ECF | P1: (1) Milwaukee Bucks vs (2) Toronto Raptors | MIL 1-0

[ChuckChilly]

Am I the only one that doesn't trust Bledsoe? Despite having the physique of a football player, he clearly seems like the smallest player on the court at all times, and doesnt seem to have an obvious advantage over any starter he plays against. If I had to choose, I would have gave Brogdon that contract instead of him.

[freethedevil]

And as someone who watched 90+ Raptors games this season, I can vouch that tonight was absolutely an off night for the Toronto Raptors. Every single player (except Lowry) shot well below their season averages, missing tons of open looks and making silly, unforced turnovers.

This narrative that only the Bucks played poorly is absurd.

Bucks fans keep pointing out they were a top-5 offensive and defensive team this year. Guess what? So were the Raptors. The Bucks weren't the only good team during the regular season.

Were they better than the Raptors this year? Sure. But the gap wasn't as large as you think, and this game was proof of that. It went down to the wire, with both teams playing poorly.

the bucks shot 25% from 3, lopes shot below 40%. The bucks had a far worse game by their syandards than the raptors did by theirs and they still lost. There's really no way to spin that.

The Raptors had a terrible game by their own standards.

They shot 35% from 3 (which is just league average, so not an outlier performance) thanks to Lowry's hot night (everyone else was cold from range).

I'm failing to see how having an average game because of one player changes that you had an average game. If you're getting all those points from one player then how does it matter you're getting those points from one player? If anything, that only one player was getting you those points should be even more concerning since that means you're putting all your eggs one basket.

[Greek]

Bucks will never shoot that bad again, it was the best chance of Raptors, bench and youth will play huge role, so i cant see the series past the 6 games...

And Kawhi and Pascal will never shoot that poorly again either. We can play this game all day.

Nah, its not going like that. Bucks have elite D, that can give troubles to anyone, plus they where shooting well all year long, something that can't be said for the Raptors. I just think that Bucks are the better team, they have more weapons than Raptors that are great team on their own right, just not as good as the Bucks.

One criticism that they where getting, is that they didnt tested on a close games, and people assumed that will choke, but they didnt.

[ReKon]

And as someone who watched 90+ Raptors games this season, I can vouch that tonight was absolutely an off night for the Toronto Raptors. Every single player (except Lowry) shot well below their season averages, missing tons of open looks and making silly, unforced turnovers.

This narrative that only the Bucks played poorly is absurd.

Bucks fans keep pointing out they were a top-5 offensive and defensive team this year. Guess what? So were the Raptors. The Bucks weren't the only good team during the regular season.

Were they better than the Raptors this year? Sure. But the gap wasn't as large as you think, and this game was proof of that. It went down to the wire, with both teams playing poorly.

the bucks shot 25% from 3, lopes shot below 40%. The bucks had a far worse game by their syandards than the raptors did by theirs and they still lost. There's really no way to spin that.

The Raptors had a terrible game by their own standards.

They shot 35% from 3 (which is just league average, so not an outlier performance) thanks to Lowry's hot night (everyone else was cold from range).

Our two top scorers were also wildly inefficient. As a team that relies on the production of their top-2 scorers a lot more than Milwaukee, having them play like that is a huge hit. Pascal had 15 points on 20 shots. Kawhi had 31 on 26. These were off-nights for both of them (whether you are looking at season, playoff, or vs. the Bucks averages).

The same can be said about the Bucks. Giannis shot 7-16 Middleton and Bledsoe were not making their shots. Connaughton and Hill who were huge against the Celtics were non factors today.. Lopez and Brogdon carried us

Let's not forget that we had an awful 1st quarter. It concerns me that we appear to be going into game 1s without a solid game plan to start the game especially if we are going to go to the finals and play the Warriors.

Both teams can play great defence so I expect to some degree that most players will be shooting below their usual averages.

[freethedevil]

Am I the only one that doesn't trust Bledsoe? Despite having the physique of a football player, he clearly seems like the smallest player on the court at all times, and doesnt seem to have an obvious advantage over any starter he plays against. If I had to choose, I would have gave Brogdon that contract instead of him.

you want bledsoe because of his defense more than anything. Say you get to the final, bledsoe's your best weapon vs a curry or lillard. Ofc unless the bucks win the title, whether anyone not named giannis shoudl be maxed is a decent question to ask.

[freethedevil]

A usage of 34% averaging 31 ppg on 65% TS with a 30 PER is not ideal in the playoffs? That was his numbers going into tonight's game.

“Playmaking.” Anything less than 2:1 is not, most coaches will say so about a ball dominant player. I said he was a whole beast otherwise, no player is without flaw. He usually only passes when faced with an impenetrable wall, in direct contrast to the style he was groomed under in SA. He should know better going against Budenholzer, a master at disguising coverages and weak side actions. Doubly so with now with all the length at his disposal.

Well if assists is what you're looking for than tune in jokic's game, oh yeah he's eliminated. Playmaking can be overrated, best player on a title team's main strength is never playmaking ability besides magic Johnson and he had Kareem #1 all time in points.

It's hilarious this is an opinion in a league's that's been dominated by steph and lebron. Actually it turns out, as thi shas been tested, the best playmakers playmaking offers a similar +4 points per 100 possessions to the best scorers scoring. See, it turns out being able to hit other options forces defenders to take care of the other options while being able to score forces players to leave options open. Playmaking and scoring go hand in hand and not being an elite playmaker puts a hardcap on what you can do for an offense.

[Raps in 4]

the bucks shot 25% from 3, lopes shot below 40%. The bucks had a far worse game by their syandards than the raptors did by theirs and they still lost. There's really no way to spin that.

The Raptors had a terrible game by their own standards.

They shot 35% from 3 (which is just league average, so not an outlier performance) thanks to Lowry's hot night (everyone else was cold from range).

I'm failing to see how having an average game because of one player changes that you had an average game. If you're getting all those points from one player then how does it matter you're getting those points from one player? If anything, that only one player was getting you those points should be even more concerning since that means you're putting all your eggs one basket.

It means that the team, as a whole, played poorly. They were being carried by one player.

[Raps in 4]

the bucks shot 25% from 3, lopes shot below 40%. The bucks had a far worse game by their syandards than the raptors did by theirs and they still lost. There's really no way to spin that.

The Raptors had a terrible game by their own standards.

They shot 35% from 3 (which is just league average, so not an outlier performance) thanks to Lowry's hot night (everyone else was cold from range).

Our two top scorers were also wildly inefficient. As a team that relies on the production of their top-2 scorers a lot more than Milwaukee, having them play like that is a huge hit. Pascal had 15 points on 20 shots. Kawhi had 31 on 26. These were off-nights for both of them (whether you are looking at season, playoff, or vs. the Bucks averages).

The same can be said about the Bucks. Giannis shot 7-16 Middleton and Bledsoe were not making their shots. Connaughton and Hill who were huge against the Celtics were non factors today.. Lopez and Brogdon carried us

Let's not forget that we had an awful 1st quarter. It concerns me that we appear to be going into game 1s without a solid game plan to start the game especially if we are going to go to the finals and play the Warriors.

Both teams can play great defence so I expect to some degree that most players will be shooting below their usual averages.

I never made the assertion that the Bucks didn't play poorly.

I'm just responding to the nonsense hot takes that the Raptors had a great game and that the Bucks somehow "still found a way to win".

[MelbourneBuck]

Bucks will never shoot that bad again, it was the best chance of Raptors, bench and youth will play huge role, so i cant see the series past the 6 games...

And Kawhi and Pascal will never shoot that poorly again either. We can play this game all day.

They will if they get blocked 10 times combined again. Bucks defense is really good and neither guy is a great passer so they're going to force up some contested shots.

[Raps in 4]

Bucks will never shoot that bad again, it was the best chance of Raptors, bench and youth will play huge role, so i cant see the series past the 6 games...

And Kawhi and Pascal will never shoot that poorly again either. We can play this game all day.

Nah, its not going like that. Bucks have elite D, that can give troubles to anyone, plus they where shooting well all year long, something that can't be said for the Raptors. I just think that Bucks are the better team, they have more weapons than Raptors that are great team on their own right, just not as good as the Bucks.

One criticism that they where getting, is that they didnt tested on a close games, and people assumed that will choke, but they didnt.

The Raptors also have elite D (they're both top-5 defensive teams). What's your point?

The Raptors also shot the ball well this year (top-5 offence as well). They were the top 3pt shooting team since February. Again, what's your point?

You can make an argument that the Bucks are the better team. That's pretty hard to dispute. But they aren't in some league of their own. The Raptors were only a hair behind them in most statistical categories.

Arguing that the Bucks had an outlier game while the Raptors played great is insanely misinformed.

[RRyder823]

Or maybe Raps outplayed them until the fourth. Because god forbid someone outplayed the almighty bucks this year.

What you described is exactly how the Bucks rolled over teams all year. Close game... Close game.... Close game.... 5-7 minutes to by..... Bucks up 15

The Bucks took the lead with less than 2 minutes remaining today. It was 100-99 for Toronto when Green turned the ball over.

I mean I did specify that the difference was the Raptors were ahead at the time instead of it being overly tight

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[old skool]

Milwaukee won this game in an improbable fashion. Toronto should have won, as they were the better team for most of the game. But they were done in by Milwaukee's superior depth and Budenholzer's plan for using that depth to wear down the Raptors. That depth has been key to Milwaukee's success all year. Toronto built a modest lead, in part, because their starters played well when Milwaukee rested their starters. But the Bucks rested starters were fresh for the final quarter and dominated Toronto.

The Bucks have been doing this all year. It is their plan.

[Dante80]

Before the series started, I thought that we could easily lose the first game due to rust and nerves, combined with a historically good Raptors team that would provide a big challenge that we'd have to adapt to.

The fact that we managed to win this game makes me happy for the rest of the series. Both teams played badly imo, but given the specifics I think that we have a lot of room for improvement and adjustments. I trust Bud a lot, and I know that the team will study the tape hard and try to come much stronger for the next match.

If we manage to win the second game, it will be huge for the players' confidence.

[GusT15]

To make one thing clear.

Brook Lopez is not a scrub.He is a dude who was always very good at basketball,reached the Allstar level,was unlucky enough to be a part of some terrible Nets teams during his prime.
Once the game changed in recent years and started to feel like times were leaving him behind,he changed his game as well to a 3&Rim Protecting Big on D.Props to him for that.
He is still good at basketball.He was never a scrub.

[MagicFrenchie]

Not fan of either team but realistically speaking , which team has a better shot at matching up with Warriors /w KD not 100% ?

The Bucks clearly. They can play the pace and space game just like GS and are much deeper. GS also has no one to slow down Giannis

Yeah was thinking the same, Dubs can't stop Giannis even with their defensive switches , and even less wit their death lineup they're going to get muredered by giannis and Lopez launching up bombs

Well wasn't far from what happened.
The Bucks in fact have 2 FREAKS.
A 7ft center making deep stepback 3's is a deadly weapon.
Doesn't sound good for the raptors, 61 pts duo lowry kawhi , a shy giannis couldn't get them the W.

Worrying.

[KingDavid]

Missed the game but thankfully I recorded it. I'll watch it later. This looks like a seven game series. Although I'm not expecting Lowry and Lopez to have these performances every game. Raps role players didn't look too hot. Who guarded Giannis/Kawhi?

Mostly Pascal and Middleton, but both guys drew a crowd every time they touched it.

Niiiice that's what I expected, thank you! This is going to be an amazing series. I hope Kawhi stays in Toronto so we can get a rematch next season

[KingDavid]

Missed the game but thankfully I recorded it. I'll watch it later. This looks like a seven game series. Although I'm not expecting Lowry and Lopez to have these performances every game. Raps role players didn't look too hot. Who guarded Giannis/Kawhi?

Mostly Pascal and Middleton, but both guys drew a crowd every time they touched it.

Niiiice that's what I expected, thank you! This is going to be an amazing series. I hope Kawhi stays in Toronto so we can get a rematch next season

[KingDavid]

The Bucks clearly. They can play the pace and space game just like GS and are much deeper. GS also has no one to slow down Giannis

Yeah was thinking the same, Dubs can't stop Giannis even with their defensive switches , and even less wit their death lineup they're going to get muredered by giannis and Lopez launching up bombs

Well wasn't far from what happened.
The Bucks in fact have 2 FREAKS.
A 7ft center making deep stepback 3's is a deadly weapon.
Doesn't sound good for the raptors, 61 pts duo lowry kawhi , a shy giannis couldn't get them the W.

Worrying.

I'm all for witnessing it, but I don't think one player is going to stop the juggernaut that is Golden State. Maybe if they aren't healthy? Gsw is one of the very few teams that can afford to let one man go off and lock down the role players. They score so easily and so fast when healthy.

But like I've been saying; that's why the games are played on court and not on paper... So we'll see.

[Ayt]

And the Raptors shot 37%. It's not like the Raptors were lighting it up and somehow lost to a Bucks squad that was playing poorly. Both teams sucked and the game was decided in the final 2 minutes.

The Raptors shot well for much of the game... they just ran out of gas. I'm not sure they are going to be able to keep up with the pace the bucks are pushing. They need see if they can slow the game down

The Raptors shot well for 1 quarter.

From the start of the 2nd quarter to the end of the game:

Raptors shot 31%
Bucks shot 42%

The Bucks outplayed the Raptors for 3/4 quarters, and still only won it in the final 2 minutes.

Uh, I don't see that as a positive for the Raptors. They hit 6 threes in the 1st quarter alone after averaging only 12 makes per game on the season. They had a 13 point lead only 8 minutes into the game and had a very good opportunity to bury the Bucks early and steal game 1. The Bucks came out nervous and put up several shots that hit only backboard.

The Bucks defense has been overlooked all season. They finished 1st in DRTG on the year at 104.9. They were 1st heading into this game during the playoffs at 98.2. This game, despite the 1st quarter, the Bucks had a DRTG of 98.0.

Guess what? The Bucks are really **** good defensively. After a hot start, the Raptors got locked down.

[Vlade Divac]

What’s his numbers 10 points and 5 rebounds in the playoffs. He’s absolutely the 5th or 6th option on the bucks.

Middleton, Bledsoe, Giannis, Beogdan, Miritic all clearly better. I’m not debating Milwakee is a good team.

If the dude was not a scrub he would not sign for 2 mill a year and the lakers would not get rid of him. My point is he’s having a historic year as is most bucks players but his most probably will not repeat itself.

Once again it just sucks that Raps got dominated by a guy who there is a decent might not have been in the NBA this year and yet has had a great performance.

I get it you like him and he’s had a good year. Do it again next year Lopez, you most likely won’t as you never have before and you are quite old for nba standards.

Yes he’s not technically a scrub, but he is a scrub for what he did tonight as he’s never done it in the past and most likely won’t again. But it’s cool you have bromance crush on him. He played well. Enjoy the win.

You really need to quit while you are behind. The Lakers didn't re-sign him not because he is a scrub, but because they are an incompetent bunch of idiots that didn't know how to properly use him. The Lakers have one of the worse management teams in the league and Lopez is a scrub because they didn't resign him?

Your hot takes get more brain dead with every post.

Lopez contract this year is easily best contract in whole NBA. They got him for 3 mil!

Fido’s to them and LOL to ineptitude of dysfunctional Lakers management



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