20 Second Timeout

Halliburton's Three Point Play Silences Bucks as Pacers Win in Overtime

Patrick Beverley and Damian Lillard often have a lot to say, but Tyrese Halliburton had the last word as his Indiana Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime, 121-118. The 2024 regular season assist champion showcased his versatility with 18 points, a game-high 16 assists, and 10 rebounds while posting a game-high +16 plus/minus number, but Halliburton saved his best for last: Halliburton received an inbounds pass in the backcourt, took a running start, faked Beverley out of his shorts, and then lofted a runner in the paint to give the Pacers a 120-118 lead with 1.4 seconds remaining in overtime. Beverley got back in the play just in time to foul Halliburton, and Halliburton capped off the scoring by making his free throw. Khris Middleton's three pointer at the buzzer came up short, and the Pacers took a 2-1 series lead.

Myles Turner led the Pacers with 29 points, and he collected nine rebounds. He shot 10-21 from the field, including 4-10 from three point range as he provided floor spacing from the center position. Pascal Siakam, who won an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, was a calming influence with 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists after exploding for 36 points and 13 rebounds in game one and then producing 37 points and 11 rebounds in game two. The other Indiana starters, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith, scored 16 and 13 points respectively, and Obi Toppin chipped in 15 points and six rebounds in just 17 minutes off of the bench.

Khris Middleton, who has been hobbled by injuries the past two years after making the All-Star team three times in a four season span, had a flashback performance with 42 points on 16-29 field goal shooting, 10 rebounds, and five assists. He hit several clutch shots, including a 30 foot three pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. Damian Lillard added 28 points, but he shot just 6-20 from the field, and Milwaukee's offense flowed much better when Middleton was in control late in the game after Lillard suffered an Achilles injury that turned him into a decoy. Bobby Portis had 17 points and a game-high 18 rebounds, and center Brook Lopez added 14 points but snared just four rebounds as the Pacers outrebounded the Bucks, 50-43. Beverley had a -8 plus/minus number and six fouls in 42 minutes, and the ratio of his trash talk and fouls committed to his defensive effectiveness was not positive for the Bucks. As Russell Westbrook once sagely noted to a media swarm, "Pat Bev trick y'all, man, like he playing defense. He don't guard nobody, man. He just running around, doing nothing."

Hubie Brown provided the color commentary for ESPN. Brown was an assistant coach with the Bucks from 1972-74 before leading the Kentucky Colonels to the 1975 ABA championship with a 4-1 win over the Indiana Pacers as part of the Interstate 65 rivalry between those two stalwart ABA franchises.

The Pacers led 39-22 after the first quarter, and at that point it did not seem likely that the game would be competitive, let alone have a classic overtime finish. Toppin scored 11 first quarter points on 5-5 field goal shooting, and the Pacers hit five three pointers while the Bucks shot just 6-20 (.300) from the field. The Pacers' bench outscored the Bucks' bench 19-2 in the first quarter. Brown noted that Milwaukee's perimeter defense is poor and that the Pacers are outstanding at pushing the ball and then spreading the court to create open shots. Brown declared that the Pacers are "at the top of their game, playing with tremendous confidence," and he praised their "full court passing." The Pacers finished the game with 32 assists on 45 field goals made.

During the second quarter, Brown said, "I would like to see Lopez in the painted area." Lopez scored 10 second quarter points on 5-5 field goal shooting as the Bucks outscored the Pacers 33-28 to pull within 67-55 by halftime. Lillard scored just nine first half points on 2-10 field goal shooting, and Portis had two first half points on 1-6 field goal shooting. Brown prophetically said that in order for the Bucks to get back in the game they need more production from both of those players; they combined to score 34 second half points as the Bucks rallied to nearly pull off a road win.

The Bucks slowed the Pacers down in the third quarter and held them to 1-9 three point field goal shooting while winning that stanza 28-23 to enter the fourth quarter trailing 90-83. Middleton scored 11 fourth quarter points on 5-6 field goal shooting as the Bucks completed their comeback and even took the lead before forcing overtime. 

Middleton scored all seven of the Bucks' points in overtime while the Pacers spread out their scoring among four different players.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has yet to play in this series due to a calf injury, and his status is still uncertain. Now that Lillard is hobbled by an Achilles injury, the Bucks may be just a couple games away from seeing their season come to an unexpectedly early conclusion.

Labels: Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Hubie Brown, Indiana Pacers, Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks, Myles Turner, Pat Beverley, Tyrese Haliburton

posted by David Friedman @ 11:57 PM

3 comments

Sharpshooting Bucks Take Down Defenseless Suns, 140-129

The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 140-129 on Sunday even though the Suns were at full strength while the Bucks were missing two-time regular season MVP (2019, 2020) Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was a late precautionary scratch due to lingering hamstring soreness. Damian Lillard scored a game-high 31 points on 10-19 field goal shooting while passing for a game-high/career-high tying 16 assists. Bobby Portis matched Lillard with 31 points, shooting 13-20 from the field and also snaring a game-high 10 rebounds. Portis made all five of his three point shots. Khris Middleton returned to the lineup after missing 16 games with an ankle injury, and he had a major impact, scoring 22 points and dishing for seven assists in just 25 minutes. The Bucks set season highs for three point field goals made (24) and points scored in a half (82) while also tying the NBA record for three point field goals made in a half (18). Their 140 points is the most that they have scored since Doc Rivers took the head coaching reins shortly before the All-Star Game.

Bradley Beal led the Suns with 28 points while passing for seven assists, Grayson Allen added 25 points and a team-high eight assists, and Devin Booker had 23 points, a team-high nine rebounds, and six assists. Kevin Durant entered the game needing 20 points to surpass Shaquille O'Neal on the all-time scoring list, but he finished with just 11 points on 4-10 field goal shooting, though he did have a strong floor game (nine rebounds, four assists, three steals, two blocked shots, and just one turnover in a game-high 41 minutes).

This rematch of the 2021 NBA Finals did not feel like a rematch not only because of Antetokounmpo's absence but also because Booker is the only player or coach remaining from Phoenix' 2021 squad. It is amazing how quickly things change in the NBA, even for franchises that have been successful.  

Hubie Brown provided the color commentary for ABC. His most recent telecast was last Sunday when the Philadelphia 76ers beat the New York Knicks 79-73 in the NBA's lowest scoring game since 2016. Brown's pregame remarks focused on Middleton and Durant. Brown noted that even though Middleton is only averaging around 14 ppg this season he is a proven 20 ppg scorer who can also play the point guard role during crunch time minutes. Brown commented that Durant is so good that he makes scoring look easy, and he pointed out how Durant uses his length to create space to launch uncontested shots. 

Lillard is having a good season by conventional standards, but his numbers are below his career averages in several key categories, including PPG, FG%, and 3FG%. He played poorly in his previous two games, scoring just 27 points on 9-28 (.321) field goal shooting, but he understood the assignment with Antetokounmpo out of action: score efficiently while creating easy scoring opportunities for his teammates. Lillard scored nine first quarter points, but even more importantly he had six assists and no turnovers. Portis led the Bucks with 12 first quarter points on 5-5 field goal shooting. 

The Suns jumped out to a 9-3 lead, but by the end of the first quarter the Bucks led 39-36 and they never trailed again. The Bucks shot 15-24 from the field (.625) in the first quarter and the Suns were not far behind that blazing pace, shooting 14-25 (.560). Brown called the Bucks a "slow defensive recovery team," and added, "You can see early in this game that the defensive end off of the dribble is going to be a problem for Milwaukee." 

Brown amplified his pregame comments about Middleton's importance to the Bucks, calling him "A joy to watch," and praising him as a third scoring option who is comfortable being the second or even first option in clutch situations, which takes pressure off of Antetokounmpo and Lillard. 

Brown, who made his mark as a defensive-minded coach, described the defense in this game as so bad "it's almost outrageous," specifically noting that on many plays a defender was not within four or five feet of the shooter. Brown pointed out that the Bucks' strategy was to trap Booker and Durant out front while playing zone behind the traps.

After Portis made a three pointer from the left wing in the second quarter, he shouted, "That’s for you, Hubie!" Portis gave a similar shoutout to Brown during Milwaukee's 119-98 win over Philadelphia on Sunday February 25. Brown loves Portis' game, and it is nice to see a player who is far too young to remember most of Brown's coaching and broadcasting careers demonstrating such respect for one of the legends of the game.

The Bucks led 82-60 at halftime, mainly because of their record-setting three point shooting, led by Portis' 25 points on 10-13 field goal shooting (including 5-5 from three point range). Brown mentioned that the Bucks shot 2-2 from the free throw line during the first half, and said that this is because the Bucks were "shooting at will in wide open areas." The Suns' defense was so bad that they were not even close enough to the Bucks to foul them, let alone hinder or stop them. 

Brown said that the Suns should approach the second half with the mindset of cutting 4-5 points off of the lead every six minutes. The Suns stuck to that blueprint quite well, helped by the nature of the NBA today: the three point shot is a high variance play, and overuse of the three point shot is a major reason that NBA games so often feature big leads followed by big comebacks. In this game, the Bucks led by as many as 25 points in the second half before the Suns used a 32-13 rally to trim the margin to 100-94 with 1:30 remaining in the third quarter; in less than eight minutes, the Suns transformed a blowout into a potential win. The Bucks quickly built their lead back up to 15 points, but had to withstand one more Phoenix surge that trimmed the deficit to 122-115 with 6:17 left in the fourth quarter. The Suns made their run by utilizing a smaller, more aggressive lineup featuring Durant as the only player taller than 6-7.

Although the Suns outscored the Bucks 35-31 in the fourth quarter, overall this season the Suns have been awful in the final stanza, posting the fifth worst fourth quarter scoring margin in NBA history and blowing 10 fourth quarter leads. Brown attributes the Suns' fourth quarter struggles this season to high turnovers and low field goal percentage.

After the Bucks sealed the win in the closing moments, Brown's broadcast partner Dave Pasch noted that Lillard is the first player in Bucks' history to have at least 30 points and at least 15 assists in the same game. Brown replied that he was fortunate to coach great Milwaukee players including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and Bob Dandridge. Brown said that it is important to remind younger viewers that Robertson averaged 30-10-10 in his first five NBA seasons. "That is the impression he made," Brown emphasized. Brown is correct, and in fact Robertson averaged 30.4 ppg, 10.7 apg, 10.0 rpg in his first six NBA seasons. Brown respects the players in today's NBA and he praises Lillard's game when warranted, but Brown did a great job of making it clear that one 30-15 game is not equivalent to averaging 30-10-10 for several seasons in a row.  

This game reflected the strengths and weaknesses that both teams have displayed throughout the season: the Bucks are potentially an offensive powerhouse, but they need Antetokounmpo on the court to provide paint presence at both ends of the court; the Suns' Durant-Booker-Beal trio can be lethal on offense, but collectively the Suns provide little defensive resistance. 

Labels: Bobby Portis, Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Hubie Brown, Kevin Durant, Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns

posted by David Friedman @ 2:46 AM

12 comments

Milwaukee Versus Boston Preview

Eastern Conference Second Round

#3 Milwaukee (51-31) vs. #2 Boston (51-31)

Season series: Tied, 2-2

Boston can win if…the Celtics' elite defense prevents Giannis Antetokounmpo from dominating in the paint without giving up high percentage shot attempts to Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, and Milwaukee's other three point shooters. 

The Celtics swept the Brooklyn Nets with a balanced scoring attack plus a stifling defense that held Kevin Durant to 26.3 ppg on .386 field goal shooting. Jayson Tatum led both teams in scoring (29.5 ppg) and assists (7.3 apg) while also making a significant impact on defense as the primary defender against Durant. The Celtics forced Durant and Kyrie Irving (21.3 ppg on .444 field goal shooting) to play in a crowd and shoot under duress while also making sure that the Nets' supporting cast did not run wild. The Celtics have tremendous size, speed, and versatility. 

Jaylen Brown (22.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.3 apg) had an excellent all-around series versus the Nets, as did 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart (16.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 7.0 apg). Al Horford (13.0 ppg, series-high 7.5 rpg) showed that he still has a lot left in the tank. Horford has defended well against Antetokounmpo.

Milwaukee will win because…the Bucks not only have the NBA's best player--Giannis Antetokounmpo--but they have the necessary size, depth, and versatility to match up with the Celtics. The Bucks' frontcourt of Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, and Bobby Portis will not be pushed around by any team. The advantages that the Celtics enjoyed versus the Nets will not work in the Celtics' favor against the Bucks: the Nets have a small team that does not effectively attack the paint or defend the paint, but the Bucks attack the paint not only with Antetokounmpo but also with Lopez and Portis. On defense, the Bucks aggressively defend the paint and force their opponents to make three pointers. The Bucks shut down the Chicago Bulls during the first round. 

Antetokounmpo averaged 28.6 ppg, 13.4 rpg, and 6.2 apg versus the Bulls while shooting .568 from the field. Holiday had subpar shooting splits (.407/.345/.600) but he averaged 6.8 apg and played his usual first-rate defense. He will need to shoot better versus the Celtics for the Bucks to win, particularly because the Bucks will likely be without the services of All-Star Khris Middleton for the entire series. Portis' scoring and rebounding (11.6 ppg, 11.4 rpg versus the Bulls) and Allen's three point shooting (14-24, .583 versus the Bulls) will be very important, particularly with Middleton out of the lineup.

Other things to consider: The Bucks will miss the all-around play that Middleton provides. During game two of the Chicago series, Middleton injured the MCL in his left knee, and he has not played since he got hurt. However, the Bucks have enough talent and depth to survive until Middleton returns. 

This will be an interesting matchup of two well-coached, high-performing teams that flew under the radar for much of this season as media attention focused on other teams, including the Brooklyn Nets and the L.A. Lakers.

Holiday won the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award for the second time in three years. This honor may not have the same high profile as MVP or Rookie of the Year, but it emphasizes the enduring importance of character, and it was nice that Ernie Johnson mentioned the award during one of TNT's pregame shows. It is interesting that Holiday decided to not have the presentation ceremony right now so that the team stays focused on its playoff goals. Character matters, and character combined with talent is a championship combination. It is not a coincidence that the Bucks won their first championship since 1971 in the first season after Holiday joined the team.

As much as I respect the Bucks, I did not like it when they did not play their normal starting lineup in the final game of the regular season, content to lose that game, drop to the third seed, and face the Bulls in the first round even if that cost them home court advantage in the second round. Neither the Nets nor the Bulls offered much resistance in the first round, but now the Celtics enjoy home court advantage in this series. That could be an important factor if this series goes the distance, but I think that both of these teams can win on the road, and that the Bucks will take the pivotal game five in Boston before winning at home in game six to close out the series.

Labels: Boston Celtics, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart, Milwaukee Bucks

posted by David Friedman @ 11:40 PM

2 comments

NBA Opening Night 2021 Featured Current Stars While Honoring 75 Years of Stars

NBA Opening Night 2021 featured a star-studded doubleheader, Milwaukee's championship ring ceremony, and the announcement of 25 members of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. The NBA will announce 25 more members tomorrow night, and then the final group of 25 will be announced on Thursday night. This is cross-promotion at its worst, not finest: the announcement of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team is too historically significant to reduce it to a three day public relations stunt split between the NBA's two main TV partners. The complete list should have been announced at one time. This is a time to appreciate and celebrate all 75 players--and, inevitably, have debates about who should have made the list--not a time to wait and wonder who the remaining 50 players are.

The voters for the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team were instructed to select the 75 greatest players from scratch, and not just add 25 players to the 50 Greatest Players List from 1996. It will be interesting to see if all 50 players from 1996 make the cut in 2021. TNT's Kenny Smith argued vehemently during the pregame show that no one from the 1996 list should be removed, and TNT's Ernie Johnson--who was one of the voters for the 75th Anniversary Team--stated that he made his selections based on that principle. The concept of not removing a player from the 50 Greatest Players List has some merit, but it should be noted that the NBA's previous All-Time Teams were not built on that principle (see below).

For the record, here are the 25 players named on Opening Night (listed in alphabetical order):

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Nate Archibald
• Charles Barkley
• Bob Cousy
• Dave Cowens
• Kevin Durant
• Julius Erving
• George Gervin
• Hal Greer
• James Harden
• Elvin Hayes
• Jerry Lucas
• Moses Malone
• Kevin McHale
• George Mikan
• Steve Nash
• Dirk Nowitzki
• Hakeem Olajuwon
• Bob Pettit
• Willis Reed
• Oscar Robertson
• David Robinson
• Bill Russell
• John Stockton

That group includes five post-1996 players (Antetokounmpo, Durant, Harden, Nash, and Nowitzki) plus 20 players from the 50 Greatest Players List. There is no rule against selecting a great player from the past who did not make the 50 Greatest Players List (such as Bob McAdoo), but so far the new list does not include any such players.

The NBA has selected All-Time Teams during several milestone anniversary seasons, including 1971 (25th Anniversary), 1981 (35th Anniversary), and 1996 (50th Anniversary). 

The 25th Anniversary Team was constructed like an All-Time All-NBA Team (two centers, four forwards, and four guards) and restricted to retired players who had been selected to the All-NBA Team at least once during their careers (listed here in order of position, and in order of votes received within positional group): Bill Russell, George Mikan, Bob Pettit, Dolph Schayes, Paul Arizin, Joe Fulks, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Bob Davies, and Sam Jones. Keep in mind that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West were active players at that time, and thus they did not meet the eligibility requirements.

The 35th Anniversary Team was constructed like an All-Time All-Star Team, with players selected regardless of position and active players eligible (listed here in alphabetical order): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Cousy, Julius Erving, John Havlicek, George Mikan, Bob Pettit, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, Jerry West. Abdul-Jabbar and Erving were the only active players at that time. Russell was voted the greatest player of all-time, the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers were voted the greatest single season team of all-time, and Red Auerbach was voted the greatest coach of all-time.

The 50th Anniversary Team--more widely known as The NBA's 50 Greatest Players List--was not constructed like an All-Star Team or an All-NBA Team. Each player from the 35th Anniversary Team made the cut in 1996. Fulks and Davies were two players from the 25th Anniversary Team who were not selected to the 35th Anniversary Team or the 50th Anniversary Team. Arizin was left off of the 35th Anniversary Team but included on the 50th Anniversary Team.

During a three year period (2018-2021), I wrote a six part series devoting more than 30,000 words to examining various 50 Greatest Players Lists published since 1996. In part six, I provided my 50 Greatest Players List: Revising the NBA's 50 Greatest Players List, Part VI

After the NBA releases its full 75 Greatest Players List, I will write an article comparing that list to my 75 Greatest Players List, but I can say now that because I selected my 50 Greatest Players List just a few months ago that list will not change; I have just added 25 players to that list--and not necessarily 25 players from the post-1996 era, but rather the players who I would rank 51-75 all-time (my 2021 50 Greatest Players List already includes the greatest players of the post-1996 era, including Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and LeBron James).

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The Milwaukee Bucks received their championship rings, raised their championship banner, and then dismantled the Brooklyn Nets--the team that many people have anointed as the future champions. Less than nine minutes into the first quarter, the Bucks led 31-12. At that point, Giannis Antetokounmpo had more points (13) and as many rebounds (eight) as the entire Nets team. Milwaukee was up 37-25 at the end of the first quarter. 

NBA games are long--that is a major, often underappreciated reason that the NBA game differs from both the FIBA game and the NCAA game--and good NBA teams almost always make a run after facing a big deficit, but the reality is that NBA games are often won in the first quarter and not (as is too often asserted) in the final minutes; the final minutes receive the most scrutiny, but the opening minutes establish the matchup advantages and strategies that decide most games. 

The Nets cut the margin to 39-34, but then the Bucks went on a 22-9 run to take command, 61-43. TNT's Stan Van Gundy declared midway through the second quarter that a major problem for the Nets is that they just were not playing hard enough.

The Nets rallied to trail by seven at halftime (66-59). Jrue Holiday suffered a heel contusion during the first half and was not able to play the rest of the way. He finished with 12 points on 5-7 field goal shooting in just 18 minutes, and he had a +17 plus/minus number; his absence played a role in the Nets' second quarter rally, particularly because the Bucks entered the game short-handed.

It took the Bucks just four minutes in the third quarter to stretch their lead to 13, 79-66, after Antetokounmpo converted a fast break layup, and the Bucks led 97-85 at the end of the third quarter.

The Nets did not mount a serious fourth quarter challenge, and the Bucks won, 127-104. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks in scoring (32 points), rebounds (14), assists (seven) and plus/minus (+25). Khris Middleton added 20 points and nine rebounds. The second best player on a team featuring an all-time great is often underrated, and it is fair to say that Middleton fits that description. Pat Connaughton contributed 20 points off of the bench, and Jordan Nwora also made his presence felt as a reserve (15 points). 

Kevin Durant tied Antetokounmpo with 32 points, and he led the Nets with 11 rebounds. Patty Mills scored 21 points while making all seven of his three point field goal attempts. James Harden scored 20 points and had a game-high eight assists, but he shot 6-16 from the field and he attempted just four free throws. The NBA has pledged to cut down on the gimmicky foul calls that have resulted in Harden attempting a huge number of free throws (and forced defenders to back away from him, giving him open field goal attempts that he would not have been granted in earlier eras), and it will be fascinating to see how he adjusts to playing basketball instead of "foul ball." Harden is talented enough to still be a 20-plus ppg scorer even if he is officiated correctly, but if the NBA returns to officiating games correctly then Harden's days as a 25-plus ppg scorer are over.

The Nets lack size and they lack defensive intensity. They also lack Kyrie Irving, who has been injured and/or disinterested for quite some time. Unless the rules/regulations change (or he changes his mind about COVID-19 vaccination), he will not play this season due to his choice to not be vaccinated for COVID-19. If Irving played, he would add nothing to the Nets' size or defensive intensity. He is a very talented scorer, ballhandler, and passer, but he has decided not to play, so all NBA analysts and fans can do is focus on the players who have chosen to play.

The second game of the doubleheader featured the new-look L.A. Lakers (the 2020 NBA champions, though most players from that roster are no longer on the team) versus the new-look Golden State Warriors (the 2015 and 2017-18 NBA champions, though most players from those rosters are no longer on the team). 

Even though the Lakers have a roster full of old players, based on skill set they are built to be a team that thrives in transition: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook are all most deadly when they are attacking in the open court. Westbrook, the 2017 NBA regular season MVP, is the best rebounding guard of all-time, while James and Davis are both solid rebounders, which means that any of them can get a defensive rebound and push the ball up the court: Davis can advance the ball via an outlet pass to James or Westbrook, while James and Westbrook can each be a one man fast break who also can attack any area of the court with an accurate pass. The Lakers can play big, which is an advantage both in transition and in the half court set when Davis and James will be able to post up and either score or draw a double team to open up opportunities for the Lakers' three point shooters.

The Warriors have high expectations about what they can accomplish after Klay Thompson returns from injury, but the reality is that prior to Kevin Durant's arrival the Warriors peaked with the 2015 championship won against a Cleveland team decimated by injuries to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. A healthier version of that Cleveland team overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, and the Warriors only became a dynasty after acquiring Kevin Durant prior to the 2016-17 season. Durant won a pair of Finals MVPs while leading the Warriors to back to back titles before he suffered ruptured his Achilles during the 2019 NBA Finals. Durant then fled to Brooklyn, and the Warriors have not made a playoff appearance--let alone won a playoff series or game--since his departure. 

Davis (14 first quarter points) and James (10 first quarter points) led the way as the Lakers built a 28-18 first quarter lead before the Warriors cut the margin to 34-32 by the end of the quarter. Curry topped the Warriors with eight first quarter points, but he shot just 2-8 from the field.

The Lakers led 59-53 at halftime, paced by James' 18 points on 7-10 field goal shooting. Curry led the Warriors in scoring (10 points) rebounds (six) and assists (five) but he shot just 3-11 from the field. 

The Warriors outscored the Lakers 30-26 in the third quarter, as the Lakers suffered several defensive lapses, and that pattern continued into the fourth quarter as the Warriors built a 100-92 lead. The Lakers neither protected the paint nor did they control the Warriors' three point shooters--and when your defense falls apart your transition offense is stifled, because transition offense is fueled by getting defensive stops (rebounds or forced turnovers). It is not surprising that the Lakers' halfcourt offense is still a work in progress, because when a team almost completely remakes its roster halfcourt offense will probably be the last thing to click. 

The Lakers' went on a 6-0 run after James drove to the basket and drew a flagrant foul call against Nemanja Bjelica. James split the resulting pair of free throws but then James assisted on an Avery Bradley three pointer. The Warriors then turned the ball over, and Davis scored a layup on a lob pass from Bradley to cut the Warriors' lead to 100-98. 

The Lakers' defense fell apart down the stretch, however, and the Warriors cruised to a 121-114 win. Curry had his first triple double in five years, leading the Warriors in scoring (21 points), rebounds (10) and assists (10). Curry shot just 5-21 from the field, and said after the game that he "played like trash." He had a +4 plus/minus number, but the difference in the game was the Warriors' bench: five Warriors' reserves played at least 12 minutes, and every one of those players had a positive plus/minus number, while three of the four Lakers' reserves who played at least 12 minutes had a negative plus/minus number. Bjelica (15 points, game-high 11 rebounds), Damion Lee (15 points), and Andre Iguodala (12 points) each scored in double figures off of the bench for the Warriors while no Laker reserve reached double figures. Jordan Poole, Curry's backcourt mate until Thompson returns, scored 20 points on 8-18 field goal shooting.

James scored a game-high 34 points on 13-23 field goal shooting, and Davis added 33 points on 15-26 field goal shooting. They each grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Westbrook struggled for most of the game, finishing with eight points on 4-13 field goal shooting plus five rebounds and four assists. Westbrook had a game-worst -23 plus/minus number, and he seemed to be trying so hard to fit in and not do too much that he ended up not doing enough. Charles Barkley made a great point during the halftime show, stating that when he first joined the Phoenix Suns he deferred to established Suns' stars Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle before realizing that he had to be his normally aggressive self. Barkley was clearly the Suns' best player at that time while Westbrook is clearly not the Lakers' best player, but Barkley is correct that Westbrook and the Lakers would be best served by Westbrook playing like his normally aggressive self. There is no reason to doubt that Westbrook will figure out how to make a positive impact for this team; he has a long-established history of playing alongside players who have career-best seasons, from Kevin Durant to Paul George to James Harden to Bradley Beal.

Labels: All-Time NBA Team, Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Khris Middleton, LeBron James, Milwaukee Bucks, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry

posted by David Friedman @ 1:31 AM

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ESPN's Clown Show NBA Coverage, Featuring Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins Being Wrong About Almost Everything

The NBA Finals were a treat, culminating in a performance for the ages by Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, ESPN's NBA Finals coverage was often nothing more than a clown show, from the Rachel Nichols/Maria Taylor controversy to the futile and failed attempts of Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins to utter a remotely intelligent sentence. 

Smith's loud and tired act has gone on for too long, and his shortcomings have been well documented here and elsewhere. It is sad that ESPN has sunk to branding a specific edition of SportsCenter with Smith's name, but this is not surprising, as I explained several years ago: "ESPN either hires people who are buffoons and instructs them to act like buffoons or ESPN hires people who used to be real journalists and pays them a lot of money to act like buffoons." Smith leads the pack in the first category.

Perkins is a former player who should know something about the NBA, and once in a while he makes sense, but he understands that he is being paid to provide headline-grabbing hot takes, not to provide intelligent analysis. Jalen Rose did a great job of listing just a few of Perkins' hot takes gone wrong about the Milwaukee Bucks and the 2021 NBA Finals:

Young folks like this that have been doing this job, like five years, they get one or two things right, they get one or two catchphrases, then they come over here with their Dr. Seuss lines wearing their 80s pastor suits and think all of their takes are going to be hot. So let me tell you a couple of things that I heard Perk say about this series. Didn't he just slander Coach Bud the entire year about not making adjustments? Hey Perk, the number one adjustment this year was giving the ball to Middleton the last couple of minutes of a game. Jrue Holiday isn't the best two way player in the NBA. Last night you saw the best two way player in the NBA. That's actually Giannis Antetokounmpo. And Khris Middleton is not Batman. That happens to be The Greek Freak. And don't try to flip it and say now he's Superman. You can just say that take was off. By the way, what happened to your guy Deandre Ayton? Is he still David Robinson? I didn't see him. Are the Suns still a dynasty? I don't see that with a 36 year old point guard. So again, it's great to come over here and talk really loud and have all of the catchphrases, but you were so very dead wrong about the Bucks as a guy who said that Giannis should leave Milwaukee. You said Giannis should leave Milwaukee. He stayed and he delivered.

Perkins was indeed "very dead wrong," and his attempt to respond to Rose was pathetic, focusing on Rose's hair line; Rose's joke about "Dr. Seuss lines" was funny, and he followed it with basketball analysis, but Perkins' jokes fell flat and were not followed by any basketball analysis. Rose may be the only ESPN commentator who directly calls out fellow ESPN commentators. As Kwame Brown recently noted, Rose deserves credit for attempting to set Stephen A. Smith straight years ago about using the words "bust" and "scrub" to refer to any NBA player. Rose has sometimes provided mixed or muddled messaging on racial issues but his basketball analysis is generally on point.

In addition to the foolish commentary that has become as much an ESPN trademark as anything else, the network also foisted on the public a soap opera pitting Rachel Nichols versus Maria Taylor. In my recap of game four of the 2021 NBA Finals I briefly addressed the Nichols/Taylor controversy:

Can anyone honestly say that either Nichols or Taylor consistently add something meaningful and profound to the telecasts? In 20 years, NBA fans and historians will still be talking about Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Booker, and Paul, but it is doubtful that many people will remember or care who served as the pregame and halftime host for ESPN/ABC's Finals coverage. It is worth noting that Taylor, ESPN/ABC's newly anointed NBA Finals studio host, was the only one out of 100 media award voters who did not select Anthony Davis for the All-NBA Team after the 2019-20 season (Davis made the First Team after receiving 79 First Team votes and 20 Second Team votes). Taylor's excuse for leaving one of the NBA's top five players completely off of her ballot for the NBA's top 15 players is that she forgot about him. Anyone can make a mistake, and one hesitates to make extreme and/or absolute statements, but it must be asked: How can a media member who "forgets" about one of the league's elite players be elevated to a job that makes her the face of ESPN/ABC's pre-game and halftime NBA Finals coverage?

Nichols is not bad at what she does, and she is better than Taylor, but both of them are quite replaceable. For those who are unaware of the basic facts of the controversy, a private phone conversation that Nichols had with one of LeBron James' advisors was recorded--unbeknownst to Nichols, which is illegal in Florida (where Nichols was staying at the time she participated in the phone call)--and then excerpts of that recording were intentionally leaked by at least one ESPN staffer who did not approve of what Nichols said. Nichols asserted that it is written into her contract that she will be the pregame and halftime host for the NBA Finals, and she declared that if ESPN wants to prove its wokeness by expanding Taylor's role then it should find a way to do so without violating that contractual obligation. Nichols praised Taylor's work and at no time asserted that Taylor is not qualified to be the pregame and halftime host; Nichols just claimed that ESPN has no contractual right to give those assignments to Taylor.

I have not read Nichols' contract, but assuming that she knows what is in her contract and that she stated those terms accurately, she has every legal right to feel wronged if her employer essentially demotes her without cause and in violation of a signed agreement. Nichols also has every right to feel violated that her private phone call was recorded without her knowledge and then broadcast to the public without her consent. All of that being said, there is not a little irony that Nichols is facing the cancel culture after she has been so outspoken and politically slanted during many of her basketball broadcasts. Self-proclaimed "progressives" now portray Nichols as a hypocrite, as someone who claims to be down with the cause but is really more focused on herself. Nichols opened herself up to such criticism by portraying herself in a certain fashion and then daring to utter private remarks that do not live up to others' expectations of her. It is never pretty when self-proclaimed "progressives" turn on their own, as we have seen throughout history (perhaps most notably in the Soviet Union, where a person could be a hero one day and literally cut out of state-controlled newspaper headlines the next day).

The problem--which neither Nichols nor Taylor nor most people who have commented about this acknowledge--is that once you accept the view that hiring practices should be based on any form of proportional representation as opposed to solely based on qualifications then you are going to open the door to resentment, to assumptions that certain people are not qualified for the positions they have, and to a host of other problems. ESPN spends more time and energy trying to act "woke" than it does trying to fill positions based on merit, and that is a bigger issue than Nichols' privately expressed resentment of ESPN's assignment shuffling.

Taylor took great offense to what Nichols said, and Taylor subsequently refused to appear on camera with Nichols. Nichols, who is often outspoken about being woke and certainly does not need a weather report to understand which way the wind is blowing, offered a public apology to Taylor that Taylor neither acknowledged nor accepted. Taylor probably correctly assumed that the apology was not sincere, because if Nichols were given truth serum she would most likely not think it necessary to apologize for privately griping that her employer is violating her contract. We are just watching an elaborate song and dance: Nichols' apology was a necessary damage control move, and Taylor's non-acceptance of the apology was an expected response from someone who feels entitled to be aggrieved despite being elevated to a position contractually promised to another person who has more seniority and experience on the NBA beat.

ESPN removed Nichols from its Finals coverage for a day or two, and then figured out how to ease her back in without having her ever appear on the same show as Taylor. Even though Taylor won the battle to be the pregame and halftime host, it was obvious that this would be her last assignment with ESPN. After the NBA Finals ended, ESPN and Taylor announced that they have mutually agreed to part ways. Taylor will no doubt grab adoring headlines--and huge dollars--regardless of where she goes next. 

No one would dream of putting together an NBA team based on some kind of proportional ethnic representation of the U.S. or world population, and it does not make any sense to put together any organization with such proportional ethnic representation as the goal. I don't care if the pregame/halftime host is White, Black, Asian, male, female, heterosexual, homosexual, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or belongs to any other racial group, gender, sexual orientation, and/or religion. All I care about is that the pregame/halftime host understands NBA basketball, and can be a "traffic cop" for the other participants in the broadcast. Bob Costas and Ernie Johnson are the gold standard for the past 30 years, if not all-time. We all know that Nichols and Taylor are nowhere near that level, and it is a reasonable assumption that ESPN bypassed more qualified candidates to put first Nichols and then Taylor in the role--and even if Nichols and Taylor are the best that ESPN has, the focus on "representation" will always leave lingering doubts about how they achieved prominence.

When the focus shifts from creating equal opportunities to creating equal outcomes, we all lose.

I cannot wait until the current NBA media contracts expire, and I hope that TNT will cover the NBA Finals under the next deal.

Just to put a bow on all of this, it should be mentioned that some ESPN basketball commentators/analysts are first rate, including Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Tim Legler, and Jalen Rose. Hubie Brown's role has been reduced, but in his prime he was the absolute best, and he is still top notch even now. That is not an exhaustive list of qualified ESPN broadcasters, but the problem is that the unqualified ones are often provided the most attention, air time, and compensation.

Labels: ESPN, Giannis Antetokounmpo, hot takes gone wrong, Jalen Rose, Kendrick Perkins, Khris Middleton, Maria Taylor, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, Rachel Nichols, Stephen A. Smith

posted by David Friedman @ 2:31 AM

4 comments

Antekounmpo Dominates as Bucks Capture Their First NBA Title Since 1971

Giannis Antetokounmpo refused to let his Milwaukee Bucks lose, imposing his skill and will at both ends of the court en route to scoring a game-high 50 points, grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds, and blocking a game-high five shots as the Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns 105-98 to capture the franchise's second NBA championship. Antetokounmpo shot 16-25 from the field and 17-19 from the free throw line in one of the most complete and dominant Finals performances ever. Antetokounmpo is just the seventh player to score at least 50 points in an NBA Finals game, joining Elgin Baylor (61), Rick Barry (55), Michael Jordan (55), Jerry West (53), LeBron James (51), and Bob Pettit (50). Anteokoumpo tied Pettit for the most points scored in a Finals-clinching victory, and he became just the sixth player to have at least three 40 point games in one NBA Finals. Antetokounmpo is the first player to have at least 50 points, at least 10 rebounds, and at least five blocked shots in a playoff game since the NBA made the blocked shot an official statistic in 1973-74

Antetokounmpo was an easy choice for Finals MVP, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon on the short list of players who have won a regular season MVP, a Finals MVP and a Defensive Player of the Year award (the Finals MVP was first awarded in 1969, and the Defensive Player of the Year award was first bestowed in 1983). There was some foolish talk before this game about whether Antetokounmpo or Khris Middleton should receive the Finals MVP if the Bucks clinched the title in game six--but anyone who watches basketball with understanding realized, even before Antetokounmpo's historic game six performance, that Antetokounmpo is by far the best player on either team. Middleton is an outstanding--and often underrated--player, but he does not have the same impact in any area of the game that Antetokounmpo does. Antetokounmpo averaged 35.2 ppg, 13.2 rpg, and 5.0 apg in the Finals while shooting .618 from the field, the first player in Finals history to post all of those numbers in the same series. His 35.2 ppg is the third highest scoring average posted by a player in his NBA Finals debut; Rick Barry and Allen Iverson scored more in their Finals' debuts, but both played for the losing team.

Middleton capped off a nice series with a solid performance, posting 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists while shooting 6-13 from the field. Jrue Holiday again struggled with his shot (4-19 field goal shooting), but he played great defense and he finished with 12 points, a game-high 11 assists, and nine rebounds (more than anyone except for Antetokounmpo and Phoenix forward Jae Crowder, who had 13). Bobby Portis came up big with 16 points on 6-10 field goal shooting in 23 minutes off of the bench. 

Chris Paul led the Suns with 26 points on 11-19 field goal shooting and he tied Devin Booker for team-high honors with five assists. Booker scored 19 points but shot just 8-22 from the field. Crowder scored 15 points on 4-11 field goal shooting, while Deandre Ayton had just 12 points on 4-12 field goal shooting, plus six rebounds. A major key for the Bucks was to limit Ayton's effectiveness in the paint without having to tilt their defense in a way that opened up opportunities for Booker and Paul. Ayton posted field goal percentages of .796, .610, and .693 in the first three rounds of the playoffs, but the Bucks held him to .531--a very good number, but obviously a big decline from the three series that the Suns won.

The Bucks built a 13 point first quarter lead, but the Suns came all the way back to go ahead by seven in the second quarter. The Suns led 47-42 at halftime, and it may have seemed like the game and the series were up for grabs--but the reality is that Antetokounmpo was poised to take over, and do whatever was necessary for the Bucks to prevail. He has had well-documented struggles at the free throw line, but that did not deter him from relentlessly attacking the hoop and drawing fouls. This is very valuable even when he misses his free throws, because the fouls put the opposing team in foul trouble and put the Bucks in the bonus, which creates free throw opportunities for their players who are good free throw shooters. In game six, though, Antetokounmpo shot 17-19 from the free throw line. Inconsistent or poor free throw shooters often claim to "make them when they count," but in this game Antekounmpo really did that.

The Bucks were up 58-55 after Antetokounmpo made a pair of free throws and then added a putback off of his own miss. At that point, he had shot 7-11 from the field since the start of the second quarter, while the rest of the Bucks shot 2-19 from the field during that span. The best player on a championship team has the obligation and responsibility to score prolifically, particularly in physical playoff games when points are hard to obtain. It is not enough to "make the right play" and pass to teammates who may not have the necessary skill or will to score in certain situations. Kobe Bryant won five championships because he understood and embraced this mentality from day one; LeBron James did not win his first title until he understood and embraced this mentality, after enduring Finals losses during which he was outplayed by smaller, less-skilled players such as Tony Parker and Jason Terry.

While his teammates struggled, Antetokounmpo scored 20 third quarter points on 6-11 field goal shooting, and the score was tied 77-77 heading into the fourth quarter. This was Antetokounmpo's second 20 point quarter in the 2021 NBA Finals after no player had even one such quarter since Michael Jordan did it in 1993. Antetokounmpo is the only player in the past 50 years to have two 20 point quarters in the same NBA Finals.

Antekounmpo added 13 fourth quarter points as the Bucks outscored the Suns 28-21 in the final stanza. Throughout the game it seemed like he was in multiple places at once, blocking shots, grabbing rebounds, and then attacking the hoop with force. By the end of the game, any Sun attempting a shot anywhere near Antetokounmpo was noticeably hesitant, if not blatantly intimidated; Ayton shied away from attempting a dunk and instead threw up a soft fadeaway when challenged by Antetokounmpo. Any time Antetokounmpo was switched onto Paul the matchup looked like the big brother not letting the little brother even get off a good shot. Size matters in the NBA, so even if Paul's skills were as good as Antetokounmpo's he still would not be nearly as good of a player as Antetokounmpo because Antetokounmpo is seven feet tall while Paul is barely six feet tall. This clinching game and this series provided a vivid demonstration of what I have been saying for years about players like Steve Nash and Chris Paul: they cannot possibly be as good or as dominant--particularly when it counts the most--as bigger players such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Kawhi Leonard, or Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Labels: Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns

posted by David Friedman @ 3:19 AM

8 comments

Bucks Mount Big Comeback, Win Game Five in Phoenix

The Phoenix Suns looked unbeatable while building a 16 point lead in the first quarter of game five of the NBA Finals versus the Milwaukee Bucks, but the well-coached and highly focused Bucks kept their poise, outscored the Suns 43-24 in the second quarter, and achieved a 123-119 road victory to move within one win of capturing the 2021 NBA title. The game five winner of an NBA Finals series that is tied 2-2 wins the series 72% of the time, so even though I tend to avoid referring to "legacy games" it is possible that this was the most important game in the careers of several future Hall of Famers.

Giannis Antekounmpo scored a team-high 32 points while also grabbing a team-high nine rebounds, and dishing for six assists. He shot 14-23 from the field, the 13th straight playoff game in which he has shot at least .500 from the field. Antetokounmpo is the most dominant and efficient playoff scorer in the paint since prime Shaquille O'Neal, and he is demonstrating that paint scoring/paint dominance still matter--regardless of what the "stat gurus" might say. The Suns shot .552 from the field (including .684 from three point range) and .909 from the free throw line, but they could not maintain a double digit lead at home against a bigger and more physical team. Khris Middleton added 29 points, seven rebounds, and five assists while shooting 12-23 from the field. It could be argued that the star of the game was Jrue Holiday, who not only scored 27 points on 12-20 field goal shooting but he also passed for a game-high 13 assists to become just the sixth player in NBA Finals history to score at least 25 points while also assisting on at least 30 points. Holiday played outstanding defense, punctuated by a late steal from Devin Booker that sealed the victory.

Booker scored a game-high 40 points on 17-33 field goal shooting. He is the first player in NBA Finals history to score 40 points in consecutive games but lose both games. He posted a team-best +12 plus/minus number while Chris Paul--who media members anointed the best player on the team and a candidate for regular season MVP honors--had a -6 plus/minus number. Supposedly Paul is leading the Suns, but what is actually happening is Booker is the team's best player and he needs more help from Paul, who finished with 21 points on 9-15 field goal shooting plus 11 assists. Paul's individual numbers were not bad, but he was no better than the fifth best player on the court in arguably the most important game of his career. Deandre Ayton contributed 20 points on 7-12 field goal shooting plus a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Suns made 11 straight field goals in the first quarter, tying the longest such streak in an NBA Finals game in the past 20 years. The Bucks were not impressed or rattled, and they turned a 37-21 first quarter deficit into a 64-61 halftime lead. The Bucks' 43 second quarter points is tied for the second most points in a quarter of an NBA Finals game in the past 35 years. The Bucks attack the paint on offense and focus on defending the paint on defense. They also utilize the midrange game to good effect, as both Middleton and Holiday are lethal in that area of the court. "Stat gurus" may disagree with the Bucks' approach, but there is no denying that what the Bucks are doing is working.

The Bucks led 117-107 after Middleton completed a three point play with 3:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Suns answered with a 12-3 run to pull within 120-119 with 57 seconds left in the game. With the game and likely the series up for grabs, Holiday made the play of the game by not only stripping Booker, but then running point on the fast break and throwing a lob pass to Giannis Antetokounmpo that resulted in a dunk plus a Chris Paul foul. Antetokounmpo missed the free throw but he tipped the offensive rebound to Middleton, who split a pair of free throws to push Milwaukee's lead to 123-119. 

Much is made of Antetokounmpo's poor free throw shooting, but his Bucks just won a very important road playoff game despite his 4-11 free throw shooting. Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to 11 titles despite being an awful free throw shooter, Wilt Chamberlain was the best player on two of the most dominant single season championship teams ever despite his bad free throw shooting, and Shaquille O'Neal dominated the early 2000s with four championships in seven seasons despite his well-documented free throw shooting issues. It is obviously preferable that a player shoot at least .700 from the free throw line, but the notion that bad free throw shooting by a dominant player can cost his team a championship seems a bit far-fetched. The most important thing to note down the stretch in game five is not how many free throws Antetokounmpo missed but rather (1) the impact that he had on both ends of the court and (2) his eagerness to attack the hoop even though he knew that he would be fouled hard and forced to make free throws. Antetokounmpo is not going to win a free throw shooting contest versus Paul or James Harden or other players who are adored by "stat gurus," but anyone who understands basketball would choose Antetokounmpo over Paul or Harden overall as well as down the stretch of a key NBA Finals game. Harden and Paul together in Houston were not able to win an NBA title, Harden has also now failed to win a title alongside Kevin Durant on two different teams, and Paul has hopped from team to team chasing a championship that Antetokounmpo seems likely to win without jumping around the league to team up with other stars.

It is amazing that even after such a devastating home loss there is still talk about what a great leader Chris Paul is, based on cliches that he uttered during the post-game press conference. You know who has been the best leader in this series by far? Giannis Antetokounmpo. He came back from what looked like a season-ending knee injury to establish himself as clearly the best player in this series through five games, and he has led his team to three straight victories, including a pivotal game five road win. That is leadership--actually accomplishing something, as opposed to talking about accomplishing something. 

Media members keep alluding to some mysterious Chris Paul injury, much like excuses are often made for LeBron James' many playoff failure (to James' credit, he--unlike Paul--has led his teams to four NBA titles)--but it is unlikely that Paul is dealing with an injury as severe as Antetokounmpo's knee injury. Antetokounmpo's injury has become a non-story now because (1) he does not talk about it or allude to it and (2) he has been the dominant player in the series. If Paul is truly injured, that is nothing new--a major reason that he has never won an NBA title is that he wears down and/or gets injured if his teams advance past the first round.

Phoenix could come back to win this series, so it is at least one game too soon to make broad, definitive conclusions, but it seems fair to say--barring an unlikely turn of events--what we have seen thus far in this series demonstrates that (1) Devin Booker, not Chris Paul, is clearly Phoenix' best player, (2) Paul may not be good enough to be the second best player on a championship team, and (3) two-time regular season MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo may actually be underrated as a player and as a leader.

Labels: Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns

posted by David Friedman @ 2:42 AM

6 comments

Antetokounmpo and Middleton Lead the Way as Bucks Defeat the Suns 109-103 to Tie the Finals at 2-2

Khris Middleton poured in a playoff career-high 40 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo authored a brilliant all-around performance (26 points, team-high 14 rebounds, game-high eight assists, three steals, two blocked shots--including an electrifying late game snuff of Deandre Ayton) as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 109-103. Jrue Holiday had an excellent floor game (seven rebounds, seven assists, one turnover) but he only scored 13 points on 4-20 field goal shooting. Brook Lopez contributed 14 points in just 19 minutes, though the seven foot center inexplicably only grabbed one rebound. The Bucks outrebounded the Suns 48-40, they outscored the Suns in the paint 48-40, and they led the Suns in fastbreak points 15-0. Size matters in the NBA, it matters more in the playoffs, and it matters the most in the NBA Finals. The Bucks have a seven foot center, a seven foot do-it-all elite player, and several wing players who are tall and/or strong; the Suns are relatively small, and they can be overpowered by teams that are disciplined enough to keep attacking the paint.

Devin Booker--the Suns' best player, regardless of the pro-Chris Paul narratives pushed by many media members--scored a game-high 42 points on blistering 17-28 field goal shooting, but he missed a significant amount of fourth quarter action after committing his fifth foul, and he would have fouled out several minutes before the end of the game if not for a blatantly missed call--a fact admitted by crew chief Jim Capers after the game. Deandre Ayton snared a game-high 17 rebounds, but the Bucks used their size and athleticism to good effect as they held him to 10 points on 3-9 field goal shooting. As for the "Point God," he looked more like "Point Goof" as he accumulated a team-worst -10 plus/minus number in 37 minutes; Paul scored 10 points on 5-13 field goal shooting while dishing for seven assists and coughing up a game-high five turnovers, matching the Bucks' team total in that category. Five turnovers may not sound like an outlandish number, but in an otherwise low turnover game Paul's miscues were costly, all the more so because a couple of them happened late in the fourth quarter with the outcome still in doubt. While Middleton and Antetokounmpo starred throughout the game and were at their best when it mattered most, Paul looked worn down as Milwaukee outscored Phoenix 10-4 down the stretch. 

One of the main reasons that I did not pick Phoenix to win the title is that throughout his career Paul has consistently worn down and/or gotten injured during the playoffs. This postseason, Paul avoided serious injury while each Suns' opponent suffered at least one serious injury to an All-NBA caliber player, but as the Finals progress Paul's play is regressing at a rate that has to alarm the Suns and their fans: Paul helped close out the Clippers in game six of the Western Conference Finals by dropping 41 points, but in the first four games of the NBA Finals his point totals are 32, 23, 19, and 10. He posted between seven and nine assists in each of those games, but his turnovers have gone from zero versus the Clippers in game six to two, six, four, and five against the Bucks. It has taken longer than ever before--in no small part because of the injuries suffered by Phoenix' opponents--but Paul seems to be wearing down like he always does. Maybe he will have a monster game five performance, but if he does that will not only buck the recent trend but also go against the pattern of his entire postseason career. Paul is often called the best leader in the NBA. Where has he been throughout his career when it matters the most? Where was he in the final minutes of game four, when a Phoenix victory would have all but clinched the championship?

The Bucks have recovered from a 2-0 deficit to tie a series at 2-2 for the second time this postseason. "Momentum" is often a media created and media driven narrative, but there is no doubt that the Bucks have now placed tremendous pressure on the Suns to win game five in Phoenix, because otherwise the Bucks can close out the series at home in game six. 

I picked the Bucks to win the championship before the playoffs started, and I did not waver after the Suns took a 2-0 lead. I had good analytical reasons to choose the Bucks, and the outcomes of two games did not undermine or change the basis for my analysis. I am not bragging, nor am I suggesting that the outcome is a foregone conclusion. The Suns could still win this series, but even if they do that would not necessarily prove that my analysis was unsound. I also had good reasons to pick against the Suns in each of the prior three series, but injuries to Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray, and Kawhi Leonard had a significant impact on the outcomes of those series.  

In contrast, many people who have long been touted as basketball "experts" routinely spout nonsense without factual basis, and draw unfounded conclusions. For example, the ridiculous negative assertions made by Stephen A. Smith, Mike Wilbon, Jay Williams, and others about Milwaukee Coach Mike Budenholzer's alleged deficiencies made no sense two games ago, and have aged very poorly as the Bucks have fought their way back into the series. Poorly coached teams do not recover from 2-0 deficits--and poorly coached teams do not post the best regular season record in the NBA in back to back seasons prior to making a run to the NBA Finals.

Smith proved himself to be a clown many years ago, and more recently Kwame Brown has exposed Smith as a loudmouth fraud. Why is ESPN paying Smith millions of dollars to scream at the audience while belittling people who actually are elite at what they do? Brown played in the NBA for over a decade, so he demonstrably and provably was better at playing basketball than 99% of the people in the world. Is Smith demonstrably and provably better than 99% of the people in the world at anything other than being loud, obnoxious, and often wrong? 

Over a decade ago, Wilbon cited incorrect facts to draw illogical conclusions about Kobe Bryant's efficiency as a scorer and effectiveness as a team leader. Wilbon is an excellent general sports columnist/commentator, but he is miscast as an NBA expert. 

Williams played at an elite level in college and he made it to the NBA, so he sometimes says something insightful, but he also had no clue that the Boston Celtics have a long history of hiring Black head coaches. He should be working his way up the food chain providing analysis about college games, not being portrayed as some kind of authority on the NBA game.

I am going to wait until after the NBA crowns a champion before wading into the much-discussed Rachel Nichols/Maria Taylor controversy, but can anyone honestly say that either Nichols or Taylor consistently add something meaningful and profound to the telecasts? In 20 years, NBA fans and historians will still be talking about Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Booker, and Paul, but it is doubtful that many people will remember or care who served as the pregame and halftime host for ESPN/ABC's Finals coverage. It is worth noting that Taylor, ESPN/ABC's newly anointed NBA Finals studio host, was the only one out of 100 media award voters who did not select Anthony Davis for the All-NBA Team after the 2019-20 season (Davis made the First Team after receiving 79 First Team votes and 20 Second Team votes). Taylor's excuse for leaving one of the NBA's top five players completely off of her ballot for the NBA's top 15 players is that she forgot about him. Anyone can make a mistake, and one hesitates to make extreme and/or absolute statements, but it must be asked: How can a media member who "forgets" about one of the league's elite players be elevated to a job that makes her the face of ESPN/ABC's pre-game and halftime NBA Finals coverage?

There is a glaring contrast between ESPN's NBA coverage and the coverage provided by other networks past and present. Look at archival clips of NBC's Bob Costas and Hannah Storm as studio hosts, or watch TNT's Ernie Johnson as a studio host now. Can anyone honestly say that Nichols or Taylor are even close to that level? Not every NBC studio analyst was great, but the overall quality was much higher than ESPN's, and no NBC studio analyst screamed and spewed as much nonsense as Stephen A. Smith does. TNT's studio analysts Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O'Neal are the gold standard for combining insight with humor; they do not always agree with each other, and they are sometimes wrong, but they almost always make you think and make you laugh. 

There is an oasis of sanity in ESPN/ABC's NBA coverage. Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson do a first rate job as color commentators during the game telecasts, Mike Breen is an elite play by play announcer, Tim Legler is very good (and underutilized) at breaking down game film on SportsCenter, and Jalen Rose is a very good studio analyst despite his sometimes mixed or muddled messaging on racial issues. One of the reasons that I love tournament chess is that there are no self-proclaimed Experts or Masters in chess; a chess Expert is someone who attains an Expert level rating, and a chess Master is someone who attains a Master level rating--period, point blank, full stop. Who you know, who your parents are, politics, race, gender--those things are irrelevant regarding chess expertise and chess mastery. Unfortunately, in the writing business anyone can become or be proclaimed an expert, even if that person has no achieved no expertise at all.

To the extent that ESPN/ABC's 2021 NBA Finals coverage is remembered at all, it will remembered as distracting from and detracting from the greatness that we are seeing on the court.

Labels: Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton

posted by David Friedman @ 2:13 AM

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Antetokounmpo Dominates as Bucks Rout Suns in Game Three, 120-100

Giannis Antetokounmpo has not only bounced back from what looked like a possibly devastating knee injury, but he has clearly established himself as the best player in the 2021 NBA Finals. In game three, Antetokounmpo erupted for 41 points on 14-23 field goal shooting, plus a game-high 13 rebounds, and six assists while leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 120-100 win over the Phoenix Suns. This gem came on the heels of his 42 point, 12 rebound game two masterpiece as Antetokounmpo became just the fourth player in Finals history with back to back games of at least 40 points and at least 10 rebounds, joining Shaquille O'Neal, Julius Erving (who accomplished this feat in the 1976 ABA Finals), and Connie Hawkins (1968 ABA Finals). Erving and O'Neal are Pantheon members, and Antetokounmpo is putting together a body of work that may well merit his addition to that select company. This is Antetokounmpo's 11th playoff game this year with at least 30 points and at least 10 rebounds. With last night's performance he not only broke the single-postseason franchise record for such games set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1974, but he trails only Shaquille O'Neal (13 such games in 2000) and Elgin Baylor (12 in 1962) on the all-time list. Antetokounmpo also ranks fourth for most points scored in a player's first three career NBA Finals games (103), behind only Rick Barry (122), Allen Iverson (106), and Willis Reed (104). Erving scored 103 points in his first three ABA Finals games

Antetokounmpo dominates the paint like elite centers Abdul-Jabbar and O'Neal, but he also has ball-handling skills and open court flair reminiscent of Baylor and Erving. The word unicorn has perhaps become overused--if everyone is a unicorn then the description loses its distinction--but Antetokounmpo's combination of size, strength, and skill set is one of a kind.

The main difference between game three and game two is that Antetokounmpo received little support from his teammates in game two but he received a lot of support in game three as Jrue Holiday (21 points, nine assists, and five rebounds) and Khris Middleton (18 points, seven rebounds, six assists) played not only aggressively at both ends of the court but they also were much more efficient than they had been during the first two games in Phoenix. Holiday (+22) and Antetokounmpo (+20) were the only two players whose plus/minus numbers matched or exceeded the final margin of victory.

Chris Paul had a solid, if not spectacular, game, leading the Suns in scoring (19 points) and assists (nine). Deandre Ayton played well (18 points on 8-11 field goal shooting, nine rebounds) but foul trouble limited him to 24 minutes (the Suns were -6 during those minutes). Jae Crowder added 18 points on 6-7 field goal shooting, but Devin Booker had just 10 points on 3-14 field goal shooting as he and Middleton reversed roles as All-Stars not playing well or efficiently on the road.

The game was close for the first 12 minutes, but the Bucks stuck with their plan to pound the ball inside, and they ended the second quarter with a 30-9 run. Then, they concluded the third quarter with a 16-0 run that made the score 98-76 Bucks with 12 minutes left. The Suns never seriously threatened in the fourth quarter. Overall, the Bucks outscored the Suns in the paint 54-40, and they outrebounded the Suns 47-36. 

This was a must-win game for the Bucks, and they won in convincing fashion, but it is just as much a mistake to overreact to this game as it was to overreact to the Suns' wins in the first two games. If the Suns win game four then they are in the driver's seat, with a chance to clinch the title at home in game five. We do not yet know if this is going to be a series in which home court proves to be the decisive factor, or if the Bucks have turned things around after a slow start, or if the final narrative will be something else altogether. I picked the Bucks to win the title not only prior to this series, but in my 2021 NBA Playoff Predictions, because I think that the Bucks are the league's best all-around team led by the league's best all-around player (though I have no problem with Nikola Jokic winning the 2021 NBA regular season MVP). I see no reason to back down from my initial analysis/prediction, but I also recognize and acknowledge that the Suns are a better team than I thought they were prior to the playoffs.

During the ABC telecast, Jeff Van Gundy decried what he termed "slanderous" comments by people "who don't know anything" about coaching criticizing the alleged "lack of adjustments" by Milwaukee Coach Mike Budenholzer. Van Gundy termed Budenholzer the "punching bag" of the 2021 playoffs. Citing the poet Joseph Brodsky, Van Gundy said that there are only "bad" and "worse" options to defend Chris Paul in screen/roll actions when Paul is hitting his shots, Ayton is so highly efficient, and Booker is a major threat who draws attention from the defense.

Van Gundy did not identify by name the people "who don't know anything" about coaching, but if criticizing Budenholzer for a supposed "lack of adjustments" is proof that someone does not understand the NBA game--and I agree with Van Gundy that it is--then the group of people who Van Gundy is talking about includes but is not limited to his ESPN/ABC colleagues Stephen A. Smith, Mike Wilbon, and Jay Williams. Unless I have missed something, Van Gundy rarely shares screen time with those three commentators; it would be fascinating to see a substantive basketball debate featuring those four, and moderated by a competent person who would keep the debate focused on substance, not bombast.

Possessions, games, and series are decided--barring injuries, suspensions, or other factors outside of the control of the coaches--by the exploitation of matchup advantages. The best coaches identify the favorable matchups for their teams, and then figure out how to maximize their advantageous matchups while minimizing the impact of the matchups that are not favorable. These matchups take place within the framework of the overall offensive and defensive game plans that the coaches installed during the preseason. Sure, there may be more than option to attack in a given offensive situation, or to react in a given defensive situation, but no coach is coming up with a brand new offense or defense between games or at halftime, much less during a timeout.

Labels: Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns

posted by David Friedman @ 3:06 AM

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Suns Overcome Antetokounmpo's 42 Points, Take 2-0 Lead

Giannis Antetokounmpo was brilliant, but the Phoenix Suns were balanced, and they were blazing hot from three point range as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 118-108 to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals. Devin Booker led the Suns with 31 points on 12-25 field goal shooting, including 7-12 from three point range. He also had six assists and five rebounds. Mikal Bridges scored 27 points, while Chris Paul added 23 points plus eight assists and four rebounds as all five Suns starters scored in double figures. Deandre Ayton had a subpar offensive game (10 points on 4-10 field goal shooting) but he made his presence felt defensively and he grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.

Antetokounmpo finished with 42 points on 15-22 field goal shooting, plus a game-high 12 rebounds, four assists, and three blocked shots in 40 minutes. Of the 10 Bucks who played, he was the only one with a positive plus/minus number (+3). The Bucks are better than the Suns when Antetokounmpo is in the game--this was also true during his 35 minutes of game one action--but the Bucks lose a lot of ground very quickly when he is not in the game. Unless he gets more help, it seems like he may have to play 45 minutes and score 50 points for the Bucks to win. Of course, that is an overreaction, because each game is an entity unto itself, and we know (or should know) that after the series shifts to Milwaukee many of the Bucks players will most likely perform better while at least some of the Suns players will most likely perform worse. 

Two players who have to step up for the Bucks to have a chance are Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. They are playing hard and they are taking their shots, but--as Jeff Van Gundy often says--the Bucks need "makers," not "shooters." Middleton scored just 11 points on 5-16 field goal shooting, while Holiday finished with 17 points on 7-21 field goal shooting. Holiday missed several layups and point blank shots in the paint, and many of his misses were not close. He played excellent defense, and he notched seven assists with just one turnover in 39 minutes, but .333 field goal shooting is not going to cut it unless you are completely shutting down your counterpart, which is not the case in his matchup versus Paul.

The Bucks started the game with the right attitude and the right actions; they fought aggressively through screens, they attacked the paint, and they jumped out to a 21-12 lead. Antetokounmpo had six points during that opening blitz, and all three of his field goals were dunks. At that moment, it would have been difficult to believe that the Bucks would lose by double figures, but the Suns nailed eight three pointers during the first quarter to briefly take a 26-24 lead before the Bucks went back on top 29-26 by the end of the stanza. The Bucks outscored the Suns 20-0 in the paint during the first quarter. When the Bucks attack the paint on offense and do not overreact/overhelp in response to dribble penetration they are better than the Suns, but the key for Milwaukee is to do both of those things consistently for 48 minutes.

By halftime, the Suns led 56-45, and they did not trail in the second half. Their final points of the first half came on a three point play by Ayton that punctuated a beautiful possession during which the Suns crisply passed the ball all over the court until Ayton broke free under the hoop. Paul and Booker are the team's primary playmakers, but every Suns player is a willing and able passer. The Suns are masters at giving up good shots to get great shots. They are fun to watch, and it looks like it would be fun to play for this team as well. 

In the first half, Antetokounmpo had 12 points on 5-10 field goal shooting plus eight rebounds, but Middleton and Holiday combined to shoot just 5-24 from the field, which is obviously not nearly good enough. 

During the third quarter, Antetokounmpo--whose playing status was in doubt until just prior to game one of the NBA Finals in the wake of the knee injury that he suffered in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals--went on a scoring tear not seen in the NBA Finals since Michael Jordan had a 22 point quarter versus the Suns in the 1993 Finals. Antetokounmpo scored 13 straight Milwaukee points en route to pouring in 20 points during the quarter; since Jordan's outburst 28 years ago, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James each had one 19 point Finals quarter but no player had a 20 point quarter on the sport's biggest stage. The Finals record for points in a quarter is 25, set by Julius Erving during the 1976 ABA Finals and tied by Isiah Thomas during the 1988 NBA Finals.

Despite Antetokounmpo's heroics, the Suns led 88-78 heading into the fourth quarter. The Bucks never got closer than five points the rest of the way. The Bucks outscored the Suns 54-38 in the paint, but the Suns shot 20-40 from three point range while the Bucks shot just 9-31 from long distance. The three pointer is a high variance shot, but when one team gets hot the other team is in trouble, at least in that game.

Labels: Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks

posted by David Friedman @ 2:44 AM

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Paul, Booker, and Ayton Shine as Suns Beat Bucks 118-105

Chris Paul (32 points, nine assists, four rebounds, 12-19 FG), Devin Booker (27 points, six assists, 10-10 FT), and Deandre Ayton (22 points, 19 rebounds, 8-10 FG) dominated as the Phoenix Suns led most of the way en route to a 118-105 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in game one of the NBA Finals. After not scoring during the first quarter, Paul picked apart Milwaukee's defense in the final three quarters, as the Suns ran screen/roll actions until they got the matchup they wanted, and then they attacked that matchup relentlessly. Booker did not shoot well from the field (8-21 FG) but he used his quickness and ballhandling to draw fouls, and he was perfect from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Ayton provided inside punch at both ends of the court, dominating the glass, providing timely paint points, and making all six of his free throws as the Suns shot 25-26 from the free throw line; only a late Jae Crowder miss stopped the Suns from setting the Finals single game record for most free throws made without a miss. 

As ABC's Jeff Van Gundy wryly noted, there is nothing that the Bucks can do about their "free throw defense." It is not likely that the Suns will shoot that kind of free throw percentage again during this series, and if the Suns had shot a "normal" free throw percentage then this game would have been much closer down the stretch. However, the Bucks have to be concerned about (1) how many fouls the Suns drew, and (2) how easily the Suns created and exploited the matchups that the Suns wanted. The Bucks must either fight over screens (as opposed to switching so often), or they must initiate hard traps to force Paul (or Booker when he is involved in the screen/roll action) to give up the ball. 

The biggest story at the start of the game was the return of two-time regular season MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed the last two games of the Eastern Conference Finals after suffering a knee injury in game four. The injury looked horrific, but imaging detected no structural damage, and it is remarkable--and wonderful--that Antetokounmpo returned to action. Antetokounmpo looked confident throughout the game, and physically he looked healthy as he scored 20 points on 6-11 field goal shooting while grabbing 17 rebounds, passing for four assists, and contributing a chase down blocked shot versus Mikal Bridges that removed any doubt about Antetokounmpo's post-injury speed, mobility, and agility. Antetokounmpo had a +1 plus/minus number, while the other four Bucks starters had plus/minus numbers ranging from -11 to -17. The Bucks had few problems during the 35 minutes that he played, but they had plenty of problems during the 13 minutes that he did not play. He has been out of action for a week, and he typically plays around 35 minutes because he plays so hard, but in this series the Bucks may need 40 productive minutes from Antetokounmpo so that they only have to figure out how to survive eight minutes per game without him.

Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 29 points on 12-26 field goal shooting, and Brook Lopez had a solid game (17 points, six rebounds). The Bucks need more from Jrue Holiday, who scored just 10 points on 4-14 field goal shooting. Holiday had nine assists and seven rebounds, but the Bucks need for him to score 18-20 points on efficient shooting while also being the primary defender on Paul; the Bucks cannot permit Paul to seek out the matchup that he wants.

The Bucks took an early three point lead, but trailed 30-26 by the end of the first quarter as Booker scored 12 points, including 6-6 free throw shooting. The Suns pushed that margin to 57-49 at halftime, and then they broke the game open as Paul scored 16 third quarter points on 6-7 field goal shooting. Paul was masterful as he authored one of the best Finals debuts ever, and one of the best Finals performances by a 36 year old.

The Suns outscored the Bucks 44-42 in the paint, 20-17 on the fast break, and 25-9 from the free throw line. The Bucks need to do a better job of exploiting their size advantage inside. One of the biggest mistakes that fans and even commentators make is assuming that whatever happened in one playoff game will carry over to the next game and the rest of the series. The Suns played about as well as they can play, but the Bucks are capable of making adjustments and playing better than they played. It would not at all be surprising if the Bucks play better defense, increase their paint scoring, and win game two.

The game one winner typically wins an NBA playoff series, but in the past couple years we have seen teams--including the Bucks--bounce back from a game one loss.

Labels: Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns

posted by David Friedman @ 12:50 AM

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