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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During a TV appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back,” Bobby Portis went on record to say Giannis Antetokounmpo will no longer be playing the final eight games of the regular season.
His two reasons were this: Milwaukee is mathematically eliminated from the postseason and taking it from a broader perspective surrounding a potential trade in the offseason.
“I don’t think he’ll play another game this year, for sure,” Portis said. “Just being smart as a pro, right now, I don’t think it’s smart for him to play.”
Due to a list of injuries concerning his calf and knee, Antetokounmpo has only been able to appear in 36 games this season. It has been a very shaky season as an organization and for individual players. The overarching topic clouding this team has been the future of the 31-year-old.
Will he be traded or will he remain with the Bucks for another season? This has been a question asked by the media, members of the NBA internally, and fans across the league. Him potentially leaving Milwaukee has been discussed at length for almost a year now. This is despite him publicly saying he loves the organization and does not want to leave.
While it’s expected a trade to go through, Portis did not shy away from answering questions and offering his perspective on things.
“If y’all talking about trading him, you don’t want any injury to knock value off or whatever,” Portis said. “That’s just business-wise, and then player-wise, obviously, you gotta look at just the total picture of what’s going on. We’re 10 games behind for the 10th seed and (with) nine games left, we can’t even make up ground.”
The Bucks are 11th in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 29-45. They are 9.5 games out from 10th, and ten games out from ninth. It is statistically impossible for them to be able to get back into the playoff hunt.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, should the Milwaukee Bucks decide to blow it up and go into a complete rebuild, the Los Angeles Lakers will be setting their sights on targeting/acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Reportedly, Los Angeles views the 31-year-old as their primary offseason target. That is why the organization held back from having legitimate, extensive conversations with the Bucks surrounding Antetokounmpo before February’s trade deadline.
If the Lakers decide to go all-out in trading for him this offseason, then they can center the package around three first-round picks (2026, 2031, 2033). Not including any other draft capital they’ll be willing to part with, and any players they would be willing to trade to get the two-time MVP and one-time champion.
Despite the up-and-down nature of this past offseason and current season, Antetokounmpo remains faithful to the Bucks, as Milwaukee continues to push teams away from taking their superstar athlete. Both sides remain positive that their relationship can be saved and turned into something that leads them to another championship.
Something to worth note, per the sources of ESPN, Luka Doncic has not asked the front office to make any aggressive trades or be that guy. In fact, he’s trusting Rob Pelinka and the rest of the higher ups in their disciplined vision for the future of this organization.
Doncic will not pressure the organization to do any bold moves, or any moves that they are uncomfortable with. This includes the current situation surrounding Antetokounmpo.
According to the Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, franchise superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is “getting close” from his calf injury. Plus, with him getting close, they have no intentions of shutting him down for the remainder of the season.
“He’s going to play when he’s healthy,” Rivers said on Friday. “We just got to make sure he’s healthy. He’s getting close. He’s working out. He looks good. So I would say hopefully sooner than later.”
While Rivers did not provide a timetable for Antetokounmpo’s return, the 31-year-old did complete an on-court workout on Friday.
Milwaukee is 21-29 on the season, 6-14 without Giannis, and are currently twelfth place in the Eastern Conference. There are 32 games left before the postseason begins.
