2023-2024 NBA Thread

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

So where do people stand on the Buck’s head coach now?

Still doesn't adjust well, but this roster when it's fully clicking can adjust for him.

[xskarma]

So where do people stand on the Buck’s head coach now?

I think he's criminally slow adjusting things, but, to give him his due, he HAS adjusted this series and these playoffs.

The worry is obviously that if the Suns make an adjustment late, if he'll be in time to correct things before the Suns put it away.

Suns just had 2 games where for 1 Booker didn't show up and the other no one EXCEPT Booker showed up, and that last one was the closest game of the series.

If the Suns figured things out in Game 4 and come out firing all cylinders in Game 5, can Bud adjust in time for it to make sure the Bucks take Game 6?


So, I guess that my opinion has shifted from "Bucks can't win with him" to "He's done enough to help the Bucks to be worthy of being a HC."

From the outside looking in, it doesn't seem like he's a Top 5 coach in the league though.

[xskarma]

I'm mystified by the continued reliance on Brooke Lopez. They are consistently worse when he's on the floor. He can't guard anyone on the Suns, and it's not like it's news in 2021 that a big plodding center becomes a liability in the playoffs. Put him on the bench, play Teague and Portis more, and you run away with this.

The Celtics were forced to play Jeff Teague a whole bunch this season, and it was a contributing factor to our season imploding. There's a reason we traded him and the team we traded him to let him go. Jeff Teague having minutes in a Finals of the NBA is not a good thing for that team and means their other options must be absolutely horrific. I agree Lopez probably is a liability for them, but I'm pretty sure he is less so than Jeff Teague.

Portis should play more though.

[xskarma]

Play Giannis as your big with Tucker and you've got enough size.

Going to guess they don't want Giannis banging with the likes of Ayton in the post. Might also have to do with their defensive schemes and how comfortable they are filling those roles. Playing in the middle is a whole different way of defending than what Giannis is used to.

But yeah Lopez is more on the team for when they have to go up against like, the Sixers or something. Guard heavy shooting team like Phoenix is not his match up.


Honestly, spur of the moment thought, but I wonder if playing Tucker at the 5 would be a possibility. He did it for the Rockets and although it didn;t work out for that version of the Rockets, he's got experience doing it and it would allow the Bucks to play "small" while still having a ton of size on the floor, depending on who they sub Lopez for (Portis or Connaughton).

Going to guess the Suns would just answer by playing through and feeding Ayton though. Still might be an option, but I doubt Bud is crazy or creative enough to try it.

[xskarma]

That said, I’m still predicting Bucks to take control of the series this evening.

Jrue heard you. Holy shit is he going off. That steal + 3 pt on Booker was just soul crushing.

[ProphetFlume]

Crowder has been a bucket of shit this series. Where’s the dancing dick from round 1?

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watching that strip and dunk +1 gave me stomach cramps.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

It's time to believe in the Bucks in 6!

[xskarma]

watching that strip and dunk +1 gave me stomach cramps.

The iconic photo of that dunk (at least I assume that's what it's going to be) showing Chris Paul feebly trying to foul Giannis to prevent the utterly inevitable dunk is something else.



We'll see exactly what the Suns are made of in Game 6. They had it in the palm of their hand after 2, are they going to be snuffed out in 4 after that or will they make a stand and bring it back for 1 last deciding game in the desert?

Right now after that game 6, you kind of have to assume Bucks close this out.

[ProphetFlume]

I watched USA vs Spain. Team USA is some genuinely shit basketball. They make one 3, miss 12 in a row, make 2 of the next 5, and 80% are forced looks. Had to turn it off in the fourth and saw they won later. It’s like seeing someone with bis armor barely beat a freshly capped but seasoned pvper.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

I watched USA vs Spain. Team USA is some genuinely shit basketball. They make one 3, miss 12 in a row, make 2 of the next 5, and 80% are forced looks. Had to turn it off in the fourth and saw they won later. It’s like seeing someone with bis armor barely beat a freshly capped but seasoned pvper.

They aren't trying. And given the shitshow these olympics are quickly devolving into I don't see why they feel they should. Broken record after two years of this but "it should have been cancelled."

[ProphetFlume]

Suns really imploded past couple games. Booker disappears or loses he ball, paul can’t make free throws and keeps getting caught trying to be cutesy for more turnovers.

But major credit to the bucks, they showed resilience through the postseason, were able to progress without giannis and the other players didn’t try to force things when they didn’t need to. Glad to see Middleton get this as I always remembered how much he stepped up the previous postseason without giannis. Giannis’ points today were inflated from him being apparently untouchable by the refs, but he still played great on d, in fgs, and majorly in free throws. Totally worthy.

Plus they got us free tacos

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Wisconsin waited 10 years
Milwaukee waited 50 years

It's finally time!

THE BUCKS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS!

[Rennadrel]

Disagree that they imploded. They caught bucks by surprise at home when Giannis wasn’t 100%, but this isn’t really a finals caliber team… they beat three severely wounded teams in the playoffs and finally ran into a relatively healthy top team.

People keep wanting to pretend that Paul is a superstar and he’s just not. They have a nice, well built team but every champ for years and years has that freak of nature superstar to carry the load when it gets tough, and they don’t have it.

This is a second round team maybe next year.

Half of winning a title is beating the teams ahead of you. The Lakers are old and can't stay healthy, at some point either LBJ hangs it up or accepts that he isn't an Alpha dog anymore and needs to play on a team where he's the 3 or 4 option on the floor in order to win, rather than trying to be the #1 option every night and getting hurt.

[xskarma]

Yeah, I'm not buying the "Actually the Suns weren't good" narrative. The Suns were good and shined throughout the post season, they just ran into a Bucks team that had answers to them and was mentally locked in.

The only flaw the Suns had was that their bench stunk. They had a better +/- of the 5 starters than the Bucks starters and they scored more than the Bucks starters.

But as soon as a Suns player went to the bench, trouble began. And if Booker sat, they got destroyed.

This Suns team needs better bench depth and needs to hope that CP3 can keep playing at a similar level despite age. If they get that, they can compete just as well next year.

[ProphetFlume]

One hilarious stat they showed was the suns hc playoff record at 14-15 or similar, but 12 of those wins were from this year, so he was previously like 2-12.

True… but they were incredibly lucky to gave three teams with an injured star.

Are we all forgetting the nets? Does anyone think they get past them if Kyrie or harden don’t get hurt?

[xskarma]

I think Bucks are 3rd best team in East if everyone is healthy.

...what. Behind the Nets and who else?

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I had to go back and check if I ws being dumb and forgetting some team. Please tell me you don't mean the Sixers. Cause that would be the worst take I have seen on these boards in years.

[Ursus]

I love how all too often when a city wins a major championship, some morons just can't resist burning shit down or shooting people to express their joy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btu3VuSeOk8

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Haha maybe so… it’s a close call for me between the two.

Bucks are a mile ahead of the 76ers. Whether they keep Simmons or not.

To me the East next year looks like Nets, Bucks, and then everyone else.

[xskarma]

Bucks are a mile ahead of the 76ers. Whether they keep Simmons or not.

To me the East next year looks like Nets, Bucks, and then everyone else.

I think it's the Bucks on top and then a group of the Nets and Hawks and possibly the Sixers and Celtics and Knicks and Heat depending on moves those teams make, and then a big gap.

West is Suns, Nuggets, Jazz, Clippers (depending on if they hold on to Kawhi or not), Lakers (depending on depth & Bron aging) then a gap and then teams like Warriors, Grizz, Blazers, Mavs.

The rest of the teams have a catch up to do, in either conference.

Next season might be amazing though. With a bit less injury nonsense, we could have a hell of a post season next year. Better than this year and this year was pretty good.

(I'll admit though that years with obvious Super Teams, like the Lakers last season, are less interesting to me. I;d rather cheer for teams to succeed like this year than having to root that a team fails (like with Super Teams).)

[StillMcfuu]

I think it's the Bucks on top and then a group of the Nets and Hawks and possibly the Sixers and Celtics and Knicks and Heat depending on moves those teams make, and then a big gap.

West is Suns, Nuggets, Jazz, Clippers (depending on if they hold on to Kawhi or not), Lakers (depending on depth & Bron aging) then a gap and then teams like Warriors, Grizz, Blazers, Mavs.

The rest of the teams have a catch up to do, in either conference.

Next season might be amazing though. With a bit less injury nonsense, we could have a hell of a post season next year. Better than this year and this year was pretty good.

(I'll admit though that years with obvious Super Teams, like the Lakers last season, are less interesting to me. I;d rather cheer for teams to succeed like this year than having to root that a team fails (like with Super Teams).)

Warriors should have Klay back, it don't make them favorites but definitely a huge pain in the ass to compete against.

With Klay i put them at about Nuggets level, but definitely over Griz, Mavs, Blazers, maybe even Lakers if they don't get their roster sorted.