Celtics 89, Bucks 83: March Sadness in Milwaukee
by Alex Boeder on Mar 7, 2011 1:30 AM CST
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MILWAUKEE -- Better never than late. With the clock ticking on the season, that was Milwaukee's response to a playoff push this weekend.
For the vast majority of NBA fans with the fortune of not being subjected to watching the team on a nightly basis, this nationally televised game neatly wrapped up the last four Bucks months: they defend, dribble disproportionately, go cold offensively, cannot overcome said offensive cold-spell, and lose a competitive but not overly dramatic game. The names are ever-interchangeable -- tonight Chris Douglas-Roberts played some and the Earls (Boykins and Barron) did not play at all -- but the formula remains.
The third quarter disappearing offense act did not last quite as long as it did against the Suns two nights earlier -- still the Bucks did not score a point for three minutes and twenty-nine seconds this time. They were up 58-54. By the time they scored again, they trailed 62-60. They did not lead again.
Three Bucks
Luc Mbah a Moute. The Prince continues to ingratiate himself to Bucks fans with excellent defense, but he also has set a season-high in points in two straight games now. Mbah a Moute scored 16 against the Bulls, missed a couple games due to sickness, and then dropped 19 points against the Celtics tonight. He is not the offensive savior (as an airball and a play in which he dropped the ball out of bounds instead of making an open layup attest to), but he at least knows his range, and is willing to give it a try. The Bucks just dribbled around for about 15 seconds before Mbah a Moute drove hard to the rim with the team down 86-83 and and less than a minute remaining. Kevin Garnett stuffed him, but at least Mbah a Moute was ready for it.
Brandon Jennings. One game after Steve Nash turned the ball over seven times, Rajon Rondo coughed it up eight times against Jennings and the the Bucks tonight. While a drowsy Rondo never really turned it around like Nash did in the second half, Jennings played with bolts of energy for most of his 40 minutes. Notably, he made three really fine passes that resulted in assists in the first quarter, and if it seems like all of his assists are so difficult and improbable, please refer to the starting lineup -- you will find that absolutely none of the players are the least bit threatening going to the hoop, and they can't really make jumpers either.
Not quite the star performance to put Milwaukee over the top -- he shot just 8-19 and only scored three points in the fourth quarter -- but a 23/6/5 line along with three steals and a block is fair. Jennings even dropped in a couple floaters and made one particularly sparkling dash to the hoop for an and-one off the glass.
Corey Maggette. Finding Three Bucks is quite regularly a painful task.
Three Numbers
2. The Celtics scored two second-chance points all game.That ties a season-low for a Bucks opponent -- the Bulls also scored just a couple second-chance points on Dec. 28 in Chicago. Coincidentally, Milwaukee also lost that game.
0. Larry Sanders, Jon Brockman, and Carlos Delfino -- the team's starting center, power forward, and small forward, respectively -- did not take a single free throw in 86 combined minutes. That is not so surprising, but that is also bad that it is not so surprising. The Bucks made 9-13 total, representing their lowest number of makes from the line in more than two months.
7:54. The Celtics pulled a Milwaukee Bucks Special and made just one field goal in seven minutes and fifty-four seconds spanning the end of the first quarter and more than seven minutes to start the second quarter. They only scored four points in that time.
Three One Good
Playoff possibility. If the Bucks make the playoffs, it will be an indictment on the lower three-quarters of the Eastern Conference. But it will also mean that Milwaukee will probably play Boston in a 1 v 8 matchup. And though they have lost both games to Boston this season, they also have played them very close both times.
Granted, neither team was anywhere near full strength tonight, and the Bucks probably wouldn't see the Celtics start the fourth quarter with an Avery Bradley/Ray Allen/Sasha Pavlovic/Jeff Green/Troy Murphy lineup in a playoff game. And both teams look a lot different than the ones that faced off in an overtime Boston victory in early-November. But a potential Bucks/Celtics playoff series could offer possible competitiveness and guaranteed chippiness -- as two close games and continued Kevin Garnett antics (he sort of punched/forearmed Brandon Jennings at the end of one play tonight) suggest.
Three Bad
Celtics fans. Why were thousands of people at the Bradley Center fanatically cheering when Jeff Green and Sasha Pavlovic scored again?
Salmons in the paint. In the last three games, John Salmons has attempted 50 field goals. In that same span, he has made one in the paint. Tonight against Boston, he shot 4-13, and only just one of those attempts (a miss) came in the painted area, per photographic evidence:
Everybody does not hate Chris. For most of the season, when Salmons does not cut it offensively (which coincidentally, has also been most of the season), we could at least cling to the idea that Chris Douglas-Roberts might do better if he were only given a chance. But as Jeremy Schmidt tweeted when Douglas-Roberts was checking in to the delight of a portion of the crowd, his popularity in Milwaukee seemingly flows when he doesn't play and ebbs when he actually does play. That pattern should continue after 13 scoreless minutes and a -10 differential tonight. Like most positions, the shooting guard spot does not have solutions, just problems.
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Sanders
What does Boston know that Denver does not. Sanders had some moments last night, but he certainly did not dominate on defense. Did Bogut play in the game in which Sanders had all the blocks against Denver?
ps: Nice to see the Bucks on national TV.
by Southern Marxist on Mar 7, 2011 7:25 AM CST reply actions
No, Bogut didn't play in the Denver game
Also worth noting that Nene destroyed the Bucks in the post in that game…
I hate it when random fans cheer for the other team on "our" home court
Admittedly, i have always been a homer, and I loathe bandwagon jumpers.
Ditto
I don’t remember seeing something quite like this before with C’s fans in MKE, so not sure what the explanation is. I doubt many Massholes are flying to Milwaukee for Sunday night games in March, but other team’s fans are always more obvious when the home crowds are increasingly small and disinterested.
on tv the crowd looked like a sellout
No empty seats. Celtics fans seem to make up 30-40% of all the people there.
by LibNat on Mar 7, 2011 9:18 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
You are correct
I guess it’s also" salt in the wound" right now. Watching all the new Celtics acquisitions, I wondered if the Bucks will ever get there. I think we should start discussing the future of this franchise, next year and beyond.
the team as is, even fully healthy, won't go far
John Salmons bothers me. He doesn’t seem to be key to the future to the franchise.
As for the Celtics they won’t have Garnett, Pierce, and Allen for much longer. They’re gonna really be different in a couple years.
Chicago, Miami, NY, and Orlando if Howard stays are the teams to worry about long term.
by LibNat on Mar 7, 2011 9:51 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
Agreed
Some have surmised that healthy, this team would have been similar to the late-season tram from last year. However, A) that was a relatively small sample size, and B) Nobody connected with that run has, individually, proven themselves consistently long term. John Salmons is the poster child for that.
the parts don't fit
The Bucks should seriously consider overhauling the roster. They need to do whatever is necessary and not be afraid to be bold. Look at what the Celtics: they made the big Perkins trade even though they were in first place.
its unnerving how we manage to be utterly inept on the offensive end so consistently
im kinda ambivalent to the whole CDR mini saga…….but im his corner on this one I dont what you can expect from a guy when you dont play him then flick the switch and throw him in
That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness.
Alex, your recap sums up this game well. It was lackluster
Though it had its moments. The game was ugly. Both teams were inept offensively. Rondo had 8 turnovers and the Celtics offense floundered with Avery Bradley subbing for him.
The Bucks shot poorly but were sure fired up in the first quarter. The second half was abysmal but they didn’t give up.
by LibNat on Mar 7, 2011 9:25 AM CST via mobile reply actions
Bucks shot poorly, Second Half was abysmal
I think Alex has that headline teed up for every bucks game
That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness.
Bucks were...
Fun to watch for the first 8 or so minutes. Then it was back to normalcy. They weren’t terrible at the end (compared to their norm) but the better team won. In workmanlike or at least semi-workmanlike fashion.
This game adds to my “good news” notion that this team is closer to mediocre than we might have thought.
Jennings' drives and assists to Brockman and Mbah a Moute (2x) in the 1st had me feeling really good
“Whoa, he actually made teammates better!”
And yes, I know that Jennings doesn’t have much to work with at the moment, but that’s still my biggest beef with him after 1.75 seasons of watching him play. Too much head down dribbling, especially in light of his low scoring efficacy.
Unfortunately, the Celtics started showing harder on P&R after the first few minutes, which slowed down Brandon’s driving a fair bit. Encouraging performance from him, however.
He is still young
That might seem like a coput, but he is. I am not worried about Brandon Jennings as I am the rest of this team. Is he our future? Who the heck knows? But really, who the heck ’else" is? I enjoy watching him play, which, at this point, is all we have as Bucks fans this season.
Salmons & The Turnovers
If that’s a rock group, it doesn’t rock for me.
If it’s a bakery, the product is past its freshness date.
Can’t say he’s traded missing jumpers for missing passes – ‘cuz he’s still missing a lot of jumpers – maybe he’s just an incredibly versatile performer.
I for a while was prepared to think that the plays-well-only-after-a-trade thing was a Rorschach effect. Now I wonder if his “standard,” under-control-of-the-consciousness game is clumsy and error-prone, with on/off shooting.And only occasionally does his sub-conscious take over with something finer.
I think he fits better on a Western Conference team (or the Knicks)
where they run and play uptempo all the time. He doesn’t seem to do well in the slower conference and especially on a team like the Bucks.
If he doesn’t turn it around next season, his contract is going to be an albatross that might just strangle this young team. Not by itself since it’s not a huge contract (like Gilbert Arenas’) but in terms of reduced flexibility.
I'd have to disagree on Gooden
You may be right but I don’t think he’s played enough to say either way at the moment.
"You play anybody and if they shoot 70 per cent from three, they're going to be tough to beat." More wise words from Chris Bosh
Agreed
IMO Salmons is by far the biggest financial waste on this team not named Redd. I still believe Gooden can give 4 good years after his foot is healed during the offseason.
Skiles should be gone ....
Not because the season is his fault, but because I just don’t think he fits the monicker of a modern NBA head coach. That doesn’t make me happy, as I am as “old school” as the next guy. I just think he stifles individual talent.
Give him better players or players who perform better and he'll be a better coach
Remember what he did with the pre-Derrick Rose Bulls team that had Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon.
When your team’s top scorer is supposed to be Salmons, you don’t have a good team.
I don't disagree with that, in principle
But his ceiling is low, becasue he’s too restrictive. Like I said, the injuries have been the main culprit this season.
The onus now is on Hammond and Kohl, not Skiles
This team is in a personnel pickle, similar to the one Larry Harris had us in. The wave of signings was out of Hammonds’ character, acts of desparation.
Do you think Skiles is that restrictive?
You can argue he doesn’t know how to get the most out of guys offensively, but I don’t think it’s restrictiveness that’s the issue. If guys play defense and do the little things then they tend to get minutes, and he generally seems tolerant of bad shot selection. Afterall, this is the guy who has encouraged Jennings to chuck for almost two years, told Gooden he should shoot more threes, and is cool with Bogut taking jumpers. I’ve always thought of it as his way of bartering with guys for their effort on the defensive end.
“I’ll let you take bad shots as long as you bust your ass on the other end…deal?”
I think it’s also about trying to encourage guys and help with their confidence.
Yeah, I think if you're going to criticize Skiles it would be because he gives his players too much freedom offensively
The Artist Formerly known as Speedingtime/Speedy
by Jacob Grinyer on Mar 7, 2011 5:19 PM CST up reply actions
Which could mean he has no clue about offense?
That worries me too, although not really this season because of the injuries.
Like playground free
I still don’t know what offense we run. You would think he’s seeing some consistent crap on offense, maybe he should find a new play or something.
I cannot say either way, Frank
Just grasping for straws …..It probably all comes down to personnel. Our three alleged core players (Bogut, Jennings, and Salmons) have been injured and/or inconsistent. No team is going to win in that scenario.
Id agree with that
restrictiveness on the offensive end isnt the issue, Skiles has always given guys a bit of leeway on the offensive end of they pitch in and do the job on the defensiive end, still the lack of a cohesiveness on the offensive end over a extended period of time has to come back to the coach eventually, and generally our plays late in the game are kinda comical, I know the players are not giving him much to work with but still……
That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness.
I understand the crazy amount of injuries we have had.....
but still im kinda numbed hearing that is the reason for our anemic and utterly uninspiring offensive output, lets not forget for much of our season last year the offense was fairly disjointed, took some inspired play from Salmons to get it really rolling, unfortunately Salmons has been the exact opposite this year
we dont need to be great offensively, we need to be competent, we havent even come close this year
That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness.
if you look hard enough and connect those dots on Salmons shot chart.....
it reads sit the F*** down please
That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness.
hardly constructive I know......
however neither is Skiles dogmatically force feeding him minutes in the hope he recaptures the magic dust from last season, generally Im a Skiles man, and I admire his strict defensive doctrine, but he needs to admit defeat on the offensive end, tear it up and come up with something that works, its the same old same old everytime, If your last in the league in offense its kinda fanciful to keep plugging away saying the ship will right itself lets keep ploughing ahead
That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness.
I worry about a lack of flexibility ...
You need to be able to change some things, here and there. Not saying he hasn’t, but ….
All about pragmitism
As inconsistent as Salmons has been, he is still one of the best offensive players on the team right now. That might be akin to being the smallest midget, but how many choices does Skiles have? I have been critical of Skiles, but I seriously do not know what ANY coach in the world could have done with this team this season.
What's next for the Bucks?
What happens in the off-season, anything? Who do they go after in the draft? I always say “best player available”
Try to swap
Salmons albatross contract for another. I think I might go as far as saying I’d swap Salmons for Ron Artest right about now. Ok that might be a bit much, but it might be worthwhile to look at some bad contract for bad contract swaps for Salmons.
I propose
That the Bucks should for the remainder of the season, start a line-up of Jennings, CDR, Prince, Ilyasova/Brockman and Sanders. Use Delfino, Maggette, Salmons, Dooling and Barron off the bench, Boykins takes CDRs place as the designated DNP-CD. Bogut and Gooden are shut down. Not sure what to do about Redd though. CDR , Prince, Delfino and Barron are playing for contracts, also gives you an idea what to do about Ilyasova moving forward.
"You play anybody and if they shoot 70 per cent from three, they're going to be tough to beat." More wise words from Chris Bosh
Luc has proven to be more effective as an undersized power forward than he is as an underskilled small forward.
He is my fav Buck and I hope he remains part of the Bucks future as a glue guy. I like him as the first or second guy off the bench once, if ever, Gooden is healthy. I think the team has to tighten up it’s power rotation this summer. Too many different players (Brockman/Ilyasova/Sanders) make it hard to know their roles on the team.
by Brick's house on Mar 7, 2011 10:22 PM CST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
what Brick said
That," says LeBron, "is for everyone that watches me play. They witness something special. You're all a witness.
Same here
You play him at wing against elite scorers, but otherwise he’s better as an energy 4. That means he’ll probably never be a regular starter, but you have to appreciate him for what he is.
Maggette did not travel with team.
That tank keeps on rolling…
The Artist Formerly known as Speedingtime/Speedy
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