[Eastern Conference Finals] (1)Milwaukee vs. (2)Toronto

Again . .. they held home
Now the series begins

Rocket River

 

For years it has been anticipated that Giannis could give Lebron a run for his money in the East......Now it needs another King.

 

While I agree that the Bucks are probably the better/deeper team, I am also seeing the Raptors missing open shots and making mistakes they don't usually make. I suspect they are still feeling the effects of a tough 7-game series vs. the Sixers. The big question is whether or not they can get rejuvenated enough to bounce back.

 

Buck's dynasty? Too early to say that. Seems many have forgotten how Dwight and Orlando got to the finals and then they were never heard of again.

This summer will likely reshape the entire league. Too early to annoint anyone king of anything

 

This guy doesnt seem to know much about the Xs and Os of the game.

Bucks have looked so good cos Toronto had the wrong approach. Every team has a weakness and its only a question of if you have the personnel to exploit it.

 

They have better guard depth than Toronto. Bledsoe, Brogdon , Hill and Middleton. In fact there is also Sterling Brown and Snell who aren't even in the rotation but are better than what Toronto is using right now in their guards like Meeks.

 

Last night, Buck started with one guard (Bledsoe) and four fowards (Middleton, Giannis, Mirotic and Lopez). That is a very big lineup that takes full advantage of Bucks depth of quality bigs and exposes Raptor lack of (only Gasol and Ibaka). Bucks will always win that matchup

If Raptors can force Bucks to go small and push the pace, Milwaukee would be limited to a core of Bledsoe, Brogdon , Hill and Middleton and Giannis, with Connaughton, Brown, Snell and possibly Mirotic off the bench. Bucks would have lost the services of Lopez and Ilya, while Toronto only loses Gasol.

Bledsoe, Hill and Giannis are not reliable perimeter shooters and Kawhi on Middleton limits them further. Siakam would also be able to find more favorable matchups.

Even if Raptors are still at a disadvantage, it would still be a better situation than the current scenario and would give them a better chance in the series

 

The Raptors have less depth in both the guards and the bigs. If they want to push the pace then it will only be worse for them . They are already tired overplaying Kawhi and Lowry and Milwaukee is the no1 defence in transition. A small ball is only taking away Lopez but Ilya and Mirotic have both been playing Center with Giannis rim protecting when it has come to this. At all times no matter what they can have 4 shooters + Giannis in the court. Tall ball or small ball.

Actually when Giannis plays the 5 for real the Bucks have been unstoppable. They have come back from 15+ pnts deficits in 3 minutes against great defences like Indiana's.
Too bad Bud is using it extremely rarely but most analysts believe it is his hidden card saved for the finals. I hope that's the reason and not that he's again stubborn with adjustments. For now it wasn't needed but it may be needed in the next round if they advance.

 

Playoffs are about matchups and the loss of Gasol is less for the raptors than losing Lopez and Ilya for the Bucks. Lopez killed them in game 1 and Ilya in game 2.

The best that the raptor have looked in this series was in the first 3 qtrs of game 1, when they pushed the pace, The reason they lost was cos Nurse did not manage his rotations better. In game 2, when they played slower, they were blown out.

Bud has been playing a big lineup cos it is what gives them the best advantage over the Raptors. If Nutse continues to start Gasol, the series might be a sweep. He needs to go back to his initial plan but manage his rotation better, particularly playing at home where role plays tend to do better.

 

lol @ Scott Foster.

Imposing his will on the game.

How is that a foul on Ersan??

 

Danny green fell off big time

 

Giannis FT airball LOL

 

Toronto called a time out when the other team tied the game.

As a Rockets fan, I don't remember how this felt

 

Well, prepare yourself cause it seems like that's not gonna change anytime soon

 

Raptors don't need to closeout so hard on Giannis. He can't shoot. Led to that last open 3PT in the corner.

 

Kawhi is injured.

No way Malcom gets that layup over him if he wasnt.

Hardly saw any lift from Kawhi on that play.

 

lol terrible shot attempt by Middleton.