Giannis Not To Blame And Are The Rockets For Real?
After two crazy games yesterday, I’m giving my thoughts on some topics from yesterday. Today I will be talking about the Bucks and the Houston Rockets.
After two crazy games yesterday, I’m giving my thoughts on some topics from yesterday. Today I will be talking about the Bucks and the Houston Rockets.
Milwaukee Bucks
After dropping the first two games in this series, the Bucks are in serious threat of losing this series. While many are quick to blame Giannis, Khris Middleton and others, I’m not so sure that they are entirely the problem.
I think one of the things that gets overlooked by many about the Bucks is coaching. While Mike Budenholzer is a well re-known coach around the league and is well accomplished, he seems to be getting out-coached by Erik Spoelstra in this series (so far).
Take for Game 1, he played Pat Connaughton 25 minutes. Connaughton usually played 18 minutes per game. Sure Eric Bledsoe wasn’t playing, but you could have given Donte DiVincenzo more minutes. DiVincenzo is an excellent defender who could have helped a struggling Bucks defense. DiVincenzo played just 14 minutes in Game 1.
Another mistake was playing Brook Lopez just 27 minutes. Lopez has not been the same shooter that he was last year, but he had 24 points in Game 1. And he only played 27 minutes. He should be playing well over 30 minutes.
While Giannis played 37 minutes and dealt with some foul trouble, he should be playing more. He is your best player. Your MVP. Your DPOY. Giannis is well-rested. He barely played 30 minutes a game during the regular season. He had 5 months off. He didn’t play much during the seeding games. And now he’s not even playing 40 minutes? Ridiculous. Sure he was dealing with foul trouble in the 1st half, but at some point you’re going to have to trust your players more.
And what annoys me the most about Coach Bud is adjustments. His defensive system is great and made the Bucks the best defensive team in the regular season, and one of the greatest defenses ever recorded. But after Jimmy Butler was cooking you in the 4th, Giannis did not guard him. This is partly Bud’s fault for not getting Giannis onto him, and partly Giannis’ fault for not talking initiative.
Budenholzer has had this problem before. A great system, but when is stops working, he doesn’t go away from it. And that is the main reason the Bucks are down 0-2 in this series. The Bucks made little to no defensive changes from Game 1 to Game 2 as the Heat did the same things on offense. Instead of Jimmy Butler, everybody chipped in. And this is why the Bucks will likely fail. Sure Giannis has to play well, but his coach is not putting him in positions to succeed.
Maybe after two miserable games on defense, he will make some changes. Maybe instead of taking away the paint, limit 3’s. Instead of giving Giannis the ball at the top and allowing the defense to build a wall around him, make him the screener in the pick-and-roll or post him up. He refuses to deviate from his offensive and defensive schemes, and it is why the Bucks will ultimately fail, if not in this series than down the line.
Can The Rockets Upset In Round 2?
After a grueling, tough series with the Thunder, the Rockets have two days to prepare for the well-rested LA Lakers. This series is small vs big and features some of the best in the game. But do the Rockets have a chance to win this series?
On paper, it looks like the Lakers should dominate this series. With a downhill force in Lebron, AD down in the post and a couple of streaky shooters, the Rockets looked outmatched on the defensive end. But could they make this interesting?
For starters, the Lakers could start off slow in Game 1. They’ve have time to rest and relax and as we saw in Game 1 against the Blazers, they might be sharp. Pair this with the lack of perimeter defense from the Lakers, and the Rockets might have something going here.
Now you can say that the Blazers had good guards and the Lakers locked them down. True, but the Rockets are not the same. James Harden and Russell Westbrook are completely different scoring guards as Harden is shooting, and Westbrook is driving. And pair that with Westbrook is at his best against the Lakers. Westbrook averaged 38.0 points in two matchups vs the Lakers. So Westbrook has had his way against LA this season and will likely continue to do so.
2nd, the Rockets have so many shooters that you can’t leave them all open. So when the defense collapses, the Lakers will have to bite the bullet and hope the Rockets miss.
On the defensive end, the Rockets have been the best in the playoffs. They are very scrappy and can annoy the Lakers. Anthony Davis loves to draw fouls. But in the playoffs, the Rockets are very good at stripping and stealing the ball. So if the Rockets don’t foul Davis when he is seeking contact, they an avoid sending him to the line for free points.
For Lebron James, the Rockets could go in two approaches. They are a switch everything defense, but as we saw with the Blazers, it’s tough to guard James. If you get into him, they will set a screen and he’ll keep you behind him and out of the play. Give him space and he’ll shoot or get downhill and into the paint where it is tough to stop him.
I think the Rockets should give him a little room. Let him come into the paint where the Rockets hands can strip the ball or get in the passing lanes. Don’t worry about the Lakers shooters until they prove they can make them. And we’ve seen them be very good or very bad.
So I’m liking the Rockets chances in this series. Certainly not to win it, but I see this series going to 6-7 games. The Rockets have not backed down from anybody and they certainly won’t do it against this LA team.
What Are Your Thoughts On These Topics? Leave A Comment Down Below!
My Game-Day Report For Day 14 of the Playoffs Will Be Posted Tomorrow, So Stay Tuned!
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