Game 25: NBA Cup Semis: Bucks/Hawks - 12/14 - 3:30 - TNT

[Bernman]

This is the playoffs, w/ a big gap in between games. There's no waiting until a day before to discuss, as is custom.

The Bucks were the only team to make the quarters both yrs, & now are the only one to reach the semis too. So far they're the Wisconsin Badgers of the NBA Cup. Trying to evolve to Duke in winning it.

Milwaukee is trying to avenge their home loss to the Hawks just a week ago. The game was the 2nd of a back-to-back, traveling the night before, and coming off a big win to make it to the tournament. This time they'll be rested, physically & mentally.

However, this has proven a tough match-up for Giannis & the Bucks in recent yrs. Their athletic bigs have combined to make Giannis' road to the rim a rocky one. He needs to be unselfish & Dame + Midds have to show up for the Bucks to win. Another shooter like Bird getting hot would help as a pressure-release valve. Ajax may be useful for matching up athletically & on the boards, but he's someone else they don't have to guard to make the offense more difficult. That's a catch-22.

Speaking of rebounding, they were a terror for the Knicks & Bucks. On the season, this has been an area where the Bucks have struggled. I think the gameplan should be for the Bucks to pack the paint like the Hawks and dare their sub-standard shooting to beat them. That would force smaller guys & weaker defenders on the court to soften them up for Giannis. In the meantime Lopez should be able to match-up w/ Capela & the Bucks have #'s + strength to gang rebound in a phone booth. The best Hawks' offense may be in their o-rebounding & transition, the latter of which they ought to be careful w/ the ball & force a halfcourt game.

Onto the finals (or not)!

[emunney]

Honks starting to look like the Honks again

[Ron Swanson]

Think we win this one. Crazy that a team built around Trae actually looks legit on defense, but the trade-off for them has been that they're now a trash shooting team (Hunter and Trae the only reliable floor-spacers in their starting unit). We also won't be on the 2nd half of a back-to-back, so the only thing that I think swings this in their favor is if Doc learned nothing from last time, i.e. that this is a bad Bobby matchup.

[MickeyDavis]

Still don't care much about the cup itself. But this counts in the standings so of course I want to win. Hawks have been playing great. With Trae doing the dice thing on the Knicks logo last night I would imagine Knicks fans are Bucks fans for this game. Last game against them Giannis missed 11 FT's, Green was 2-11 from 3, Bobby and Brook were crap. No Khris. Offensive rebounds killed us. And Hawks had 16 steals.

[paulpressey25]

This is a great outcome for us. As fans we'll have an awesome, high stakes game on Saturday to watch.

And we'll get to test how the Bucks respond to an athletic team in a playoff atmosphere. And we need to this type of test. Will say a lot about what this team's fortunes look like this season.

[MickeyDavis]

This is a great outcome for us. As fans we'll have an awesome, high stakes game on Saturday to watch.

And we'll get to test how the Bucks respond to an athletic team in a playoff atmosphere. And we need to this type of test. Will say a lot about what this team's fortunes look like this season.

Agreed. No heavy schedule excuses, no one being rested (Khris still on a restriction though), games like this are important measuring sticks for the FO as they determine moves over the next 2 months.

[JayMKE]

Don’t let Jalen Johnson have like 10 dunks and Bucks win

[MiltownMadness]

Yeah I think the vets take care of business with the 500k being a big reason. Playing clean turnover free basketball should be getting drilled in their heads, we will win if they don't get a crazy amount of transition buckets like last time

[MickeyDavis]

Yeah I think the vets take care of business with the 500k being a big reason.

That's what I thought last year and Indy beat us by 9 in the semi's. And that's with Khris playing 30 minutes. I think it helps that they ended our winning streak recently and were cocky in doing so (and rightfully so, they whipped us and extended their own winning streak).

[Sigra]

Lakers won rings-2020
Bucks won rings-2021 (before finals they played Hawks)

Lakers won cup-2023
Bucks won cup-2024 (before finals they played Hawks)

Its over

[MickeyDavis]

Lakers won rings-2020
Bucks won rings-2021 (before finals they played Hawks)

Lakers won cup-2023
Bucks won cup-2024 (before finals they played Hawks)

Its over

Lakers won the cup and then flamed out in the playoffs. I don't want to follow their pattern. Of course last year we didn't win the cup and flamed out in the first round so who knows.

[MiltownMadness]

Yeah I think the vets take care of business with the 500k being a big reason.

That's what I thought last year and Indy beat us by 9 in the semi's. And that's with Khris playing 30 minutes. I think it helps that they ended our winning streak recently and were cocky in doing so (and rightfully so, they whipped us and extended their own winning streak).

I thought our team was terrible last year with AG, I don't think we are terrible right now.

[SupremeHustle]

I got the Hawks in this one. Bad matchup for us. Someone said they remind them of last year's Pacers and I get that.

We woulda beat the Knicks, though.

[BigO]

I think this is a bad matchup for Lopez. Luckily, he doesn't have to guard Capela on the perimeter, but he can't keep up with teams that can run.

BP didn't have a great game against them, but did have 18 rebounds.

It won't happen, but I think Doc needs to have a Bud mentality when it comes to getting back on defense. Bud was willing to sacrifice any offensive boards in exchange for everyone running back when the shot went up.

[Bernman]

Bobby had 5 rebounds against the Hawks (18 vs. Boston).

IMO this should be the 1st game Khris starts. It's a big 1, Prince has sucked lately, & this won't be easy. Khris will have 5 days from his last game to ramp up fitness. Oddly, the most minutes he logged were in his 1st game back. It was 23. Can go to 28-30 here.

[rilamann]

This is a great outcome for us. As fans we'll have an awesome, high stakes game on Saturday to watch.

And we'll get to test how the Bucks respond to an athletic team in a playoff atmosphere. And we need to this type of test. Will say a lot about what this team's fortunes look like this season.

I was thinking the same thing, this game will tell us a lot about the Bucks going forward. And not just because it's a cup game, but also because the Hawks match-up wise are a great test for us. To get them in a high intensity game in December will be a great measuring stick. Every regular season there are maybe 5 or so games that hold a ton of weight and tell you who a team really is. This is one of those games. We will learn a lot about the Bucks Saturday.

This game is huge for Doc Rivers and will tell us a lot about him. A high stakes and high intensity game vs a good athletic team that just came into our house and beat us a week ago. The Bucks should beat the Hawks, but it's not a match-up where we can just show up and win because we have Giannis and they don't. Doc will have to earn his money in this one, literally and figuratively....lol.

[mediocrityrules]

Rebounding is our big problem this year, and this game won't turn it around. There's every chance we lose this game because the Hawks can take O boards at will. That, and the insane amount of points they will score off of our turnovers because we suck at controlling the ball under pressure, and the Hawks bring an insane amount of pressure to the ball handler and the passing lanes.

[Serge28]

I'm going to be the crazed Bucks fan going absolutely nuts in the lower bowl (section 206)! You probably won't see me, but you sure as hell will hear me lol

[Serge28]

P.S. Last time I saw a Bucks-Hawks game in person was Game 5 of 2021 ECF, which the Bucks won.

[crkone]

I'd spam Lopez PnRs with everyone on the floor or just keep him at the top of the key mainly because it'll allow him to get back on defense quicker.