Monday Morning Media Roundup: December 2nd, 2019

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme from time to time. That’s a lesson the Milwaukee Bucks (and therefore all of us) have learned this season when it comes to opponents having lights-out shooting nights from three.

Consider this: According to Basketball Reference, the Bucks have the third-worst league ranking when it comes to opponent 3P% (.380 as of today) and rank dead-last in both sheer number of opponent threes made and opponent threes taken. This kind of performance isn’t unprecedented if we consider last year (22nd in OPP3P% at .361 and last again in OPP3PA & OPP3PM) and the results speak for themselves in terms of regular-season success.

Concern sets in as always when wondering how this translates into post-season basketball. Was it the Raptors shooting above even the relatively high mark Milwaukee allowed in the ECF that led to Milwaukee’s collapse? Or is that just a top-line number that catches attention while also obfuscating deeper problems like Milwaukee’s stagnation or just how good Kawhi Leonard was?

17-3 speaks for itself certainly. You can’t help but wonder how long you can play with that kind of selective fire before you get burned, though.

Let’s roundup!

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Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Called Amazing. Now in Sign Language, Too. (New York Times)

We begin here because I think it’s always worthy of giving a little shine when the Bucks can do a little extra to strengthen their connection to fans of all backgrounds. Discerning MMMR readers will recall a Social Media Section that brought up the ASL feature of FS Wisconsin’s post-game pressers, and now the New York Times has picked up the story.

Needless to say, it’s very cool that the Bucks/FS Wisconsin were able to make this happen.

NBA MVP race: Is Doncic, Harden or Giannis winning right now?

Y’all can’t even imagine how mad I’ll be if The Media latches onto the new hot young thing on the block instead tried and tested Giannis Antetokounmpo. Like, it’s cool that Luka is proving The Haters wrong. I like it when NBA draftees are able to prove Haters wrong! But, c’mon dude:

Giannis Is Better Than He Was Last Year (Bucks.com) & Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. James Harden for MVP is even better this year (SB Nation)

Which brings us to our next couple of pieces from Alex Boeder over at Bucks.com and Mike Prada at the mothership. Boeder’s argument boils down to simple arithmetic. If you take MVP Giannis (the symbol G in this equation) and add more onto G (call ‘more’ 1 in this case), then you get G + 1 which per rules of the universe means he’s destined for another award this year.

That equation runs directly up against the likes of James Harden (and a few other players) who are busy setting out their own equations to try and make true the inclusion of the > symbol. In parsing out that debate, Prada does an excellent job comparing and contrasting how each guy has reached even greater heights a year after Giannis-Harden v. 1.0. Now, as is almost always the case, it’s a battle for narrative supremacy between the two.

The Milwaukee Bucks Demand Your Attention (UPROXX)

Someone had to say it and I for one am thankful that it’s the fine folks at UPROXX who are taking up the flag instead of those Johnny-come-latelys at ESPN or... well, ESPN is really all that’s left.

Anyways, writer Nekias Duncan makes a convincing case to you, the non-Buck NBA generalist fan, that the Milwaukee Bucks are worth your attention. We here at Brew Hoop certainly don’t need to be won over, but we’re happy to welcome aboard everyone who’s interested in basking in the glow of top-shelf Milwaukee basketball.

Hawks’ Jabari Parker won’t rule out possible return to Bucks after season (ESPN)

Surely this will be taken rationally by everyone involv...

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Report: Heat positioning to chase Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021 (Hot Hot Hoops)

Vulture talk is back once again!

It’d been almost a whole 4.5 hours since someone mentioned some team (foreign or domestic) expressing confidence in their foolproof plan for getting Giannis to join their team.

This week we’ve got the Miami Heat who, even if they miss out on Giannis, plan on getting Victor Oladipo. Good for them!

The Social Media Section

GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (Note: I got up at 4 AM with my brother to go to ESPN’s College Gameday on the U’s campus. What a letdown.)

This was us watching the game from the comfort of my apartment

Giving refs the business without getting tossed 101

Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee’s greatest citizen ever?

Huh... the things we’ll do for $50, eh?

...when do we start talking about Ersan getting his number retired?

I present this week’s edition of Where in the World is Damien Inglis?

Reminder: No matter how bad it may ever get, we’ll never be as incompetent as the Chicago Bulls

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MMMR 2019-2020 Prediction Record: 10-10

retired janitor’s 2019-2020 Prediction Record: 17-3

Do you get tired of hearing everybody and their sister poo-pooing Milwaukee’s hot start to the year by dismissing the teams they’ve played so far this year? Well, I’ve got some bad news for you: This week probably won’t fix that discussion point.

We’ve got the Knicks, Pistons, and Clippers set to come with the Clippers being the only team that has a chance to materially advance the storyline to Milwaukee’s season. Either Kawhi Leonard and/or Paul George will play against a mostly-healthy Bucks squad and we gain a new reference point from which to extrapolate analysis or someone sits out with an “injury” and we start the vicious cycle of second guessing once again.

Give me 3-0 (yes, I’m copying the Hegel-ite’s guessing strategy this week) and a whole lot of dissatisfaction from pundits about just how “real” the Bucks are.

Happy Monday!