Caavaliers vs. Bulls (Cavs 1 - 0)
Well, LeBron promised the Bulls a different kind of animal during these playoffs, but I think he was really referring to himself. What the Bulls saw was vintage Shaq (only for a short period of time, 24 mins). Shaq stole the show early as he showed all of us that you can turn back the hands of time, at least for a while. Shaq said he went on the 'Uncle Jerome' diet which dropped him 20 lbs, and he looked good running up and down the court. The rest of the Cavs contributed, with Mo Williams leading the pack (of everyone not named LBJ) with 19pts and 10 asts. The Cavs did make several lapses and allowed the Bulls back in this game late, but they were able to finally close the door.
Celtics vs. Heat (Celtics 1 - 0)
This turned out about how many of us thought it would. The Heat ran out to an early lead but the Celtics finally decided to play some basketball in teh 4th quarter. Wade pretty much had his way for 3 quarters of the game, doing what ever he wanted and keeping his teammates involved. Things got a little chippy between the two teams when Paul Pierce was bumped near the Heat bench and seemed to hurt his shoulder. KG came over to check on his fallen teammate and Quentin Richardson said he was coming over to take the ball out of bounds. KG shot Q an elbow and then another elbow shortly thereafter. This ended up being a a lot of pushing and shoving but KG was thrown out of the game and could face a suspension. That would really change the playoffs for the Celtics. One good thing for the Celtics was the game Tony Allen played. He played pretty good defense on Wade, but he also was able to put up 14 points.
Hawks vs. Bucks (Hawks 1 - 0)
Well, this started off as a blowout of monumental purposes. Then Brandon Jennings, well actually Jennings kept the Bucks in this game then entire time but couldn't get any helop from his teammates until it was too late. Jennings ended the game with 34 pts, two short of tying the rookie playoff record set by Derrick Rose last year against the Celtics. The Hawks were hitting from everywhere and everyone contributed, in the first half. At halftime Jennings was single handedly keeping the Bucks within 20 (yes, 20). Jennings had 20 pts and no one else on his team had more than 4 pts. The Bucks were able to get back in the game by getting some stops and finally John Salmons was able to contribute, but in the end the Hawks and a surprising performance by Mike Bibby got the win.
Nuggets vs. Jazz (Nuggets 1 - 0)
I don't know who to feel sorry for here. The Nuggets are without their head coach, and the Jazz lost Memhet Okur in the 1st quarter of this game to a possible achilles tendon tears/rupture. The one thing I do know is that the Jazz started strong with CJ Miles setting the tone with a dunk early in the game, but the Jazz ran out of gas and able bodies at the end. The Nuggets seemed to not really want to play in the first half last night. The Jazz hit them in the mouth and they just seemed to be ok with it. In the 3rd, Melo woke up and decided that he needed to start scoring. Melo ended the game with 42 and the Nuggets rolled to a 1-0 series lead. The Jazz are really in trouble, I mean really.
Showing posts with label Milwaukee Bucks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Milwaukee Bucks. Show all posts
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Who ya got? NBA Playoffs 2010 – Eastern Conference
Well, the regular season is done and there’s nothing left to do but look at the playoff brackets and dream. The season seemed to end on a sour note with a lot of teams experiencing injuries to their important players on their team. Other teams may have over thought this thing and rested some of their key players while at the same time enduring a small losing streak here and there. We’re going to take a look at the playoffs and see where it takes us.
Eastern Conference – Round 1
Cavaliers vs. Bulls
Part of me says the Bulls should have lost their last two to get a chance at this draft (I think they would have swapped that pick anyway), but they won out and earned the 8th spot and a chance to be bludgeoned by the Cavs. Derrick Rose looks like he’s in a nice groove right now (39 pts, 27 pts in the last two) with his jumper (never thought I’d say that). We know he can get to the rim, but he’s starting to consistently hit his jumper which makes him oh so dangerous. The Bulls are playing well as a team despite the fact that their GM and coach want to enter the Octagon.
The Cavaliers have limped along lately while sitting LeBron for several minor ailments (I can’t believe the league is getting involved with this). Despite the fact that one voter might not vote LBJ as the MVP, he’s gotten some rest while giving others some time to play. The Cavaliers also get back a fit and trim (and I expect focused) Shaq. A lot of people are saying that it’s going to be hard for the Cavaliers to get Shaq back into the mix since he’s been out for over a month. I say hogwash!!! Shaq and Jamison are going to put this team into the Eastern Conference Finals (yes, and LeBron too). This is what Shaq promised right, a for a Ring for the King. That quest starts now.
Series Roundup – Too much LBJ and too much Cavs. I expect this to be a little chippy, but a Cavaliers series victory. Prediction: Cavs in 5.
Celtics vs. Heat
This ought to be a good series. The Celtics struggled to turn on the switch to get the 4th seed. At times they looked like the old team that they are. I think all of Boston hopes that they are in fact sandbagging the rest of the league and they are ready for, dare I say it, a Championship run. The Big Three are two years older from the last time they won and their window is closing fast. I will say this, Paul Pierce and KG have started playing some good basketball lately. KG is looking like that knee is back and he’s no longer laboring to get up and down the floor. The Celtics are only going to be as good as their bench. Rasheed Wallace has got to start taking more shots in the paint than out, and somebody playing guard (off the bench) has got to score on a consistent basis. So if you are Nate Robinson, Michael Finley, Tony Allen, or Marquis Daniels, now is the time to step up.
The Heat have gotten here on the shoulders of Dwayne Wade, period. I don’t think that many realize how good this guy is and how much he has to carry EVERY game for them to compete. Wade is the only consistent threat that the Celtics need to worry about. Cut off the head and the rest of the snake dies, right. With all of that said, Jermaine O’Neal has rested the last few games and he was playing pretty well, so that will help against the Celtics front line, but I am expecting big things out of Michael Beasley. We know Haslem can handle his own and we know that Jamaal Magloire is done (about 2 years ago actually), but Beasley is the key to this series for the Heat. He’s got to be able to take good shots and make them. He stretches the floor for the Heat and could bring Garnett out to the wing so that he’s not able to help with the rebounding. Outside of that, the Heat would need a barrage of 3’s from Cook and Richardson.
Series Roundup – I actually think the old guard gets out of the 1st round. I’m not to inclined to think that the Heat can pull it off. They have a chance, but if the key to the series is Michael Beasley, that may be too much to overcome. Prediction: Celtics in 6.
Magic vs. Bobcats
Congratulations to Michael Jordan for getting HIS team to the playoffs. Now, you get the Magic. The Bobcats have played great defense all year and that’s probably the only thing that they can attribute their rise to the playoffs. Larry Brown knows how to teach defense. On the offensive side of the ball, Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson lead this team in shots taken and made (not a surprise, eh), but it seems to work. The Bobcats’ big men (Ratliff, Chandler, Diop, and Mohammed) can defend, rebound, and run the floor, while their guards seem to be pretty much interchangeable (Felton, Hughes, Wallace, and Augustin). In all, they are a solid team that probably won’t scare many people on paper.
The Magic come in to this series pretty much rolling. Dwight Howard is playing some of his best ball and Vince Carter is trying to forget how to shoot 3 pointers and instead is making his way to the basket. We know Van Gundy will have his team focused and ready to play. Carter’s rise seems to be taking some of the luster off of Rashard Lewis and it’s shown all year long. I expect Matt Barnes to get in Stephen Jackson’s shorts (this may get a little feisty) and the Magic bench to perform like they have all year long with Redick, Pietrus, and Jason Williams leading the way.
Series Roundup – This is going to come down to defense. We know that the Magic can afford to get into a knock’em out drag’em out type of game, but in the end, I think the Magic just have that much better of a bench. The Magic have to keep pace with the Cavs. Prediction: Magic in 5.
Hawks vs. Bucks
I love big Bucks and I can not lie!!! That has to be a funny tag line that doesn’t seem to get too old. The Bucks have been a Scott Skiles team all year long. Remember his days in Chicago when that team played defense, executed on offense and made you lose the game? Well, this Bucks team has done just that. They have played defense and kept themselves in games, but with the addition of John Salmons the Bucks have found a scorer to help Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut. Jennings has surprised many as a rookie (by NBA standards) pg leading his team to the playoffs. Bogut had finally started showing why the Bucks extended him to big money last summer before suffering a terrible elbow/wrist injury toward the end of the season. Ersan Ilyasova has stepped up his game and hopefully they won’t miss Bogut that much. People forgot about Jerry Stackhouse, but I expect him to make some waves for the Bucks coming off the bench.
The Hawks are like the ugly step child. I mean they should be considered one of the elite teams in the East, but for some reason people just talk about the Celtics, Cavs, and Magic. The Hawks have yet again, played well this season. Joe Johnson is leading this team along with Al Horford and they win. When you throw in Mike Bibby, who is playing pretty well and actually hitting 3’s, Josh Smith, and the 6th Man of the Year, Jamal Crawford, this team is stacked. Crawford gives them a scorer off the bench who is a big upgrade over former-Hawk Flip Murray. I think everyone wanted this team to play the Celtics in the first round again.
Series Roundup – The Bucks will miss Bogut and I’m not sure that they can afford to get into a shoot out with this Atlanta team. The Hawks frontline is going to be too much for the Bucks. Prediction: Hawks in 5.
Eastern Conference – Round 1
Cavaliers vs. Bulls
Part of me says the Bulls should have lost their last two to get a chance at this draft (I think they would have swapped that pick anyway), but they won out and earned the 8th spot and a chance to be bludgeoned by the Cavs. Derrick Rose looks like he’s in a nice groove right now (39 pts, 27 pts in the last two) with his jumper (never thought I’d say that). We know he can get to the rim, but he’s starting to consistently hit his jumper which makes him oh so dangerous. The Bulls are playing well as a team despite the fact that their GM and coach want to enter the Octagon.
The Cavaliers have limped along lately while sitting LeBron for several minor ailments (I can’t believe the league is getting involved with this). Despite the fact that one voter might not vote LBJ as the MVP, he’s gotten some rest while giving others some time to play. The Cavaliers also get back a fit and trim (and I expect focused) Shaq. A lot of people are saying that it’s going to be hard for the Cavaliers to get Shaq back into the mix since he’s been out for over a month. I say hogwash!!! Shaq and Jamison are going to put this team into the Eastern Conference Finals (yes, and LeBron too). This is what Shaq promised right, a for a Ring for the King. That quest starts now.
Series Roundup – Too much LBJ and too much Cavs. I expect this to be a little chippy, but a Cavaliers series victory. Prediction: Cavs in 5.
Celtics vs. Heat
This ought to be a good series. The Celtics struggled to turn on the switch to get the 4th seed. At times they looked like the old team that they are. I think all of Boston hopes that they are in fact sandbagging the rest of the league and they are ready for, dare I say it, a Championship run. The Big Three are two years older from the last time they won and their window is closing fast. I will say this, Paul Pierce and KG have started playing some good basketball lately. KG is looking like that knee is back and he’s no longer laboring to get up and down the floor. The Celtics are only going to be as good as their bench. Rasheed Wallace has got to start taking more shots in the paint than out, and somebody playing guard (off the bench) has got to score on a consistent basis. So if you are Nate Robinson, Michael Finley, Tony Allen, or Marquis Daniels, now is the time to step up.
The Heat have gotten here on the shoulders of Dwayne Wade, period. I don’t think that many realize how good this guy is and how much he has to carry EVERY game for them to compete. Wade is the only consistent threat that the Celtics need to worry about. Cut off the head and the rest of the snake dies, right. With all of that said, Jermaine O’Neal has rested the last few games and he was playing pretty well, so that will help against the Celtics front line, but I am expecting big things out of Michael Beasley. We know Haslem can handle his own and we know that Jamaal Magloire is done (about 2 years ago actually), but Beasley is the key to this series for the Heat. He’s got to be able to take good shots and make them. He stretches the floor for the Heat and could bring Garnett out to the wing so that he’s not able to help with the rebounding. Outside of that, the Heat would need a barrage of 3’s from Cook and Richardson.
Series Roundup – I actually think the old guard gets out of the 1st round. I’m not to inclined to think that the Heat can pull it off. They have a chance, but if the key to the series is Michael Beasley, that may be too much to overcome. Prediction: Celtics in 6.
Magic vs. Bobcats
Congratulations to Michael Jordan for getting HIS team to the playoffs. Now, you get the Magic. The Bobcats have played great defense all year and that’s probably the only thing that they can attribute their rise to the playoffs. Larry Brown knows how to teach defense. On the offensive side of the ball, Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson lead this team in shots taken and made (not a surprise, eh), but it seems to work. The Bobcats’ big men (Ratliff, Chandler, Diop, and Mohammed) can defend, rebound, and run the floor, while their guards seem to be pretty much interchangeable (Felton, Hughes, Wallace, and Augustin). In all, they are a solid team that probably won’t scare many people on paper.
The Magic come in to this series pretty much rolling. Dwight Howard is playing some of his best ball and Vince Carter is trying to forget how to shoot 3 pointers and instead is making his way to the basket. We know Van Gundy will have his team focused and ready to play. Carter’s rise seems to be taking some of the luster off of Rashard Lewis and it’s shown all year long. I expect Matt Barnes to get in Stephen Jackson’s shorts (this may get a little feisty) and the Magic bench to perform like they have all year long with Redick, Pietrus, and Jason Williams leading the way.
Series Roundup – This is going to come down to defense. We know that the Magic can afford to get into a knock’em out drag’em out type of game, but in the end, I think the Magic just have that much better of a bench. The Magic have to keep pace with the Cavs. Prediction: Magic in 5.
Hawks vs. Bucks
I love big Bucks and I can not lie!!! That has to be a funny tag line that doesn’t seem to get too old. The Bucks have been a Scott Skiles team all year long. Remember his days in Chicago when that team played defense, executed on offense and made you lose the game? Well, this Bucks team has done just that. They have played defense and kept themselves in games, but with the addition of John Salmons the Bucks have found a scorer to help Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut. Jennings has surprised many as a rookie (by NBA standards) pg leading his team to the playoffs. Bogut had finally started showing why the Bucks extended him to big money last summer before suffering a terrible elbow/wrist injury toward the end of the season. Ersan Ilyasova has stepped up his game and hopefully they won’t miss Bogut that much. People forgot about Jerry Stackhouse, but I expect him to make some waves for the Bucks coming off the bench.
The Hawks are like the ugly step child. I mean they should be considered one of the elite teams in the East, but for some reason people just talk about the Celtics, Cavs, and Magic. The Hawks have yet again, played well this season. Joe Johnson is leading this team along with Al Horford and they win. When you throw in Mike Bibby, who is playing pretty well and actually hitting 3’s, Josh Smith, and the 6th Man of the Year, Jamal Crawford, this team is stacked. Crawford gives them a scorer off the bench who is a big upgrade over former-Hawk Flip Murray. I think everyone wanted this team to play the Celtics in the first round again.
Series Roundup – The Bucks will miss Bogut and I’m not sure that they can afford to get into a shoot out with this Atlanta team. The Hawks frontline is going to be too much for the Bucks. Prediction: Hawks in 5.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Who Needs College?
Well, last night Brandon Jennings torched the Golden State Warriors for 55 points and broke a rookie scoring record held by none other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (51 points). Jennings was drafted No. 10 by the Bucks during the last draft. Prior to last night and the draft, Jennings was better known as the kid who skipped out on college and went overseas to play for a year. Many at the time thought that Jennings gamble would backfire on him, but the young man made the decision and stuck with it. His stats didn't wow anyone who watched him play in Europe, but a lot of people are excited about his prospects in the NBA. Congrats Brandon on a great night last night and continued success.
Is this starting a trend? Jennings was able to go to Europe for a year and still get drafted in the top 10 of the NBA draft. He was also making close to $600-$700K a year. Is being a part of March Madness really worth that much to you?
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Jefferson to San Antonio
With a lot of moves expected in the next few days and the rest of the off season, the Spurs may have hit a home run. The Spurs have agreed to trade Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto, and Kurt Thomas to Milwaukee for Richard Jefferson.This move is great for the Spurs who are looking to get a little younger, but also get someone that can create their own offense if Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili aren't on the floor. Udoka can become a new version of Bruce Bowen, but now the Spurs will need to find some toughness in the paint to back up Tim Duncan.
The Bucks get parts that allow them to play more defense, and I think Kurt Thomas has an expiring contract that may be useful later in the season. I just see the Bucks got older in this deal but may have gotten some salary cap relief in the future.
Great deal for the Spurs, maybe a good deal for the Bucks. Who do you think won out on this deal? Does either team get that much better?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
NBA 2008 - 2009 Opening Night
It was good to finally get the NBA season kicked off last night. It's been a long time coming and it started with a bang. There were only 3 games last night, but each had it's ups and downs. All in all, a great way to start the season off.
Milwaukee @ Chicago -The Bulls open their season by welcoming their former coach, Scott Skiles, and his new time to the United Center. It was fan appreciation night, so all of the hoopla was brought out last night. The Bulls unveiled their #1 Draft pick Derrick Rose and he didn't disappoint. Rose and the rest of the Bulls shared the ball all night long and ended up beating the visiting Bucks. I thought Ben Gordon was going to get beat up last night by the fans because he came out going 0-5, but he righted that ship in the second half, finishing 6-12, for 18 points. Michael Redd probably never hoped that the summer would have ended because of the talent he was playing with at the Olympics, but you could see that he was the only bright spot for the Bucks last night as he ended the game with 30 points. Rose's final stat line was 11pts, 9 asts, 4 rebs, and 4 turnovers. Not a bad night at work for the rookie. Luol Deng paced the Bulls with 21. Vinny DelNegro is 1-0. Quit now Vinny, and you can say that you've never lost a game that you've coached. The Celtics are up next for the Bulls. Looks like they are staring 1-1 in the face. The Bucks get some (OKC) Thunder tonight.
Cleveland @ Boston - This is what they've waited for all summer. While it seemed the rest of the upper echelon of the NBA was off playing for a gold medal, the Celtics' Big Three were at home waiting for this, the banner raising ceremony. As we all knew, Paul Pierce needed about 12 boxes of Kleenex, and everyone was happy to show off their new $30K ice. The Celtics followed the ceremony up with a close win against the Cavs. LeBron was his normal self, although I think he is jumping higher this year (did you see those dunks? here's one. recap of the game brought to you by NBA.com). Mo Williams, played decently, but it'll take time for that combo to be well oiled. Ben Wallace looked about 40 something out there and that's not good since this is the first game of the season. The Cavs start out 0-1, but I expect that these two teams will see each other again in the playoffs. I hope that the Cavs have their game in order. The Cavs host the Bobcats on Thursday, and the Celtics host the Bulls on Halloween.
Portland @ Los Angeles Lakers - Well, the Lakers have been waiting for this all summer, the return of Andrew Bynum. The Lakers want to make sure that Bynum is back and healthy since a) he's up for some big money this summer and b) they need him to add some much need oomph in the paint for them. This game wasn't a pretty one, but Bynum made it through. No mind blowing stats of yet, but you could see that he was finding his way last night. The Blazers on the other hand looked outmatched for most of the night. Kobe took the challenge of guarding Brandon Roy and he shut him down. Greg Oden, playing his first game of any NBA season seemed very nervous and anxious, all of which we could understand. Then the unthinkable happened and Oden twisted an ankle and left the game. You have to hope that this is just an ankle sprain (and all the reports are saying just that), because the Blazers need Oden if their going to build on what they did last season. Let's hope the big guy gets back in the lineup soon. Kobe led the team with 23 pts, 11 rebs, and 5 asts. The Lakers face the Clippers tonight while the Blazers face the Spurs on Halloween.
Milwaukee @ Chicago -The Bulls open their season by welcoming their former coach, Scott Skiles, and his new time to the United Center. It was fan appreciation night, so all of the hoopla was brought out last night. The Bulls unveiled their #1 Draft pick Derrick Rose and he didn't disappoint. Rose and the rest of the Bulls shared the ball all night long and ended up beating the visiting Bucks. I thought Ben Gordon was going to get beat up last night by the fans because he came out going 0-5, but he righted that ship in the second half, finishing 6-12, for 18 points. Michael Redd probably never hoped that the summer would have ended because of the talent he was playing with at the Olympics, but you could see that he was the only bright spot for the Bucks last night as he ended the game with 30 points. Rose's final stat line was 11pts, 9 asts, 4 rebs, and 4 turnovers. Not a bad night at work for the rookie. Luol Deng paced the Bulls with 21. Vinny DelNegro is 1-0. Quit now Vinny, and you can say that you've never lost a game that you've coached. The Celtics are up next for the Bulls. Looks like they are staring 1-1 in the face. The Bucks get some (OKC) Thunder tonight.
Cleveland @ Boston - This is what they've waited for all summer. While it seemed the rest of the upper echelon of the NBA was off playing for a gold medal, the Celtics' Big Three were at home waiting for this, the banner raising ceremony. As we all knew, Paul Pierce needed about 12 boxes of Kleenex, and everyone was happy to show off their new $30K ice. The Celtics followed the ceremony up with a close win against the Cavs. LeBron was his normal self, although I think he is jumping higher this year (did you see those dunks? here's one. recap of the game brought to you by NBA.com). Mo Williams, played decently, but it'll take time for that combo to be well oiled. Ben Wallace looked about 40 something out there and that's not good since this is the first game of the season. The Cavs start out 0-1, but I expect that these two teams will see each other again in the playoffs. I hope that the Cavs have their game in order. The Cavs host the Bobcats on Thursday, and the Celtics host the Bulls on Halloween.
Portland @ Los Angeles Lakers - Well, the Lakers have been waiting for this all summer, the return of Andrew Bynum. The Lakers want to make sure that Bynum is back and healthy since a) he's up for some big money this summer and b) they need him to add some much need oomph in the paint for them. This game wasn't a pretty one, but Bynum made it through. No mind blowing stats of yet, but you could see that he was finding his way last night. The Blazers on the other hand looked outmatched for most of the night. Kobe took the challenge of guarding Brandon Roy and he shut him down. Greg Oden, playing his first game of any NBA season seemed very nervous and anxious, all of which we could understand. Then the unthinkable happened and Oden twisted an ankle and left the game. You have to hope that this is just an ankle sprain (and all the reports are saying just that), because the Blazers need Oden if their going to build on what they did last season. Let's hope the big guy gets back in the lineup soon. Kobe led the team with 23 pts, 11 rebs, and 5 asts. The Lakers face the Clippers tonight while the Blazers face the Spurs on Halloween.
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