SB Nation - Milwaukee Bucks

Recap: Kings 96, Bucks 95

Frank Madden — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:31:40 -0000

It took him a couple quarters, but Thompson eventually found ways up, over, and around the Bucks' defense.

My Saturday started in Copenhagen, Denmark about 25 hours ago; in fact, I woke up just in time (about 4 am Danish time) to follow the last minute of the Bucks' 85-82 loss to the Cavs on the hotel wifi. Terrific start to a day. So if I seem a bit incoherent and annoyed that my Saturday is also ending with a last-second Bucks' loss--and one that I got to witness in person at the BC--forgive me. It's not often I get two Bucks losses in one day.

The highlight shows will of course focus on the hype-friendly matchup between the rookies, which is easy given Tyreke Evans (9/19 fg, seven rebs, three assists, six turnovers) scored the final two of his 24 points on a lovely stutter-step layup past Andrew Bogut with just 0.9 seconds left. Brandon Jennings mostly kept his end of the bargain as well, scoring 15 (4/11 fg) with nine assists, six boards and just one turnover. The good also included four clutch free throws in the final minute and a heads-up dish to Ersan Ilyasova for a layup to give the Bucks a 95-94 lead. Evans had the last laugh, however, and Jennings missed his last seven from the field as the Bucks' big names shot blanks down the stretch. Hey, sound familiar? Considering Michael Redd's latest clunker (1/6 fg, three points) and Andrew Bogut's awful second half (1/10 fg), it's in some ways amazing the Bucks kept it as close as they did--until you consider that the Kings also came into this game an awe-inspiring 1-11 on the road.

The Bucks led 53-49 at the half, as Evans scored 17 (albeit on 15 shots) while Bogut contributed 12/4/4 for the Bucks. A night after his 5/21 performance in Cleveland, Jennings looked patient and content to get other guys involved early on, as he didn't take a shot until the three minute mark of the second quarter. But he buried that first triple and added another jumper to round out a solid first half: seven points (2/2 fg), five assists, and three rebounds. Ilyasova (14/10) already had his double-double midway through the third, but foul trouble made him an observer for most of the second half.

The Bucks led by as many as seven in the third, but the Kings were far more composed than their road record would have suggested. After Evans carried the offensive load in the first half, Jason Thompson took over in the second, scoring 17 of his 22 in the period to go with 10 boards. The Kings seemed oddly shy to give him the ball in the first half with Andrew Bogut guarding him, but he showed the full repertoire of inside/out stuff in the second, including seven points in the final three minutes. One of those was a questionable three-point play that cut the Bucks lead from four to one, as Thompson hooked Bogut making a move along the baseline, but instead got the foul and continuation on Bogut. Not to whine though, because the Bucks overall didn't get the short end of the refereeing stick. They even got a charge called on Evans for wiping out Bogut on a play that looked eerily similar to the Kobe call on Wednesday. Also not to be forgotten is Beno Udrih (6/11 fg, 16 pts), who killed the Bucks with mid-range jumpers off P&R in the second and third quarters.

In any case, the game came down to making plays in crunch time, and as per usual the Bucks didn't make them as often as their opponents. These recaps are starting to write themselves in that sense. The Bucks had seven offensive rebounds in the final five minutes, but all that meant was they were working hard and missing everything. Bogut bricked a pair of freebies with 42 seconds left and the Bucks down one, only for Jennings to retrieve the second miss and start another possession that saw Jennings miss a reverse layup in traffic, Bogut miss two tip-ins, and Jennings grab another rebound and draw the foul.

As he's done so often--and unlike everyone else on the team--Jennings didn't miss with the game on the line, but the Bucks couldn't stop the Kings, either. After Evans penetrated, Thompson dropped a tough hook over Bogut on the right side of the lane to make it 94-93 Kings with 11 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds Jennings nearly had his inbound pass to Andrew Bogut stolen at midcourt, but he scooped up the loose ball, and with two Kings out of the play he found Ilyasova wide open under the basket for the easy two with five seconds left.

It turned out to be too much time. Evans ran P&R from the left with Thompson, and Mbah a Moute unwisely went over the screen, leaving Evans one-on-one with a backpedaling Bogut. That was all she wrote, as Evans smoothly went left and finished with his right off the glass. Bogut had a last-second heave from the baseline that could have won it, but you kind of knew the Bucks didn't have any more tricks up their sleeve.

Three Bucks

Carlos Delfino. It seems like Delfino's usual MO has been hot starts and anonymous finishes, but the Argentine reversed it tonight in a major way. The Bucks were leading 70-65 when Skiles subbed out Bogut and Jennings with two minutes left in the third, and it was Delfino who kept the Bucks' afloat for the next 12 minutes or so. First he scooped a driving layin to finish the Bucks' third quarter scoring, then led the way with three triples and 11 points in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter. He also took on the task of defending Evans for much of that period, yielding only in the final minute to Mbah a Moute.

Luc Mbah a Moute. Mbah a Moute's last contributions were missing a free throw with three minutes remaining and getting rubbed out on the P&R that led to Evans' game-winner, but that shouldn't overshadow what was another solid game from the Prince. It was particularly true on the offensive end, where LRMaM made all five of his shots including a corner triple.

Brandon Jennings. It was another solid game with plenty of ups and downs for Jennings. On the down side, he got smoked by Evans on a couple drives in the third quarter, which is becoming all too common for a small guy blessed with his quickness. With Beno Udrih getting major minutes down the stretch Jennings didn't face off directly against Evans

Three Numbers.

19. By my count, Bogut (7), Redd (5) and Jennings (7) combined to miss their 19 shots from the field. Yeah, not cool. Bogut didn't make a shot in the last 22 minutes and bricked his last five free throws, going 1/10 from the field i the second half after a solid 5/10, 13 point first half. Jennings at least made his free throws (6/6), but went strangely cold in the third quarter after making his first four shots from the field.

13. It wouldn't be the numbers section without some allusion to the Bucks' terrible free throw differential, so here's your daily dose: the Bucks made just 13/20 from the line compared to the Kings' 22/29. Same sh**, different day.

1-8. That's the Bucks' record in games decided by three points or less. Unlucky? Just bad at finishing games? I'll take the easy route and say a combo of both, but either way it's killing them in the won-loss column. History says that close games require more luck than skill, and that even good teams don't win a high percentage of close games over the long haul (they win the blowouts, natch). Still, the fact that the Bucks lack a guy who can a) both draw fouls and make free throws and b) create quality shots for himself reliably means that they'll probably be worse than average. Not quite as bad as they've been, but still not good. We've seen flashes of Jennings being a go-to guy late in games and so far he's had ice-water in his veins at the stripe, but he's not the guy yet.

~~Three~~ Two Good

Rookies. Sure, they've got growing up to do, but Evans and Jennings are damn good for a pair of 20-year old rookies. I've seen very little of Evans since the season started, but in Vegas he looked like a thrifty man's Dwyane Wade (all the slithery slashing and body control, less of the rim-endangering explosiveness) and it was pretty much the same deal tonight. Lots of turnovers and few assists, but he's really not a ballhog and his line would have been even more impressive if he didn't miss so many contested layups.

As for Jennings, he seemed to be in "play like a true PG" mode tonight, which worked reasonably well. Defense could have been better and he still doesn't make shots around the hoop, but you already knew that.

Meeks. I'm grasping at straws here, but it's not like I have that much to choose from. Meeks' minutes would seem to be gone now that Redd is back, but he got an extended look in the second quarter--guarding Evans no less--and held his own with five points, two steals, and two assists. He didn't get a look in the second half, but Meeks' +9 rating was the best of any player on either team.

Three Bad

Skiles. I don't generally call out coaches since, well, they know the game and their players infinitely better than I do. And let's be honest, Skiles isn't exactly Vinny Del Negro. Still, there were a few things that made me scratch my head on this one.

For one, Redd played 15 straight mostly awful minutes from the end of the third until late in the fourth. Why? Don't ask me--the way LRMaM was playing it didn't make sense for him to be sacrificing minutes for the old man. Heck, Bell, Ridnour or Meeks would have been better choices at that point.

Second, why did Jennings inbound twice in the final minute? I guess I can understand him inbounding with 11 seconds left since he can get it right back. But his pass was deflected and almost stolen (fortunately he recovered to both get the ball and find Ilyasova for the layup), so maybe we should take that as a sign that the little guy may not have been the best option. Moreover, with 0.9 seconds left I would have thought Jennings' ability to make tough shots would make him an obvious option as a shooter, but instead he was again summoned to make the pass, this time throwing a tough entry pass Bogut not surprisingly couldn't turn into a miracle. I vote we cut Elson and bring back Toni Kukoc (tall + great passer = great inbounder) purely as a late-game inbounding specialist.

Lastly, I would have dared Evans to shoot a jumper on the last play by having Mbah a Moute go under the screen rather than chase around. I'm assuming Mbah a Moute went over the screen on direction from the Bucks' coaches, though in fairness Evans didn't always kill them on that strategy earlier in the game. But do the math--Evans is a 59% shooter around the rim and 45% from 16-23 feet. Bogut might have been hoping to force Evans to hesitate by backpedaling, but give credit to the rookie for making such a decisive move.

Bogut's ability to put a ball in the basket. Ignore the shooting numbers and there'd be nothing to dislike about Bogut's line: 13 boards, five assists, one turnover and three blocks. Include the shooting numbers and...well, not so much. Bogut continues to struggle from the field (6/20) and the line (3/8)--the latter being expected at this point while the former is a more recent phenomenon.

Part of the issue tonight was the Kings doing a good job getting bodies in Bogut's way--Spencer Hawes' length bothered Bogut on two misses to start the game, and even though Bogut began to bully Hawes and co. for much of the rest of the half, they were mostly denying him the deep position where he's so dangerous. They showed the double teams on a number of occasions as well, and while Bogut managed to take care of the ball better than usual tonight, he sometimes seemed to be rushing shots just to get them off.

Michael Redd's ability to do anything. The silver lining from the Laker game was the hope that the old Mike Redd wasn't too far away--or that the new one wouldn't be that much worse than the old one. But in two games since Redd has again looked out of sorts. He started the game fairly judicious about his shot selection, but with Skiles playing him for extended periods with the second unit things fell apart more quickly. On paper, the idea of Redd going to work while Bogut/Jennings rest is a nice one, but thus far it's only reiterated why Redd shouldn't be starting.

Spurs 100, Pacers 99: Pacers Miss Out On Chance For Road Win

Tom Lewis — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:14:52 -0000

It's about time to issue a warning: Follow the Indiana Pacers at your own risk.

On any given night, their play may force your heart to stop intermittently or your brain to go numb. You may pull a hammy dancing with joy, or become life-less, depressed pile of bones as the buzzer sounds.

Against the San Antonio Spurs tonight, all of the above side effects were felt as the Pacers rallied from a 13-point second quarter deficit to take a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter.

From there, the heart fluttered, mind froze, dancing ceased and depression set in after T.J. Ford's potential game-winning jump shot was just wide right, allowing the Spurs to escape with a win, 100-99.

Just when the expectations for the Pacers sink, as they did after last night's double-digit loss to Memphis, the team puts together an effort to draw you back into and actually have you thinking win...on the road...at San Antonio. It was all there for the taking early in the fourth quarter.

But you could feel the Spurs mounting an attack, plus the Pacers' recent history made a late run by the Spurs standard operating procedure. Once the Spurs made their run to make it a one possession game with five minutes left to play, I began to wonder if this would be a repeat of Orlando where the Pacers would shut down offensively while the Spurs methodically pulled away.

Not tonight.

The Spurs biggest lead would be three points with three minutes to go. But a dunk by Brandon Rush and a near-miraculous tip by Roy Hibbert gave the Pacers points on consecutive possessions and a one-point lead with a minute to go.

Nope, no fade tonight, just a missed opportunity.

After weathering a couple of Tim Duncan offensive rebounds, the Pacers had the ball and the lead with 33 seconds to go. After using up some clock, T.J. Ford missed one of his patented little 12-foot fade away jumpers, leaving the Spurs 10 seconds to win the game.

Naturally, the Spurs went to Duncan. Roy Hibbert met Duncan at the rim and stuffed the Hall of Famer's first offering. But Duncan quickly took the rejecting and jammed it home. Spurs up one with four seconds left.

Once again, the Pacers went to Ford to be the hero, clearing out for the point guard to work from the top of the key. It appeared he had George Hill off-balance and rose up for a clean 16-footer which helplessly clanked of the right side of the rim. Depression.

Plenty of thoughts and observations from this one:

For starters, why go with T.J. Ford down the stretch? Pretty good question, but T.J. was a catalyst, making the Pacers go through much of the second half. Ford was playing off the bench, with Earl Watson starting, but he had a nice offensive flow going much of the night. Plus, he's made that type of shot in the past and Mike Dunleavy was off all night and didn't play much in the second half.
As mentioned above, Jim O'Brien shook up his starting lineup, moving Ford and Brandon Rush to the bench to start Watson and Dahntay Jones. The team jumped out to a solid start in the first quarter, but a late 9-2 run to end the first quarter, with mostly bench players on the floor, nullified the good start.
Things switch in the second half, when the second unit played the Pacers back into the game. T.J. Ford ended up playing more minutes than Watson.
Roy Hibbert had moments of brilliance at the offensive end. The Spurs didn't feel the need to double Hibbert much and the big fella took his time and made them pay, even squaring up and scoring over Tim Duncan with a solid move in the lane. Hibbert's presence was felt at the defensive end as well, especially late with a couple of big blocks. Hibbert finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 blocks.
Brandon Rush played a lot of minutes off the bench, as well. His play was up and down as usual, but he was hardly floating. Although, floating would've been better than the end result of a few possessions Rush botched. His baseline back-cut for a dunk late in the game was sweet and gave the Pacers a boost to eventually reclaim the lead.
Troy Murphyhad his shot going early and finished with 21 points on 8 of 13 from the floor. Murph was saddled with fouls as he struggled to defend Duncan at times.
Tyler Hansbroughwas in the mix during the Pacers late second quarter run which helped set up a late third quarter run, also involving Hansbrough, to give the Pacers the lead. The rook finished with 9 points and 6 rebounds with a few blips along the way. Actually, one was more than a blip. After being hung out to dry guarding Richard Jeffersonon the wing, RJ crossed-up Hansbrough and left him leaning in cement sneakers as Jefferson threw down a pretty reverse dunk. Wasn't a poster dunk, because Hansbrough would've been out of the picture.
The Pacers caught a break with the Spurs missing 15 free throws. Tony Parker missed five of his 12 attempts.
Life doesn't get any easier for the Pacers as they head home for a day before hosting the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, followed by a quick trip to Boston to play the Celtics on Tuesday.
Jeff Foster played a few minutes before retiring for the night with more back issues.
Luther Head took advantage of some rare playing time to provide a nice spark for the Pacers, as he has done in the past. Luther had 9 points on 6 shots and once again made a case for more playing time.

Game 25: Kings/Bucks

Alex Boeder — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:28:23 -0000

2009/2010 NBA Season
	vs.
11-14 (1-11 road)		11-13 (9-4 home)
December 19, 2009
Bradley Center
7:30 PM CT
Radio: 620 WTMJ TV: FSN Wisconsin HD
Probable starters:
Tyreke Evans	PG	Brandon Jennings
Omri Casspi	SG	Carlos Delfino
Dante Green	SF	Luc Mbah a Moute
Jason Thompson	PF	Ersan Ilyasova
Spencer Hawes	C	Andrew Bogut

109.3 (9th) - OFFENSE - 103.7 (24th)
110.4 (26th) - DEFENSE - 103.0 (6th)
95.0 (6th) - PACE - 93.2 (11th)

Linkage

Sactown Royalty / Sacramento Bee / Cowbell Kingdom

Home sweet home. Pretty even matchup between a pair of pleasant surprises... until you check out the home/road splits. The Kings are turning ARCO back into a place-to-be at 10-3, but outside of Sactown is where struggles happen. They are 1-11 on the road this season, the second worst away record in the NBA, "better "only than the 1-16 Nets.

The Bucks (9-4 home, 2-9 road) are similarly happy-at-home and hapless-on-the-road, and that plays into their advantage tonight in Milwaukee.

Not only that, but... The Kings just suffered a bad loss to the Timberwolves last night, Tom Ziller take it from here:

Just a brutal, brutal affair. In some losses, the Kings have had multiple runs at the lead -- like a half dozen, in the case of the second Spurs defeat. The Kings had negative two runs Friday night. I don't know how that happened, but it did. Tyreke Evans had his worst game in ages (despite eight assists, would have been more if the team had shot better than 43 percent from the field), Donte Greene didn't score a point in 18 minutes, Kenny Thomas didn't score a point in 20 minutes, Spencer Hawes had zero defensive rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench, the team shot 4-27 from three against a dreadful defensive club, and the team gave up 112 points in 106 possessions to the league's third worst offensive oufit. BRUTAL.

Sactown Royalty is pretty much it.

Jennings/Evans. Both coming off rather miserable shooting nights (Evans 4-12 and Jennings 5-21), nevertheless the two best rookies of them all. Should be fun.

Recap: Cavaliers 85, Bucks 83 (With Special Bonuses!)

Mitchell_M — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:59:31 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

1 day ago: Milwaukee Bucks' Brandon Jennings (3) runs into Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) on a drive to the basket in the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 18, 2009, in Cleveland. Jennings scored 18 points in a 85-82 loss to Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Browse more photos »

Greetings, Bucks fans. Frank and Alex are both unavailable for the Bucks-Cavaliers recap, so you guys get me. Sorry.

Box Score

The last time ESPN showed the Bucks, the team saw by the nation (and myself) was a young team both struggling without Andrew Bogut as a centerpiece and unable to keep up with Oklahoma City's rampant athleticism. It was a disappointing showing, even bordering on embarassing. But the Bucks aren't that team, and ESPN is giving them another chance to show what they really are.

Unfortunately, they drew LeBron James and the Cavs, meaning the road to redemption on national television is that much harder. But who's to say they won't do it? After all, the Bucks have some advantages in this game (weird, right?), and it always helps to have a defensive stopper with the ability to cover James one-on-one. Perhaps they can do the inconceivable and topple the Cavaliers? I sure hope so, and I certainly think they can.

(Note: For those of you wondering why I'm talking in the future tense, or why I haven't mentioned the result of the game, it's because I didn't watch it live. I DVR'd the game and watched it after getting home from work at 9 AM. Third shift sucks that way.)

This recap will be a little different than those before it. We'll still have Three Bucks, Three Numbers, and the Good and Bad, but we'll have some bonus triplets after the jump, plus some actual game analysis peppered in. Think of it as a retroactive live-blog.

On to the game (most of you have already seen)!

Three Things I Noticed Before Tip-Off

Hubie Brown and Dave Pasch were just a tad friendlier to the Cavs. Sure, they're a perennial powerhouse and led by the premier player of his generation, but do we have to make it sound like that much of a mismatch?

These teams aren't really all that different. Think about it; they both are defensive teams that keep the game's score low and can light it up from deep, they both have two big foreign guys that play defense, take charges, and rebound, and they're both led by players that arrived somewhat unexpectedly (Cleveland with the surprising #1 draft pick despite the odds, Milwaukee with 9 other teams passing on Jennings (and his impromptu entrance after being picked at #10)). It's almost like the Bucks are a poor man's Cavaliers, but then you remember that the Cavs are from Cleveland, which is a poor man's everything.

Brandon Jennings' hair makes him look even more like Allen Iverson. The corn rows aren't quite as long as A.I's yet, but give it time. I'd be frightened if his assist (6.0 apg) and three-point numbers (44%(!)) were as Iverson-like as he looks. Have I gushed about how much of a man-crush I have on BJ yet? I'll wait 'til the game starts to go full steam ahead, but let's just say he's already become my favorite NBA player.

Three First Half Observations

A Great Start. A 17-7 start before Cleveland takes its first timeout is absolutely led by Young Money (3 points, 6 assists). He would have had 7 dimes had Ersan not had his fast-break layup blocked by Shaq. I saw some good shooting, great passing, and above-average defense during this run; this is the team that the Bucks are trying to be. But they have to do it for all 48 minutes, not just the first 6:23. Which is exactly when Cleveland closed the gap and forced Milwaukee out of its game.

Jennings had a pretty good first half altogether with 8 points and 6 assists, plus he was the only Buck really willing to attack the paint. When he gets older/stronger, he'll actually finish those trips to the rack (2/9 in the first half).

The Daniel Gibson "Foul". I didn't want to waste one of my three points on one play, but this infuriated me. Gibson drove hard, froze Kurt Thomas with a ball fake, and went up for the layup. Thomas' foot was very close to the one Boobie took off on, so much so that Gibson's reaction resulting in his right foot taking out his left, thus sending him to the floor. He made the shot nonetheless, and it was a great play with an outstanding effort to make the basket. Then came the whistle, and Boobie took the line for the and-one.

BUT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO CONTACT. NONE WHATSOEVER. Just because a player trips over his own feet while shooting and a defender just happens to be near him (BUT NOT TOUCHING HIM AT ALL) doesn't mean he should get a freebie. Now, I reffed college intramurals, so I know how calls can be almost impossible to truly see at certain speeds, angles, and whatnot, and that's magnified 1000x in the NBA, but c'mon. Then, of course, Hubie Brown went on a long diatribe about how you don't foul a player when you get out of position and give him the and-one, unless you foul his arms to prevent the layup attempt, blah blah blah, completely discounting the fact that it was a phantom call. Gah, basketball can be infuriating sometimes.

To prove my point, Boobie missed the free throw. Ball don't lie.

Bogut + foul trouble = complete inability to protect the paint. Andy's three quick fouls (one of which was legit, one was iffy, and one was downright ticky-tack) limited him to less than 6 minutes in the half and opened up the lane faster than you can say "massive free throw discrepancy". Oh, and there was a massive free throw discrepancy (CLE - 21 attempts, MIL - 5 attempts). Part of this was too much jump shooting by Milwaukee, part of it was bad calls here and there, but most of it was missing Bogut.

Three Second Half Observations

When Cleveland asserts itself, they're impressive. The Bucks have enough good shooters to out-gun teams that get caught up in a scorefest. Good teams avoid playing to their opponents strength. Cleveland is a good team, which is why they forced the issue inside while Milwaukee was content to stay along the perimeter. Of course, they're often better than good, considering they've got a bunch of shooters to go with their strong post presence.

LeBron's post defense. There was one sequence at the 3:30 mark in the 3rd quarter where Hakim Warrick tried posting James up...and Bron-Bron didn't go anywhere. Warrick actually lost the ball because he simply couldn't move James off the spot. The look (I thought I saw) on his face was half surprise, half amazement.

The last 4:35. Milwaukee was getting handled, but managed to stick around long enough to gain possession with 9.7 seconds left and a chance to force overtime with a three pointer. More on this later.

Three Bucks

Brandon Jennings. Jennings reversed his historical trends by starting off hot and cooling off near the end. However, his 18 point, 8 assist night was punctuated by his 7-7 performance from the free throw line. Attacking the basket is something Jennings will have to learn how to do, which will hopefully cut down on the 5-21 shooting nights.

Ersan Ilyasova. Ersan only got 31 minutes, but he generally made good things happen during those minutes. He tied Jennings' 18 points and was +6 in point differential, but his defense, rebounding, and relentless motor was the defining characteristic of the Bucks relatively competent outing and ultimately kept them in the game.

Charlie Bell. Charlie didn't do that much (16 points, 1 rebound), but he was serviceable on offense and as-good-as-the-situation-allowed on defense. If only Skiles would stop putting him on taller players. The dude's only 6'3", asking him to cover the likes of Kobe (6'6") and LeBron (6'8") is downright silly.

Three Numbers

.269. If you're a jump shooting team, make sure that you make more than just barely over a quarter of your three point shots. I know Cleveland has a superb defense, but anytime you take that many threes (22 attempts), try to make more than 27% (7 makes). I wouldn't harp on this so much if I didn't see at least three airballs (Bell, Ilyasova, and Jennings) over the course of the game.

17:09. Bogut played significantly more in the second half, but he was so timid after racking up three first half fouls that it was largely ineffective. He still managed 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, but when you're the only low-post threat on a team that needs a credible low-post threat, you need to bring it against an old Shaquille O'Neal and an older Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

-17. Free throw differential. And that's just attempts: the Bucks were -13 in terms of makes. 'Nuff said.

Three Good

The last 4:35. I said I'd come back to this. The fourth quarter was a statistical win for the Bucks (21-14), but from the start until the 4:36 mark, they let the Cavs do whatever they wanted. That's how Cleveland opened up a big lead and ultimately gave Milwaukee the W. But let's look at the results of Cleveland's possession during this timeframe:

Turnover
Missed jumper
Block
Missed jumper
Missed 3-pointer
Shot clock violation (off of a Cleveland offensive rebound)
Missed 3-pointer
Turnover

If you're going to go for the ugly win, stretches like this are exactly what you need on defense. A Bucks win would have certainly been ugly, and it's a shame they couldn't make it happen, but with the game on the line, they managed to pick themselves back up and turn it back into a competition with an elite Eastern Conference team.

Jennings' shot defense. Maybe it's because I'm a fellow skinny PG, but when I see Brandon bust his hump getting a hand in the shooter's face, it makes me happy. He won't be able to outmuscle anybody, but he can make shooters miss through sheer annoyance. I chalk it up to good coaching (thanks, Kelvin Sampson!).

This point is less about Jennings' use of the lost art of "hand-in-face" and more about his exceptional effort. He plays like a guy who flat-out loves the sport, and if he works in practice as hard as he does in games (which I hear he does), he's going to be huge.

Determination, swagger, and stick-to-it-iveness. Results aside, the most important thing about this game is that the Bucks showed a national audience that they can hang with the Eastern Conference elite. They play feisty defense, unselfish offense, and once they become more seasoned, they will be able to hang with any team on any night, if they aren't already. Shoot, they took the Blazers and Lakers to overtime and played a tight game against the Cavs. That's one very good team and two elite teams.

Most importantly, they didn't fold. Down 10 going into the fourth and 13 with six minutes left, they could have just let Cleveland keep hammering them, but they didn't go away. They held the Cavs scoreless in the final 4:35 and pulled to within three. That says something to me. Maybe the casual fan won't see it, but I can see it. This team is actually going to become something.

Three Bad

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's foot. While it may be healed, it clearly isn't 100% yet. Whenever Luc was matched up on LeBron James, good things happened. Whenever Bell, Delfino, or someone else was matched up on James, bad things happened very quickly. I cannot keep track of how many times I saw someone other than the Prince defending King James and immediately thought "This cannot end well."

Quite simply, if Milwaukee wants to be a serious team, they need Luc to lock down the other team's best non-center. I don't care if his range is minimal, his shot mechanics are off, and his post game is weak: when he's locking someone down, they become a non-factor.

Addiction to jump shots. The Bucks are a jump shooting team. We know that. But unless they're willing to at least entertain the notion of driving to the basket, they won't become anything special. I know that the makeup of the team lends itself to a jump shot oriented offense (Jennings, Ridnour, Redd, Ilyasova, Delfino, even Thomas and Gadzuric), and some of those guys can drive to the hoop, but they have to want to. Right now, Jennings and Warrick are the only players who want to earn free throws. Two of twelve isn't nearly enough to create balance on offense, and no offensive balance leads to sub-par seasons and early playoff exits.

Fouling. Too much by Milwaukee (22), not enough by Cleveland (16). There's no easier way to break it down. Physical defense is great as long as it isn't sloppy, and it was terribly sloppy this time.

Three Wishes (a.k.a. What I Want To See Happen No Later Than All-Star Weekend)

An increase in plays ran for Luc Richard Mbah a Moute resulting in a corner-3 attempt. I know I just decried the Era of the Jumper in Milwaukee, but Luc needs more minutes, and the only way he can do that is if he makes himself useful on offense. What better way to do that than harness the power of the corner-3, following the footsteps of longtime defensive ace Bruce Bowen? And what better time to do that than during a season where the team is overachieving and searching for offensive identity?

Redd inserted as a permanent 6th man. No, he's not effective yet. He's still recovering from that ACL tear, and he's going to be playing his way back into shape. The sooner we accept it, the sooner we can accept his new role as a bench scorer. A second string Big Three of Ridnour, Redd, and Warrick can be potent if all three figure out their best roles. Speaking of Ridnour...

Ridnour signed to a reasonable extension. Frank explored the anomaly that is Frodo's scorching start to 2009, and I tend to agree with the consensus that it's likely just a prolonged hot streak. But regarding the question of what to actually do with him? I'm all for keeping him.

Look, Brandon's the man, but I doubt if Iverson's doppleganger will emulate the 47 minute outings put forth by his predecessor. Jennings should play at a high level for as long as he's able, and I see that level being sustainable for no more than 35 minutes a night. If you have a chance to lock in a backup who can take the majority of the remaining minutes and still play effectively and meshes well with the starter in certain situations, take it! Unless Ridnour's agent is looking for ridiculous Danny G money, I say sign Frodo for as much Shire-money as he wants (but as little as it takes).

* * *

Thanks for having me, guys. See you next time I manage to catch the Bucks on national TV and both Frank and Alex are unable to do the recap. If that doesn't happen (which it probably won't), I'll see you in the comments.

Potent Quotables - Cavaliers 85 - Bucks 82

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:36:11 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

1 day ago: Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) backs in against Milwaukee Bucks' Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, from Cameroon, in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 18, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Browse more photos »

HEAD COACH MIKE BROWN

(On tonight’s game): "Tonight, we won with our identity. There was a stretch for almost six minutes where we scored two points and defensively, we were good. I thought we did a terrific job of communicating on that end of the floor. We did a good job of helping one another on that end of the floor and our trust was extremely high and that was the separation in the ballgame. That’s what allowed us to hang on for the win."

(On the bench’s play): "I thought off the bench, Anderson and Delonte were terrific. Delonte played hardnosed defense and came up with 50-50 balls on defense. He brought a lot of toughness to this team tonight and then he attacked the rim great. You hope a guy like Anderson, who only had six points and seven rebounds, gets some mention for one of the All-Defensive Teams, and you hope he gets mentioned for Sixth Man of the Year because what he brings to the table for us is extremely invaluable. It’s off the charts. It can’t be measured in stats. You look at that last play; the smartest play he could have done was to chuck that ball to the other end of the floor to let the time run off and he did it. You have to have intelligence to think that quickly in that position with that amount of time left."

(On tonight’s defense): "When we have that type of focus, that type of energy, with the communication we had, our guys can be pretty good. Our guys really locked in for that third quarter coming out of the lockkeroom and got it done defensively. I’m happy about the effort on the defensive end, because we have enough guys who can put the ball in the hole."

LEBRON JAMES

(On winning the game at the defensive end): "The one thing we did is we flied around. Big time. Guys got beat off the dribble and we were able to help. We just contested everything. We had a couple shot clock violations, a couple blocks…like I said, the one thing you can’t control is when you are making shots. We couldn’t make shots, but you can control defense and that’s how we won the game."

(On Andy tapping the ball away at the end): "That was a really, really smart play and it just took all the time off the clock. It was a really smart play."

(On the defensive game plan on the last possession): "Just to not allow them to get an easy look. In any pick and roll situation, we were going to switch everything. Brandon Jennings tried to fake us out with a fake DHO, (Dribble Handoff), but our guards stayed on him and they got a good contest."

(On the defensive effort in the second half): "That is what our staple is. I have been saying it for the last week or two. We figured out how we are going to win ballgames and that was a good case of it tonight."

(On looking forward to the West Coast trip): "It is a business trip. I am looking forward to it. There are some really good teams we are going to play. All four teams are really good. We are looking forward to the challenge. It will be a good test for us."

Shaquille O'Neal

(On the Cavs’ defensive effort to finish the game): "The last six minutes we really couldn’t score a bucket, but our defense carried us. It was really a good test for us, (the Bucks are) a dangerous team with a lot of shooters. Tonight, everybody scrambled at every position and like I said, the last six minutes our defense carried us."

(On stopping Brandon Jennings tonight): "He went 5-21 (shooting). He had a lot of hands in his face. Either we did a good job or he had an off night, I’m not sure. He’s a fabulous player and he reminds me of a young Nick Van Exel and I wish him well."

(On the upcoming road trip): "It is a difficult trip coming up. It is a good test for us. You know that every time that we get into focus mode, we play pretty well. LeBron said it earlier, I said it earlier - it’s a business trip. We are going to a lot of nice cities, but we are going to be locked in as soon as we get on the plane tomorrow."

(On if the Cavs’ recent play worries him): "I’ve been in (the league) for 17 years and I’ve gone to the big dance in many different ways. It doesn’t matter how you get there. A lot of teams play perfect in the beginning and mess up at the end. We are learning. We have been put through a lot of tests and it is going to test out our mental toughness, and it’s going to be good for us."

MO WILLIAMS

(On forcing Brandon Jennings into shooting a low percentage tonight): "That was my goal coming into the game. I know that the kid is aggressive; I know that he is pretty quick and crafty with the ball. I know that he uses a lot of screens and I know I had to be extra aggressive with him, fighting over those screens and try to mix it up with him a little bit. Go under. Go over. (Try to) not give him the same look all night. My bigs did a good job of helping me also. When Shaq was in the game, he dropped, sat back and didn’t give him an angle to the basket. When Andy and JJ were in the game, those guys showed and slowed him down a little bit and let me square him up. It was total team defense. Obviously, I had to come mentally prepared to guard him."

(On being satisfied with the team’s 20-7 record): "Obviously, there have been a couple losses that we felt like we let slip away, but we are a team in training. We are a team learning how to win and learning each other. I’ll take those early losses. I think we are learning each other more and more, each and every game. Obviously, you always feel like you get better. I think we are on the right path."

Game 24: Bucks/Cavaliers

Alex Boeder — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:32:03 -0000

2009/2010 NBA Season
	vs.
19-7 (10-2 home)		11-12 (2-8 road)
December 18, 2009
Quicken Loans Arena
7:00 PM CT
Radio: 620 WTMJ TV: FSN Wisconsin HD, ESPN
Probable starters:
Mo Williams	PG	Brandon Jennings
Anthony Parker	SG	Carlos Delfino
LeBron James	SF	Luc Mbah a Moute
J.J. Hickson	PF	Ersan Ilyasova
Shaquille O'Neal	C	Andrew Bogut

109.3 (10th) - OFFENSE - (24th) 104.1
103.2 (5th) - DEFENSE - (6th) 103.2
91.1 (26th) - PACE - (10th) 93.4

Linkage

Fear The Sword / Cavs The Blog / Cleveland.com

Principal on King. I get that Charlie Bell defended Kobe Bryant into a miss in regulation, and that Luc Mbah a Moute hadn't played down the stretch. Still I would have liked for The Principal to be on Kobe Bean in overtime.

You probably recall that James wasn't Milwaukee's foremost problem in the first matchup; he only netted 14 points and had more turnovers (5) than field goals (4). But he has been on a scoring kick since living Brew City, averaging 36.6 points in his last five. Kobe Bryant came in on a roll and kept on-a rolling against the Bucks.

Anyway, it would be prudent to keep Luc stuck on LeBron for a good portion of the evening. Mbah a Moute isn't an offensive zero, but he struggles to contribute on that end of the floor, particularly from anywhere outside of ten feet. He's at 40.0 % from 10-15 feet, 28.0 % from 16-23 feet, and he doesn't really shoot threes (3-8 from the season).

But he is just too good defensively to keep out for too long, especially when facing an all-time talent like James.

After the game in Milwaukee, here is what John Krolik at Cavs the Blog wrote.

-He only played defense on LeBron for a few minutes, but Mbah a Moute is on a very short list of the best perimeter defenders in the league. It’s extremely rare to see LeBron get bothered on the perimeter like he was tonight by “The Prince.” He could be a special player on that end, although I wonder how he’ll ever make himself useful offensively. The plan right now seems to be to make him into a 3-and-D guy, but his stroke does not look all that natural, and I have a pet theory that perimeter guys with insanely long arms have a tougher time developing a good stroke on their jumper because of the sheer amount of coordination getting that much arm into the correct place takes. (Durant would be an exception that proves the rule.)

Who will stop Delonte West, I don't know.

National audience. After leaving Milwaukee, the Cavaliers actually lost two in a row -- in Memphis and Houston. But they've recovered rather nicely, reeling off four straight wins, the latest a 108-101 win over the Sixers. James went for a noteworthy-but-hardly-surprising 36/6/7 in Philly.

The Cavs are clearly the class of the Central Division, so this is just another game in that sense. The second-place Bucks are already 6.5 games behind the leaders but just 3.0 ahead of last place Chicago.

Cleveland is the only team to blow out Milwaukee at home this season, and it doesn't figure to get any easier going on the road. The Cavs are a first-rate home team, to put it lightly. For perspective, their 10-2 record at Quicken is only seen as a disappointment coming off a 39-2 (!) home campaign in 2008-09.

What a task for Milwaukee on national television. The Bucks struggled badly the first time on ESPN this year, going down hard in OKC.

Foes. The Bucks are still hovering pretty lowly on the Strength of Schedule rankings. And they've played three more at home than away coming into the game.

But a closer look reveals that Milwaukee has played the best of the best, and competed. Let's review:

As far as top title contenders, we have the Lakers, Celtics, and Magic.

-Lakers: Milwaukee lost on a last-second shot by Kobe in overtime in a game they very well could and should have won in both regulation and overtime.

-Celtics: Played them tough in Boston before losing by single digits. But they were very much in the game late in the fourth quarter.

-Magic: Had a chance to win this one at the end but fell by two points.

Very legit contenders are the Cavs, Nuggets, Spurs, and Mavs.

-Cavs: Okay, this one wasn't pretty.

-Nuggets: Remains a signature win, Milwaukee led the entire second half.

-Spurs: San Antonio worked Milwaukee pretty nicely in this one.

-Mavs: Heartbreaking buzzer-beating loss thanks to Dirk.

Out of those seven games, five really good games, even if four them (and six of seven overall) ended in losses. Might be some hope for tonight.

KG: Klutch Guy

Bent — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:48:50 -0000

We've discussed Kevin Garnett and whether or not he is fully recovered from his knee injury repeatedly and at length on this blog. In fact, I think Jeff put a moratorium on discussing it at one point (or was that KG himself?) [Editor's note: yeah, that was KG, not me. Knock yourselves out.] Without delving too deeply back into that subject, the numbers tell us that, while he will probably never go back to being the player he was when he won an MVP award in his late-twenties, he has been putting up similar numbers to last year and in recent weeks, has even been approaching the numbers he put up in his first season in Boston.

However, I wanted to talk about a strange apparent side effect from the off-season surgery that nobody seems to be talking about. When did KG become so clutch?

Remember the 2008 playoffs? The Celtics couldn't win a close game and Garnett came under fire for "disappearing" down the stretch (offensively, at least). He came up big with a couple of late jumpers and the game winning lay-up with 21.4 seconds remaining in Game One against the Cavs and got the roll on a short turnaround late in Game Four's comeback win in the finals, but other than that, he more often than not did not produce down the stretch in close games and those two games were highlighted as the exceptions that proved the rule.

Garnett was so intense, so 100-miles-per-hour-at-all-times, that it seemed like when they reached the last few minutes of a tight game, either he was spent, or he didn't have another level to take it to, unlike everybody else. Maybe he was even affected by nerves as the Celtics drew closer and closer to the title.

In the end, it didn't matter. The Celtics had plenty of other go-to options down the stretch and Garnett's play was pivotal in getting the Celtics to that position, almost like a starting pitcher going seven strong innings and then getting his bullpen to finish the job. However, you couldn't help but wonder if the potential of this team could be even greater if he was more of an offensive threat down the stretch.

Fast forward to this season and, in particular, the Knicks games at MSG on November 22nd. With the game in the balance in the fourth quarter, exactly the time where Garnett's reputation would have us believe that he would be a shrinking violet, Garnett was 1-for-10 and, at that stage, was shooting 47.6% on the season. Suddenly, with the pressure on and the Celtics trailing by six, he knocked down a jumper to cut the lead to four. A couple of minutes later, he knocked down a pair of free throws to put Boston up by one. With the scores tied and 1:07 to go, he made another jumper to give Boston the lead. Finally, in overtime, his buzzer beater from the top of the key gave the Celtics a 107-105 win.

But that's just one game, right? Not necessarily. Since that game a pattern is starting to form:

November 25th - Celtics lead the Sixers by six with 3:03 to go. Garnett's lay-up is good to make it an eight point game and they hold on to win 113-110.

November 29th - Celtics lead by one with 2:12 to go. Garnett's jumper is good to push the lead out to three. Later, up by four, he ices the game with another jumper with 38.3 seconds to go.

December 3rd - San Antonio has just pulled within six with under five and a half minutes to go. With the shot clock winding down, Garnett's running hook shot makes the lead eight again and proves to be the crucial bucket as a low scoring finish sees the Celtics only hit one more shot en route to a 90-83 win.

December 8th - With the Bucks within five, Garnett hits a short jumper with 2:12 to go. He later ices the game with a jumper with 38 seconds remaining and the Celtics go on to win 98-89.

December 10th - With the Celtics up by one and 4:01 to go, Garnett nails a jumper to keep Boston up by three. They go on to win 104-102.

December 14th - With the Celtics clinging to a two point lead, Garnett's jumper with 1:20 to go is good and they hang on to win 110-105.

Sure, none of these were game winners, but all of them were clutch shots, late in ballgames that the Celtics could have lost if he had missed. This hasn't happened with such regularity since he arrived in Boston.

Of course, Garnett has been on fire generally, not just in the clutch, ever since that fourth quarter at MSG, shooting an incredible 72% since then and averaging 18.1 points per game, but has the clutch play actually been there all season? Is it possible that when he went in to get his wheel fixed, that they actually replaced his clutch too, without telling us?

Prior to that Knicks game, there were only five games this season that were not decided by a double-digit margin, so let's look at those.

They won two: On opening night, with the Celtics up six against the Cavs, Garnett's jumper with 2:43 to go was good, pushing the Celtics to a six point win. Against the Timberwolves, the Celtics won by two and Garnett had the crucial play on defense, tying up Corey Brewer to preserve the win, although he didn't score in the fourth quarter. (You may recall he had a similar clutch defensive play against Sebastian Telfair, when the teams met in Boston two years ago.)

Even in two of the three close losses that they had (to the Suns and the Magic), Garnett had a couple of hoops in the fourth quarter of each game as the Celtics kept it close, so the Celtics do seem to be getting a pattern of clutch offensive play from their talismanic defensive leader.

I wondered if maybe the fact that they've been careful with him has meant that he played fewer minutes and therefore had more reserves in the tank, but he's been playing more or less the same number of minutes as he has since he arrived in Boston. He did average 38 minutes in the 2008 playoffs though, so fatigue could be one reason for some of his struggles down the stretch at that time (which is where this reputation was partly founded). Could it just be that he is playing with more freedom emotionally, now that he has a title to his name? Or maybe that knee operation has improved his overall level of play and this is paying dividends in crunch time.

Perhaps even more feasibly, maybe the reputation he has earned was never true in the first place. The myth that Garnett isn't clutch was debunked here before the season (and Garnett's repeated examples of clutch play) even began.

The reputation persists though. Garnett's has apparently not yet earned (back?) the reputation as a clutch player. Liam Martin's article for NESN.com stated that

Boston has three [options in clutch time]: Pierce from the elbow, Ray from 3 or Rondo on the drive.

Maybe we can make that four. (Maybe even five when we can finally say "Baby Got Back").

Whatever the reason, Garnett is delivering timely baskets for this team that have been crucial, as they have won seven of the eleven games in this winning streak by fewer than ten points and he has come up big in every single one of them.

Not bad for a fourth option.

NBA Eastern Conference: Taking Stock

tenaciousT — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:04:32 -0000

NBA –arama

After making my preseason predictions, I said I'd check how things were going from time to time. It's time. Let's take a look around the east, see what’s going on, and fess up to a few big misses. A number of predictions are on target...so far. Preseason predictions are in parentheses followed by current record

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics (63-19) - 20-4
Thought they were going gently into their assisted living facilities, eh? Tut tut, my skeptical friends. The ‘assisted living’ comes courtesy of one Rajon Rondo, point guard extraordinaire. Rondo plays one gear higher than the rest of his starting unit.

11 game win streak says they are rounding into shape after starting strong, stumbling, then slowly righting the ship. The only major surprise was/is the lack of 48 minute intensity, and rebounding woes. They still look like one of the best teams in the NBA to challenge the Lakers. Back with a vengeance? They are back. Vengeance comes later.

Toronto (35-47) - 11-17
International crisis or communication breakdown?
Some expected more, but they are about where I expected and for the same reason – defense. Bargnani is part of the dilemma. He is a skilled big, but not an interior presence. With a domestic vs. international player rift surfacing recently, the Raps played their best defensive game of the season afterwards. Hedo’s not fitting in like they hoped…yet.

Jose Calderon has disappointed so far in what was supposed to be his big year. The rebuilt roster should be better later in the season, but aren’t built for prolonged defense. They are giving up 103.5 over their last 5 games, which 5 points better than before.

New York (31-51) - 8-16
After a 3-14 start, the ‘D’Antonies’ are 5-2 in their last 7 games. Another team without interior defense. They looked under every rock for a bona fide PG but the right one – the draft. Biggest current embarrassment is choosing Jordan Hill over Brandon Jennings in the draft. This was going to be a learning year anyway, right? Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Eric Maynor, Jeff Teague were also still out there. Any of those better than Chris Duhon? Maybe some are already.

D’Antoni, frankly, has disappointed as well. I’ll confess, I thought Darko Milicic was a good risk for a team starved for bigs that block shots and play defense. Go figure. Jordan Hill may end up being a good player some day, too. Winning started by benching Nate Robinson. Coincidence? Sharp shooter Gallinari continues to impress, adds some board work.

76ers (41-41) – 6-19
Okay, this is one that’s not going as I thought it would. Oye.
Injuries are only part of the problem. Is Brand a lesser player now? Or is he just on the wrong team? Maybe it’s all bad karma for Elton leaving a good situation in Clipperland. (Yes, I did just say that.) Louis Williams (injured), Marreese Speights, and Thaddeus Young give hope for the future. It’s so bad that Iverson is back. Yeah, I know.

New Jersey (26-56) – 2-24
Say no more. Accident on the Jersey Turnpike. Tie up for miles, but not for years. No, they are not this bad. Bad luck continues with Yi Jianlian getting 50 stitches (yes 50) in his mouth courtesy of a Sean Williams elbow in a recent practice. The sooner this team can exit the swamp the better. Still, Brook Lopez will become an even better player if this season doesn’t kill him first. Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts are all good young talent.

Central Division

Cleveland (58-24) – 19-7
They are much better after starting 0-2 and 3-3. Not dominating like last season, but still a force. Shaq shooting a career low 49%, though they are now winning with him. Most lopsided team scoring distribution I have ever seen for a top team. Only three players in double digits and one of them is Shaq at 10.8 per.

Second best FG% defense and 4th best points allowed means they are still dangerous and in the hunt. Though Shaq is mostly a sideways or backwards move, if they get to the finals he helps against Lakers’ frontline. Shaq can’t slow down an already very slow team…can he? I feared this team more last year. Stop LeBron and you stop the Cavs. Am I wrong?

Stat of note: Cavs lead league in points in paint defense (34.1)

Milwaukee (35-47) – 11-12
Early season surprise coming back to earth lately. Many thought I had them too high. But Skiles always seems to get players to overachieve for a few years, until his tough guy ways get tired. Brandon Jennings makes a big splash with 55 point game but is tailing off since then. Still, he is the real deal and will figure things out.

Bucks are first in shot attempts and dead last in free throw attempts, which pretty much goes hand in hand. No one on this team gets to the line, except Jennings and Hakim Warrick.

Side Note: Toronto is known as the international team. But even they can’t compete with Milwaukee. Current starters are from 5 different countries: Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Cameroon, and U.S. Positively cosmopolitan for a city Shlitz beer made famous.

Detroit (36-46) - 11-14
I guess they are a bit better than I thought. Will this last? Even with key players injured, they put together a recent 5 game winning streak. They are still working a new system with a new coach. Loss of Tayshaun Prince hurts, Gordon is playing hurt, and Rip Hamilton is still in and out.

Still, the biggest surprise is the renaissance of "I’m retiring" Ben Wallace. Back up to 30 minutes and 10 rebounds a game, he can still defend, too. Detroit is 2nd best in points in paint defense. Can he do it all year and where is his help?

Pistons have the 3rd best total rebounding and 3rd best offensive rebounding differential in the league. Rodney Stuckey’s career year (19.3 pts) is offset by lower shooting %. He should stop taking three pointers altogether (21.4%)

Indiana (30-52) – 9-14
Danny Granger’s team is without Danny Granger for a while. With mediocre stats everywhere, just what do they do better than most NBA teams? Foul. They are 3rd in league with 2.2 foul differential.

Mike Dunleavy returns to a system that uses him to his best advantage and not a minute too soon. If the Pacers win 36 games, and that’s possible, that means O’Brien would have coached three straight 36-46 records here. Hey I have to find something interesting, don’t I? T.J. Ford is underwhelming again.

How are they doing attracting more fans? The past three years they went from 30th to 28th to 27th this season in attendance. They are a team with more integrity, but a few more wins wouldn’t hurt, would it?

Chicago (41-41) - 8-15 No one expected this meltdown. The loss of Ben Gordon’s 4th quarter points, Tyrus Thomas’ injury, Kirk Hinrich playing hurt, John Salmons’ underachieving season are all contributors, but all are secondary to Derrick Rose’s lack of noticeable improvement.

The chant for Vinny Del Negro’s head grows louder and I’m not against it. But I’d ask…who hired a rookie head coach for this team in the first place? That is where the blame should lie. Del Negro did reasonably well last season, but the wheels are falling off the wagon now.

Deng is playing well and Joakim Noah is continuing his rise up the food chain, but it’s nowhere near enough. I am fast becoming a Joakim Noah fan. Plays with passion, toughness, and heart.

Southeast Division

Orlando (60-22) -19-6
Fools go where wise men fear to tread – the paint against the Magic. They are crazy deep and probably Boston’s biggest problem in the East. Jameer Nelson returns soon and that’s not good news for opponents. Right now they are better offensively (5th rated) but worse defensively (9th rated) than last season, while giving up 2.2 more points.

This is a great situation for Vince Carter, who is playing 5 minutes less, but leads the team in scoring (19), while still hoisting up 17 shots per and will be a solid 4th quarter option for the Magic.

D. Howard is getting one less block a game, but shooting a career high in FG% (63.4%) While they probably over paid a bit for Mickael Pietrus ($5.3 mil), he continues to be a valuable piece to this team. Ryan Andersen has quietly been a nice addition. Marcin Gortat – the unhappy multi-millionaire.

Atlanta (48-34) - 18-6
This team is playing even better than I thought….and I thought this would be a good team. Woodson said the next thing is to learn how to win on the road. The Hawks are 7-4 so far this season and that is a huge step forward. Three of those road wins were against very tough home teams - Dallas, Boston and Portland.

For a team that could lose their leader (Joe Johnson) and their coach next season, they are moving from pretender to contender. Their youthful exuberance could make up for whatever they are missing. Al Horford and Josh Smith are unique young players and Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson provide the veteran leadership. They are pasting the lesser teams and are 3rd in the league in average winning margin at +8.4 points. Just behind the Celtics and Lakers. Hmm…

Miami (38-44) – 12-11
Dwayne Wade is to this team what LeBron is to the Cavs. Probably more so. Jermaine O’Neal is actually playing pretty well, but is a shell of his earlier self. We knew going in that the Heat go as Wade goes. Michael Beasley is improving and Haslem is solid.

They stretched the Lakers to a (lucky) Kobe Bryant banked buzzer beating 3 pointer over Wade’s outstretched hand. That probably defines their season as well as anything. With $50 million coming off the books in 2010, this team (hopefully) gets a complete rebuild. With a player option for $17 million, whether Wade stays or not remains to be seen.

Charlotte (33-49) - 10-14
Solid defensive team (2nd in points allowed) that has trouble scoring (27th). Deliberate offense (pace: 28th in NBA) helps keep opponents’ numbers down. 5-5 over the last ten, they added controversial, but multi-talented Stephen Jackson. It gives the team a focal point (and… gulp…leader) Larry Brown has great experience handling prima donna players and Raymond Felton is playing better since Jackson’s arrival.

Gerald Wallace, the last original Bobcat, was plucked from deep on Sacramento’s bench. Time to test him for HRH (Human Rebound Hormone). He has gone crazy boarding, up from 7.8 last season to 12.2 this year. I’d like to know the last time an established player made that kind of jump. He continues to ply his game for a team going nowhere.

Talented DJ Augustine has perplexingly gone backwards this season. Tyson Chandler, who could have been an earlier version of Joakim Noah, is showing how much Chris Paul helped his game.

But we forget just how bad this team was before Larry Brown arrived.

Washington (41-41) - 7-16
In preseason I wrote…. "everyone’s favorite ‘move up’ team." What I didn’t write was that it would take some doing to keep all these scorers happy with shots and minutes. Unfortunately, that appears to be the case. And things aren’t getting better. They are on a 6 game losing streak as I write this.

I never saw a happier, more hopeful team in the losers’ locker room than the one that ended its season against the Celtics last year. They all knew a much better year was coming. They had their version of a big three returning. But ubuntu doesn’t live here. Tragic because there is a lot of talent here. Flip Saunders has to sort this out, but I’m not sure where he starts.

I’ll end by (again) making my pitch for an unsung role player buried on the Wizards bench. Dominic McGuire would make a great (and cheap) Celtic.

There you have it. I apparently thought way too much of the Sixers. Comments welcome on all teams.

Recap: Lakers 107, Bucks 106

Alex Boeder — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:26:21 -0000

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- Lessons in what not to do when you have a champ on the ropes.

Do not step into the lane before the basketball has touched the rim on a free throw.

Do not miss free throws.

Do not hold out your best with everything on the line.

Do not allow champ's best two knockout chances.

Do not not score for the last 1:23.

Do not let the champ bring the refs.

To expand: The Bucks were whistled for two lane violations in regulation, leading to two extra points. They missed two free throws in the final minute of overtime. They had defensive ace Luc Mbah a Moute planted on the bench when Kobe Bryant planted the game-winning shot at the buzzer. They let the aforementioned Bryant two chances from his same sweet spot, once in regulation and again in overtime. They led 106-100 with 1:23 to go and didn't score again, missing all three field goals and both free throws. And they just couldn't get a call all along.

So all you can do now is cling to the implication of all this: The Bucks had the champs on the ropes.

And oh, how they did.

Three Bucks

Michael Redd. Vintage. For better and worse.

But focus on the better, because this was much better than what we've seen, what we reasonably could have hoped for.

Mike came off the bench and came out firing.

In an offense-for-defense substitution, he came in for Luc Mbah a Moute late in the first quarter, and didn't give Scott Skiles too many reasons to take him out thereafter.

He played 35 minutes, scoring a team-high 25 points, pulling down seven boards, dishing out four assists (with just a single turnover) and even led the Bucks with a couple steals. His shot selection was classically questionable -- among the misfires included a pair of quick threes in the final minutes of regulation as Milwaukee watched the Lakers come back to tie -- and no one takes contested shots or ones early in the shot clock like he does.

He's is the wild card on this team going forward. Without him, the Bucks have proven they can do just fine, probably find a way into the playoffs. With a vintage Redd though, they become a dangerous team, one with still enough defense and also plenty of offense.

Oh, and he dunked tonight. With two hands. And he is reportedly just swell.

Ersan Ilyasova. He lost the personal power forward rebounding battle to Pau Gasol by a 22-5 count. And he has a Bad dedicated all unto himself.

But he also went all Turk Nowitzki on the Lake Show, and that's a game-changer.

Lots of proud moments in this one, but Ersan had my play of the night: With things swinging in L.A.'s favor and the Bucks down 76-74, Ilyasova got the ball on the perimeter against Kobe. Bryant bumped into Ersan, making a noticeable bit of contact that physically moved him. With the crowd already in a bit of a frenzy due to the lack of calls, the crowd got into a bit more of a frenzy. Not Turk. He drilled a fadeaway three on Kobe to give the Bucks the lead back.

Ersan carried the offensive load among starters for Milwaukee, dropping a season high 24 points on a tidy 10-18 from the field and 3-7 from outside.

Not a night without troubles, and I'll get to that, but he was on the court for a team-high 43 minutes for many reasons.

Andrew Bogut. 'Drew won the battles of 'Drews, that much is certain, no small feat against one of the NBA's best in Bynum.

Bogut finished with 16/12 and three blocks while Bynum had 8/3, statistically perhaps his most unproductive game of his most productive season to date.

Three Numbers

2. Milwaukee scored two points in the last 3:43 of regulation and two points in the last 1:54 of overtime. Three (as you know reading here) is a Magic Number. Not two.

3. The Bucks outscored the Lakers in three of the four quarters, winning the first 20-19, the second 27-26, and the fourth 24-21. The Lakers have assembled one of the greatest rosters of talent in NBA history. The Bucks aren't bad.

17. Different night, same story. The Lakers made 17 more free throws than the Bucks, converting 29-33 compared to 12-17.

Three Good

Return of Redd. Like, the real Return of Redd.

The sample size was small, but he had just shown so very little of the old Redd in six prior games that it really made you question things, like what role does he really serve on this team?

Well tonight he played his old role of lead scorer, driving to the hoop, draining a couple threes, and hitting those absurdly high degree of difficulty shots.

"I liken it a little bit to having Ben Gordon in Chicago. If a guy can score we've got to give him free reign to take shots and make big plays. Occassionally a guy is going to take a bad one because he's feeling it," Skiles said.

He can score. That's right.

And the three that gave Milwaukee a 104-100 lead with less than two to go just brought you back to a better time, before the injuries, before the contract that he could never live up to, just before, you know -- when Redd was what made the Bradley Center move.

And move it did tonight, the place shook.

Speed. Entering tonight's game, the Bucks were 4-0 against the NBA's top ten fastest-paced teams. They beat Memphis, Golden State, Denver, and New York. And also Toronto, who came in as the 11th fastest overall.

Although Brandon Jennings is changing perception, people have tended to think the Bucks cannot or do not effectively play at a fast pace. It's like good defense and fast pace are mutually exclusive.

But they aren't.

And Frank wrote about this right before the season started.

A game after winning in overtime against a very good, very slow team, the Bucks lost in overtime against a great, fast team. This team can adjust, and they are just flat-out good at home, where coincidentally they have played all these fast-paced teams.

Bradley Center drama. Squad Six has legitimately helped transform the BC into a hoppin' place.

Of course, it's been a matter of good timing, because the Bucks have given fans quite a lot to cheer about in just a month and a half.

Despite the loss, this was one you 16,309 won't soon forget. A classic, just like the classic against Portland the game before. Like the heartbreakers against Dallas and against Orlando. Like the stunner versus Denver, the laugher against Toronto, and the perfect start against Detroit.

And that Warriors game, oh that Warriors game.

I don't know if the rest of the home slate can possibly live up to this, but I'm not missing the chance to see.

Three Bad

A rough road (yes, calling out the refs, even Joe Forte. No, not that Joe Forte) at home.

Before the game, the Bradley Center aisles poured with Kobe Bryant jerseys. Seas of #8's, #24's, all taking pictures of #24.

While the majority cheered for Milwaukee, there was a very visible, very purple, very yellow minority. That's always tough to deal with on your home court.

And once the game started on the floor? This one felt even more like it was in Los Angeles. But not because of the fans.

The game officials (Joe Forte, Marc Davis, Phil Robinson) didn't wear Kobe jerseys themselves, but from start to finish they favored the Lakers. They were bad enough to make some calls that went in Milwaukee's favor too, but even if the score was tied after 48 minutes, nothing really evened out tonight.

The Lakers got the 50/50 calls, sure, but they also got 60-40 calls, 100/0 calls.

Just not good. The worst at the Bradley Center this season, and I've only missed a couple.

There are myriad specific instances, like when Bogut felt the slap heard 'round press row. No call. Or when Kobe got that and-one call on Bogut to bring the Lakers within one in overtime. You remember, the one when he may have traveled, may have charged, and definitely didn't get fouled.

"I don't think it was a foul on Bogut, or whoever they called the foul on. But he's (Bryant) a great player and he's going to get the benefit of the doubt," Charlie Bell said.

Nobody thought it was a foul on Bogut, except the onlybody who matters.

To make matters worse, Los Angeles felt entitled to get calls, you could see that, and despite the foul disparity in their favor, they still griped; both Ron Artest and Lamar Odom picked up technicals for dissent, and at (at least) one point Bryant gave the official the stare-down all the way down the court.

The refs were applauded a few times tonight. Sarcastically, by the crowd.

CD. Stands for Carlos Delfino, but could be Coach's Decision after this one.

Okay, probably not, but Skiles has been known to take starters and turn them into DNP-CD's (see: Bell, Charlie) without much warning.

He of the 0-2 with zero points and five turnovers, be wary.

Ersan and free throws. They don't mix.

A really nice game in a lot of ways for Ilyasova, free throws notwithstanding.

What an epically unfortunate night on free throws though. And I'm not just talking about the two free throws he missed with the Bucks up 106-102 and less than a minute to go. Those were huge, and they ultimately kept Los Angeles in it, let Los Angeles win it.

But even more bizarre and equally damaging were Ersan's two lane violations in regulation.

Two. Lane violations.

And both times, Pau Gasol had missed the free throw, tried again, and converted.

Take away those two points in regulation and the Bucks were sitting pretty.

Now, on the second one, it looked from my view that Artest had sort of shoved or dragged Ilyasova with him, and if so, we can add that to the Ref Bad. But even one made a bit of a difference. Really frustrating.

Kobe and Pau Rock Milwaukee

DexterFishmore — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:47:30 -0000

It's so nice when loyalty is rewarded. You sit through two-and-a-half hours of a December game in Milwaukee, an often dreary game at that, and as a fan you deserve something fun to show for it. Stay cool, stay patient, don't change the channel, don't head out to dinner just yet. Kobe Bryant will make it worth your while.

Playing stage two of a road back-to-back set, the Lakers spent the night scuffling with a feisty Bucks squad - sometimes pulling a bit ahead, sometimes falling a bit behind, never quite seizing the win nor conceding the loss. Pau Gasol was beastly from beginning to end. He had a double-dub by halftime and finished with 26 points, 22 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Kobe was on-and-off with his game, struggling with turnovers again but manufacturing points from midrange and the stripe. At the end of regulation, he missed a 15-footer that could have won the game.

At the end of overtime, though, he buried the shot that changed everything. It was a little 16-foot turnaround that we've seen a hundred times from him. The trajectory was perfectly on target, and it brought about a fairly stunning comeback win. The final score was Lake Show 107, Bucks 106.

To get to that final possession with the game still in reach, a number of strange little events had to fall into place. With the game tied and 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Michael Redd fired a three that went half way down the basket before popping out. A Derek Fisher jump shot later, Andrew Bogut hit a turnaround in the post, tying the game once again, and drew the "And 1." With 20 seconds on the clock, however, he biffed the free throw that would've put Milwaukee ahead. The Lakers lived to fight in overtime.

The Laker D, which had started to splinter in the fourth, really started to crack apart in the extra stanza. In their first six OT possessions, the Bucks scored 11 points to open up a six-point lead. Despair's icy hand tickled the back of every Laker fan's neck. Phil Jackson was riding the first unit hard - Kobe would end up playing 50 minutes, Pau 49 - and heavy legs were starting to show. Redd, Luke Ridnour and Ersan Ilyasova were both finding makeable looks and actually making them.

Kobe responded with a nine-foot J to make it 102-106, and then the weirdness really started. Ilyasova (who had a wonderful game) went to the line for two shots and honked them both. On the following Laker possession, Kobe spun into a lane bristling with Bucks defenders and crashed into Andrew Bogut while flipping the ball up and in. Whistle. And 1. Free-throw good, cue Milwaukee fan outrage.

Still with the lead and the ball, the Bucks proceeded to miss two shots before Ron Artest secured the rebound with seven seconds to play. The game-ender, as seen below, is uncut, grade-A schadenfreude. Watch it, watch it again, and then a couple more times just for giggles.

The Lakers are now 20-4 and get two days off before facing New Jersey on Saturday. There are a couple things they need to clean up. Three-point shooting continues to be awful: the Lakers have made only 11 of 57 attempts from distance over the last three games. They need to start knocking them down. Offensive rebounding also needs to improve, as they've recovered less than 20% of their own misses for two straight games now. Pau is a monster on the boards these days, but he's not getting much help.

There will be time to worry about those things tomorrow. Tonight, all of Lakerdom toasts the Black Mamba.

	Poss.	TO%	FTA/ FGA	FT%	EFG%	TS%	Off Reb%	Def Reb%	PPP
L.A.	102	17	0.42	88	50	58	17	76	1.05
Mil.	102	13	0.17	71	47	50	24	83	1.04