The weird and wacky world of basketball! We truly see it all the time now, a great example would be the Bucks. Another one would be the Suns, this is so strange that it is not funny.
If you didn’t listen to our podcast, then you probably didn’t hear about the prediction I made about Giannis and the Bucks.
I predicted that the Bucks were going to have a dunk-fest, mainly Giannis, on the Nets. Sadly, it was the complete opposite. Please share to me how the Nets, who don’t have Dinwiddie, KD, or Kyrie, can beat the Bucks?
Throughout the whole game, especially early on, the Bucks were trailing to the Nets. LUWAWU-CABARROT and Temple combined for 45 points! The Nets, despite horrible roster, are 2-1. The only loss they had was at the hands of the Magic.
Take this into perspective; the Bucks have Giannis, Bledsoe, Middleton, and Korver. But they still couldn’t win, this hasn’t been a pretty sight for the Bucks as they lost back-to-back games. One against the Rockets and now the Nets.
The Nets, who lost their three key players, have been playing their second team/rotational players and winning. On top of that Jamal Crawford came back to the league for his debut as a Net in the Bubble; sadly, it ended short with an apparent hamstring issue.
What are the next two games for both of these teams?
For the Nets, they have to go up against the Celtics. This is happening today on ESPN for anyone that wants to watch. Even though the Nets are riding on the hot-wave of momentum, the Celtics should not lose. The Celtics have Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker. That’s a pretty stacked team, just by looking at those three players.
Now, I will say, there is no advantage here. Meaning this, that both teams are going to be playing back-to-back games. In the sense of yesterday and today, now the Nets are on a two-game win streak while the Celtics aren’t. If the Nets come away with this win, then this is a team to look out for. Because that would make them 3-1, imagine that.
Finally, to the Bucks. On the sixth, the Bucks will be playing the Heat. This could be a tough matchup, but I still have to believe that Giannis and his team will prevail against the Heat. If the Heat doesn’t have Jimmy Butler back, it’s over. Giannis, Middleton, and Bledsoe will run wild in Miami. The Bucks need this for a confidence booster and to get on the path of success.
The underdogs pouncing viciously!
I’m not kidding when I use that phrase, the Suns are the ultimate underdogs and have been pouncing on their prey (meaning opponents). The Suns yesterday, closed out an epic game against the Clippers. Where Devin Booker hit the game-winner, winning it 117-115. Booker was explosive from the arc, Ayton was finding his rhythm, and Rubio made things happen passing wise.
The Suns have earned their third win in the Bubble, which makes them 3-0. They are undefeated in the Bubble, this is a miracle unto itself. The eighth seed is wide open now, how? Because teams are losing, the Grizzlies lost Jaren Jackson Jr to an untimely injury, and the Suns just past the Kings with this win today.
If they make it 8-0, which is a higher probability then what it was a month ago, they will be in the playoffs. They have been showing us that without the fans, without practicing for several months, and with a tough schedule; they have been showing us that they are hungry to win. Suns beat the Clippers and the Mavericks, two big-time teams.
With fate, luck, and whatever else is on their side; this could be the Sun’s year in 10 years to reach the playoffs. The talent has been meshing together nicely, players been scoring holding their grounds, and no crucial errors have happened yet. The Suns have the favor on their side, with all this moment they should be able to beat the Pacers this upcoming game.
What do the Pacers need to do to stop them?
This has been the team climbing up the ranks in the Bubble, this is a team that nobody can sleep on. The Pacers need to focus their attention on Booker, he has been having the hot-hand lately. The Pacers need to trap him, not letting him create his own shots, and especially when driving. If they fail then Booker will be getting all the attention and leaving DeAndre or Rubio open for the easy basket.
This certainly will be interesting on how the rest unfolds, it feels like everything has been swapped. Like the Bucks are playing like the Suns and the Suns like the Bucks. Either way, the Bucks are in the playoffs. Have one of the best records in the league, and the Suns are fighting for a spot. The underdogs have now put themselves on notice. The radar is beeping fast, can teams respond quick enough?
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In a complete turn of events involving the Milwaukee Bucks and Damian Lillard, and Lillard no longer being with the team, there are no hard feelings mutually. In fact, the veteran guard is happy he was stretched and waived by the organization.
Milwaukee will owe Lillard $22 million per season for the next five years, as the money they were able to save by doing that allowed them to sign former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner. Turner signed with Milwaukee after Indiana did not want to go into the luxury tax for him.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the 34-year-old is “elated” by the fact Milwaukee wanted him gone. Back in 2023, Lillard wanted to go to Miami instead of Milwaukee, but the Portland Trail Blazers did not want to accommodate his request to the Heat.
For the first time in his career, Lillard will have the chance to pick any team that he wants to join. Multiple reports are saying he’ll take a minimum contract so that he can have tons of options.
Per Chris Haynes, a team to keep an eye on are the Heat. Both sides have mutual interest and could see a deal get done, despite the veteran’s age and recent Achilles tear injury.
Even if Lillard did not suffer that devastating injury, the Bucks would have still discussed a potential exit for Lillard. Between the on-court fit issues and him missing his children, Milwaukee was no longer a place that made sense for either side.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Milwaukee Bucks and Bobby Portis Jr. have come together to agree upon a new contract extension that’ll keep him for the foreseeable future.
The official terms of the new extension is $44 million over three years, as this does include a player option for the 2027-28 season.
Portis will decline his $13.4 million player option so that he can sign this new deal. The 30-year-old will be 33 years of age when his contract expires.
In 49 games last season, Portis averaged 13.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.
Right now, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been reportedly more “open-minded” about leaving and then 100% committing to the team, as it flops back and forth each week.
Now, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the former NBA champ will be surveying the entire league to see what moves they make and how all the pieces fall during the offseason. He will be super vigilante on what Milwaukee will be doing and how they are making the team better around him.
“Giannis Antetokounmpo has been in Milwaukee for 12 years,” NBA insider Shams Charania said on Thursday’s episode of Get Up. “I reported during draft combine and lottery week that he was open-minded about seeing if there are better possible fits outside of Milwaukee. That is a due diligence process that he has undertaken—everyone around him has undertaken as well.”
Shams did stress that Antetokounmpo will not hold one week higher than the rest; that the veteran superstar will take the draft in a chunk, then free agency week-by-week in a chunk, and seeing if they’ll make any big moves.
“He’s going to remain open-minded,” Charania explained. “I don’t think his future is necessarily tied to this week—to free agency week. It’s going to be a process where you see how this team looks into July, well into July potentially, and then ultimately he will see how the Bucks look and how the chess pieces look across the league before reaching a resolution.”
“They don’t have the necessary tools because they have gone all-in multiple, multiple times, so you have to give that organization a lot of credit,” said Charania. “Will the loyalty factor—well, listen, if you’re staying this offseason for Giannis Antetokounmpo, you’re looking at yourself staying for the rest of your career. If you’re going to withstand this, you’re staying.”
