PG Pacers - Bucks Drop Game 1

[pifhluk23]

Does no one in the entire Bucks organization notice how some guys simply don't have confidence on the road??? How can all these people making millions of dollars not see this...

Bobby Prince Kuz low road confidence

GTJ KPJ AJG not shook by playing on the road

I can see Kuzma doing the Stuart Smalley before games. Bobby probably tries to overhype himself on the road, misses his first shot and it's all downhill from there.

[GoldenAntlers]

Pick the best team right now in the NBA and put Doc rivers on there and he would run them right into the dirt

So... The Bucks?

[blazza18]

There will be a point where Doc realises he cant play Brook or Kuzma (unless it’s the 4) and probs TP too. The only question will be if it’s too late or not.

[GoldenAntlers]

There will be a point where Doc realises he cant play Brook or Kuzma (unless it’s the 4) and probs TP too. The only question will be if it’s too late or not.

We will know when we see the starting lineup for game 2.

[jute2003]

I expected the Bucks to lose. Road playoff game without dame and all.

How they lost was **** stupid though as everyone has pointed out.

I still think kuzma can be useful but not as a 3 against such a quick team. He looks unsettled and like his head is spinning. Either brook needs to sit and giannis and him move up a spot or kuzma needs to come off the bench.

Brook and Bobby are still not it. If they can't shoot, Sims is a better option. His athleticism plays on the defensive end and he is actually a good screener.

Giannis was playing hero ball. The timing on his passing when he did pass wasn't great and obviously the fts were a big problem. He also was coasting and ball watching on defense. The lineups and cold shooting did him no favors but I dont think he was particularly good yesterday.

I understand that starters don't matter as much as minutes and closers but for **** sake. That stupid jumbo lineup was getting blitzed up and down the court. It was obvious before the game that that would happen. Earn your goddam paycheck you **** dinosaur.

[paulpressey25]

Doc has to be the most overrated coach in the history of the NBA.

It's so wild that we fired bud when his worst seasons were over 50 wins, fired another coach with a winning record, and Doc has taken a team all in trying to win a championship with an MVP caliber player and another future HoF to a .500 record and likely 2 first round exits in 2 years. Be careful what you wish for I guess.

For coaches with 500 career wins, Bud only trails Pop and Kerr in winning percentage. He’s ahead of Spoelstra. So, the odds of the team finding a better coach were always remote. The question is what role did Giannis play in moving out Bud, and Jrue for that matter. Probably a big one.

Owners, Horst, Giannis. Just like yesterday’s game, a lot of blame to go around for the team taking a big step down.

[WeMajor34]

Whether or not we win this series, we need a coach who actually adjusts.

This starting lineup thing is ridiculous. It’s Doc trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. The lineup is not productive and even the most casual fan can see it doesn’t work.

IMO, with Dame: Dame, Trent, Green, Giannis, Portis

Without Dame: KPJ, Trent, Green, Giannis, Portis

Give Brook, Kuz and Prince some leash and see if they can give us anything (if Doc insists). Sims can play, he’s just so limited offensively, which makes it tough. Use Pat and Ajax as duel break-in-case of emergency guys for energy they both provide on different ends of the court.

We can still win this series despite Doc’s apparent stubbornness, but it’s an uphill battle that the organization willingly signed up for after canning Griff.

Edit: forgot about Rollins, obviously give him some burn too

[MickeyDavis]

I'm going to withhold my autopsy on the team until after the season. Yes there have been a series of moves since the championship. Bud/Grief/Doc. Jrue/Dame. Owners/Horst/Giannis decision making.... but let's not forget we haven't had a full team either. Middleton slips on the floor and goes down, we lose to Boston in 7 games. Giannis out the next 2 years. So I'll wait and see how this series and (hopefully) further series go before declaring this team dead.

[emunney]

Kuzma should probably sit until his thumb is 100%, maybe even 200%

[German Athens]

Looking at some stats from last night.

We shot 4 of 18 on wide open 3’s. They shot 11 of 23. Feels like this is the look every year.

Giannis had 17 drives, KPJ had 15, next most was Rollins at 4. This fits with what we all know - we have very limited on ball ability to get where we want.

We need to find more ways to get into the teeth of the defense that isn’t just Giannis at full speed.

Giannis had 8 potential assists, KPJ 14. I want that Giannis number to double, but I’m surprised, frankly, it was that high.

[Baddy Chuck]

Kuzma should probably sit until his thumb is 100%, maybe even 200%

At this point he might just want to pull a half decade stunt like Ben Simmons and fade into irrelevancy.

[emunney]

Kuzma should probably sit until his thumb is 100%, maybe even 200%

At this point he might just want to pull a half decade stunt like Ben Simmons and fade into irrelevancy.

I can't even blame him tbh. The problem is that Doc wants him to do too much (play basketball, have object permanence)

[ShootingtheJ]

Kuzma should probably sit until his thumb is 100%, maybe even 200%

Just so people know, Middleton is healthy right now. The late season knee injury he had was just a bruise, and Washington shut him down because he helped them win too many games.

[kanyon]

Haven't we already known this/Turner is a bad matchup for Brook since.... Forever?

[CharityStripe34]

Brook has been a warrior and iron man since his back surgery, but he should've been traded right after Game 7 @ Boston three years ago.

[Siefer]

Feels like home with the coach punting a game one on his favourite lineup instead of what might work. It's a small series so lets have 6 guys who are either PFs or Cs in the rotation. What do we do with our 3 best guards? Start none of them and have the 4th guard in the lineup do it alone.

Yep. Doc is playing the wrong guys in the wrong configurations, and often out of position. Kuz is a 4, Prince is a 3, and Rollins is a defensive guard, but certainly not a PG. At least Kuz and Rollins can usually hold up on defense.

Prince has been getting way too much burn all season, but asking him to play the 2 is complete nonsense against a small and fast group like Indy. He knows what he's supposed to be doing, and that has been a huge trap for Doc all season. Who cares if he knows he's supposed to do something if he can't do it? He gets dusted on the perimeter regularly, can't rebound, and doesn't shoot at a volume worth caring about. It's maddening to watch how often defensive breakdowns begin with him losing his guy.

Also, I'm going to throw a party the next (first?) time I see AJ get an off ball screen.

[Siefer]

Kuzma should probably sit until his thumb is 100%, maybe even 200%

We traded Khris Middleton and a rookie first rounder for Dan Gadzuric, but if he was always trying to run the break.

Man. In context the trade was worse then Ray for GP.

[emunney]

Kuzma should probably sit until his thumb is 100%, maybe even 200%

We traded Khris Middleton and a rookie first rounder for Dan Gadzuric, but if he was always trying to run the break.

Man. In context the trade was worse then Ray for GP.

At least in that trade, the AJJ came our way.

[ShootingtheJ]

The thing that still has me pissed today is how we chose to defend. We didn't switch. We over helped. Normally, we switch often, and don't help off shooters, especially in the corners. Indiana wants and needs you to help. They don't have great iso scorers. Stay home! Why make this change now! Absolutely maddening. Prince and Kuzma die on screens, so we don't switch? We made our bad players look even worse by playing to their weaknesses.

[Siefer]

Kuzma should probably sit until his thumb is 100%, maybe even 200%

We traded Khris Middleton and a rookie first rounder for Dan Gadzuric, but if he was always trying to run the break.

Man. In context the trade was worse then Ray for GP.

At least in that trade, the AJJ came our way.

It's so **** depressing, man. We downgraded our floor, or ceiling, lost a lottery ticket, and the guy we brought back is on a longer deal. He turns 30 this year!