Spent 10yrs living in South Florida, before moving to Hong Kong.

Now close to 14yrs in HK. Definitely a long term expat.

I'm a packers season ticket holder which I ironically got only after I moved to FL. But I used to fly up for one or two games a year.

Now my brother uses them, I haven't gone in a few years. My bro also is an (on/off) 20yr bucks season ticket holder. That's how I got to go to all the finals home games. I flew in for that.

I'm in US for several weeks over the holidays now. Unfortunately there are no bucks games the Xmas week I'm in Milwaukee

It's still wild to me when I'm in hk or Asia and I see someone wearing bucks gear. That was impossible 5-6 years ago.

Very cool. I'm in Japan for about 5-6 months out of the year. Should definitely make my way over to HK one of these days

Yes! It's only 4hrs away! We could catch a morning Bucks game if in season.

Japan is amazing. Been a bunch of times, love it there.

Send me a DM and we can figure something out!

[jute2003]

I can't tell if Mr. "every successful Packers/Bucks coach is actually awful" himself going full contrarian and defending Griff just to throw more dirt on Bud is surprising, or pretty on-brand. Both?

I was the first one to say

[sidney lanier]

I don't mind the "Bucks are a mess" narrative now being propounded by some here as well as by the East Coast bias boys like Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine on NBA radio. This morning they cited the friction between Giannis and Griffin when Griffin wanted Giannis to return to the bench instead of loitering at the scorer's table to get back in the game and also alleged that Lillard was over-deferring to Giannis early in the game, which accounts for the Bucks finding themselves stuck in early deficits.

Why don't I mind? These nit-picks are tells that they know what they will be up against when things click into place in a month or two.

Isola is a huge fan of the Bucks. He and Scalabrine regularly pay homage to Giannis, reveling in their adoption of a small market team. When not reporting on the Nets or Celtics, their analysis of the other 28 teams seems to come from Hoopshype and skimming League Pass. Their full-time gigs don't leave room for any nuance. Just parroting other reports. 55% entertainment. 35% hot take analysis. 10% personal banter.

Sure, when they give them a day. Then they turn on you.

Read on Twitter

Just kidding, but I still think when Celtics come to shove, their true colors show through.

[old skool]

Scalabrine is clearly rooting for Boston. He works for them 82 games. He views the Bucks as a threat to the Celtics.

Everyone in the national media is (should be) watching the Bucks to see how the Lillard trade works. The Ortg and Drtg numbers are reasons to question how things are working. Ditto for the couple of blowout losses. Nothing surprising there.

It is not surprising that their Sirius XM show has an East Coast bent, starting at 7AM EST and 4AM on the West Coast, with hosts that have spent their entire media careers with Atlantic Division teams. Thanks for recapping their takes for those of us who did not listen this morning.

[emunney]

SRS and net-rating mean absolutely nothing this early in the season. But if you guys wanna believe that Orlando, Minnesota, and OKC are the class of the league along with Philly and Boston, then knock yourselves out.

I took a look at the wayback machine and on Dec. 18th last year, Denver was 17-11, had a point differential of +0.9, and a SRS of .20. Season is long as ****.

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

SRS and net-rating mean absolutely nothing this early in the season. But if you guys wanna believe that Orlando, Minnesota, and OKC are the class of the league along with Philly and Boston, then knock yourselves out.

I took a look at the wayback machine and on Dec. 18th last year, Denver was 17-11, had a point differential of +0.9, and a SRS of .20. Season is long as ****.

it would be more interesting to look at numbers for champions that werent an anomaly with the number youre looking at tho

if srs and point diff are of no consequence this early.....then no number is of consequence this early even moreso wins and losses. you might as well just go with eye test and "the feels".

eye test and the feels wed be even worse.

there is absolutely zero reason to feel good about this team imo. they arent fun to watch. they play the wrong way. the interviews feel like a clown show. we got coachs literally quitting the team before it even started. key players already out.

i, like others, keep HOPING because of giannis and dame there is this massive upside that will arrive..... but besides that there is nothing ive seen. all signs point to a dumpster fire that will get worse in fact

[DingleJerry]

Yea as of now everything structurally with the team in terms of schemes, gameplanning, etc looks horribly off. However, having two of the top ten players in the world masks it and they keep winning in spite of it. Season is long AF to figure it out a bit but as of now I don't have much optimism come second round of the playoffs. Thinking positively, talent usually does win out and Giannis/Dame is a huge advantage. But in today's NBA that doesn't get you as far as there are so many ridiculously good players now

[Ron Swanson]

I don't really see anything the last two games that makes me feel better or worse about them long term. We transformed into an offensive juggernaut overnight but at the expense of defense. In the 4th quarter when this roster actually cares, they look borderline unbeatable. The defense doesn't have to be historically great and Griffin doesn't have to be an elite tactician for us to win a title. But at the same time, the defense can't be bottom-10 and Griffin can't be a "pissing down the side of his leg" level bad kind of coach.

You do have to wonder at this point when they're gonna have their "light bulb" moment with the defense though. Biggest indicator on how much of a disaster the defense continues to be is probably like, that we suck at doing the thing what Griffin's scheme is designed to do, and that's create turnovers (25th in opponent TO's and 26th in opponent TOV%). The transition defense still sucks (3rd most transition attempts allowed and only 19th in defensive efficiency) despite the fact that we aren't even crashing the offensive boards effectively (26th).

Stop. Trying. To. Make. This. Defense. A. Thing.

Scrap it, if not immediately, then soon.

[pifhluk23]

I don't really see anything the last two games that makes me feel better or worse about them long term. We transformed into an offensive juggernaut overnight but at the expense of defense. In the 4th quarter when this roster actually cares, they look borderline unbeatable. The defense doesn't have to be historically great and Griffin doesn't have to be an elite tactician for us to win a title. But at the same time, the defense can't be bottom-10 and Griffin can't be a "pissing down the side of his leg" level of bad kind of coach.

You do have to wonder at this point when they're gonna have their "light bulb" moment with the defense though. Biggest indicator on how much of a disaster the defense continues to be is probably like, that we suck at doing the thing what Griffin's scheme is designed to do, and that's create turnovers (25th in opponent TO's and 26th in opponent TOV%). The transition defense still sucks (3rd most transition attempts allowed and only 19th in defensive efficiency) despite the fact that we aren't even crashing the offensive boards effectively (26th).

Stop. Trying. To. Make. This. Defense. A. Thing.

Scrap it, if not immediately, then soon.

Wait are you saying we don't have to pick up Kuzma at 45ft?

[SickMother]

Missed the whole Beasley party thing and just assumed all the hangover comments were jokes about us sucking on a morning game. Can someone provide a detailed recap of the events for all of us to judge the actions of the players?

Party was pretty chill to start.

Charlie Bell brought pizza for everybody, Thon was signing yearbooks, Yi was even there guarding a chair, or was it guarding him? I can't remember.

But then Larry Sanders showed up with a bunch of Albanians and things got slippery quick.