Game 57: Bucks/Pacers
by Alex Boeder on Feb 25, 2010 11:47 AM CST
in Previews
20 comments
| 2009/2010 NBA Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| 19-38 (12-15 home) | vs. | 28-28 (10-19 road) |
| February 25, 2010 | ||
| Conseco Fieldhouse |
||
| 6:00 PM | ||
| Radio: WTMJ AM 620 TV: FSN Wisconsin |
||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Earl Watson |
PG | Brandon Jennings |
| Brandon Rush |
SG | John Salmons |
| Mike Dunleavy |
SF | Carlos Delfino |
| Troy Murphy |
PF | Luc Mbah a Moute |
| Roy Hibbert |
C | Andrew Bogut |
| (28th) 101.5 - OFFENSE - 104.1 (24th) |
||
| (14th) 106.4 - DEFENSE - 103.4 (6th) |
||
| (2nd) 97.9 - PACE - 92.8 (15th) |
||
Linkage
Last. Indiana did Milwaukee no favors last night by losing to the Bulls 120-110. They were down big early, came all the way back, and sort of repeated that in the second half before ultimately and inevitably falling. The Pacers are looking rather helpless, and I'm not sure where they are going with the group they have, though last place this season looks like their immediate future. They haven't finished in last place in a division since Reggie Miller's second year as a pro: 1988-89. To be fair, the Bucks have had quite a stranglehold on last place for a while now, until now.
Two Good. The Pacers are a miserable offensive lot (29th in efficiency), but they do average 99.3 points, so Milwaukee limiting them to exactly 81 in both contests is fairly impressive. Those games mark two of Indiana's three lowest scoring outputs of the season.
The games honestly have not been the most enjoyable to watch, but Andrew Bogut has certainly enjoyed playing the Pacers: He scored a career-high 31 points in the first matchup in Indy and added 21/8 on home turf in the second game. Hopefully that fourth quarter rest last night will help him on the second of this back-to-back...
'Drew Great, great stuff lately from Bogut the last couple games, and all season, really.
I noticed an interesting stat on HoopData: Bogut makes (2.5) and takes (6.0) more shots from within 10 feet of the basket (excluding shots directly at the basket) than any player in the NBA. And it's really not that close. All of those hooks, I guess. But his conversion rate (41.7 %) isn't that hot. He's also among the leaders making shots (3.8 per game) at the rim, where he converts at a very solid 65.5 %.
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Bogut’s game has had a hook shot renaissance this year. I think he should keep taking them, as it seems his makes and misses come in clusters. I think he’s still developing a new, potent offensive skill and getting better every day.
I wonder whether his in-close hooks shots generally get classified as “at the rim” or “<10 feet”…when defenders force him outside 5-8 feet his % definitely goes down, but it seems like most of his hooks are in that range. And among his hook shots, I think he’s vastly superior when he gets both feet set and jumps off two vs. those running hooks where he goes off one foot and is often less balanced.
by Frank Madden on Feb 25, 2010 2:25 PM CST up reply actions
Yeah, his moving hooks are ugly pinball lotto shots.
by MadTown Hoops on Feb 25, 2010 10:46 PM CST up reply actions
Don't get me wrong
Andrew’s become better offensively than I thought he could, but I’d still love to see him make more aggressive moves straight to the basket and finish with dunks and layups. I mean, if he’s hitting 60-70% of hooks and floaters there’s probably no hurry to change it up, but I’d still like to see the attack to the basket and get more trips to the free throw line. Seems to be a theme with the New Bucks lately.
I haven’t really done much research on this, but it seems kind of crazy how little Bogut has been going to the line given all the shooting/scoring he’s been doing. It’d be one thing if he was a perimeter big jacking jumpshots, but he doesn’t shoot any jumpers. I’d attribute it partially to lacking that attack the rim mentality that you just mentioned, but it’s also because he can mostly just shoot over top of post defenders—they’re not dunks so guys aren’t desperate to foul him, but they’re not really tough shots for him either. It’s kind of this interesting sweet spot where he can score with decent efficiency despite not getting to the line.
by Frank Madden on Feb 25, 2010 5:30 PM CST up reply actions
Man, it is fine that he’s not at the line more often. I feel like someday soon teams will realize his percentages and start hacking. We should cherish these moments while they last.
by MadTown Hoops on Feb 25, 2010 10:49 PM CST up reply actions
Undersized Pacers
Smart strategy by them…they put Murphy at center and force Bogut to come out of the paint on defense. Bogut gotta keep making them pay on the other end.
We had enough underrated defenders, so Hammond figured we should get a guy who was overrated
by Frank Madden on Feb 25, 2010 7:21 PM CST up reply actions
Closer than it looked due to a terrible call, but a win is a win…just beat Miami on Saturday cuz Atlanta will be tough on Sunday
Not often you see two three point fouls in the last 10 seconds…would have been a killer way to lose a game.
by Frank Madden on Feb 25, 2010 8:34 PM CST up reply actions
Practice makes...
"I’m starting to learn more as I go how to take care of the ball in late situations," Jennings said.
All of these close games, even the defeats, are valuable lessons for the Bucks, especially the Young Buck. I like that he’s getting so much experience, it’s a good crash course for the playoffs. The results keep getting better.
And Bogut has played two games in a row of under 30mins PT...
…which should be great for the Miami/Atlanta B2B. Drew should have pretty fresh legs, especially for the Miami game which is the most winnable of the two. Watch out Hawks if we’re still on a roll by Sunday!
by Big Crazy Dave on Feb 25, 2010 11:54 PM CST reply actions
I really noticed how Ridnour was playing super hard tonight...
The guy was really working on defense and constantly moving on offense. He really impressed me with his intensity.
Ridnour’s not a great defender, but he was also noticeably better at keeping Ford in front of him than Jennings.
by Frank Madden on Feb 26, 2010 1:53 PM CST up reply actions
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