Bucks Better Without Giannis and LA Looks Better!
After two games from Day 18 of the NBA Playoffs, I’m talking about some topics from yesterday. Today I’m talking about the Milwaukee Bucks and the LA Lakers.
After two games from Day 18 of the NBA Playoffs, I’m talking about some topics from yesterday. Today I’m talking about the Milwaukee Bucks and the LA Lakers.
Are The Bucks Better Without Giannis?
After Giannis Antetokounmpo left Game 4 in the 1st half, I expected the Bucks to play much worse and lose the game without their superstar. That did not happen. The Bucks remained competitive throughout the rest of the game without the Greek Freak and managed to win in OT. So does that mean the Bucks are better without Giannis than with him?
The obvious answer would be yes and to blame Giannis. But yet again, Giannis is not the only one to shoulder blame. While Giannis deserves some criticism, the main should again fall on Mike Budenholzer.
While everybody thinks that Budenholzer is a great coach, he isn’t. While his knowledge of the game is great and he builds great schemes, he isn’t a playoff coach. What I mean by that is he never goes away from what worked in the regular season. His schemes got him 60 wins in the regular season, but once they start to not work, he doesn’t go away from them. He refuses to change and that is why he should be fired.
Budenholzer has not changed at all during this series and is the main reason why the Bucks have struggled against Miami. Because their defense hasn’t adjusted. The main reason Giannis has struggled is because Budenholzer treats him like a guard and puts him at the top of the key, where everybody is watching. He doesn’t put Giannis in positions to succeed. Instead of putting Giannis on the post, or on the wing, or as a roll man, he keeps putting the MVP in positions to fail. This is why Giannis is playing worse in this series than during the season.
And when Giannis left, the other Bucks started to be more aggressive. When Giannis is on the floor, everybody is standing still and there is no movement. They just stand there and stare at Giannis, just like the Miami defense. When Giannis left, the Bucks became like actual human beings and started moving.
Again, Budenholzer should be adjusting his offense so there are more moving parts. So that Giannis is not alone. So that he has actual teammates. When Giannis left, the Bucks went back to normal because Budenholzer didn’t have anything to screw up.
So I think that the Bucks will always play better with Giannis, it’s just that Budenholzer is a terrible coach. He doesn’t put Giannis in positions to win, he never changes anything on offense or defense, his rotations are bad. And he doesn’t tell his players to move.
So while the Bucks look more successful without Giannis in the 2nd half of Game 4, don’t be fooled. It is the fault of Mike Budenholzer.
Lakers Find Recipe For Success
After a bad Game 1 against the Rockets, the Lakers showed us why they are one of the favorites to win the title. All they had to do was play to their strengths, something they have not been good at during these playoffs. But if the Lakers find their rhythm and flow, how good are they?
The Lakers looked very good on both sides of the ball in Game 2. Anthony Davis had 34 points and 10 rebounds and Lebron had a near triple-double. The Lakers shot 57% from the field and 44% from 3. And 3 guys off the bench were in double figures. They forced 17 turnovers and held the Rockets down on offense for most of the game.
And when the Lakers get into this rhythm, they are very tough to beat. Their offense runs through Lebron and AD, who can be unstoppable at times. AD can score from everywhere at his best and Lebron… is Lebron. And when the offense runs through them, they are very hard to beat. Lebron gets everybody good looks, they just have to hit them. AD draws double-teams, which leads to open shots. Rondo is another great passer on the floor. So the Lakers offense needs to go through Lebron and AD in order to be successful.
And on defense, the Lakers got the ball out of James Harden and Russell Westbrooks’ hands. And they did a pretty good job rotating out to the rest of Houston’s shooters. They had a few breakdowns, but a solid job on defense all-around. Another reason the Lakers are tough to beat when they get like this is they force turnovers. They forced 17 on Houston and that led to Lebron dunks and lots more possessions for LA. The Lakers need to continue this in order to get an advantage.
So, the Lakers know what they need to do from here on out. Run the offense through Lebron and AD and hope other guys step up and make shots. On defense, force turnovers and get out and running. The Lakers can be very tough to stop and when they get into this type of rhythm, and if they play like this more consistently, they will have a good chance of winning a title.
What Are Your Thoughts On These Topics? Leave A Comment Down Below!
My Game-Day Report From Day 19 of the Playoffs Will Be Posted Tomorrow, So Stay Tuned!
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