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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According to reports, spearheaded by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Milwaukee Bucks, along with the rest of the league, are slowly coming to the realization that his time with the organization is coming to the end.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo has publicly stated that he is going nowhere and wants to remain loyal to the organization, he has made it known he wants to continue to win games. Plus, shared the tidbit of teams doing what’s best for them and not remaining loyal to players.
Since the beginning of last season’s trade deadline, rumors and reports have been circulating the internet surrounding the future of Antetokounmpo.
Now, it’s expected by everyone that Antetokounmpo will begin to take the steps necessary to lay the foundation of a trade request out of Milwaukee. Reportedly, the New York Knicks were one of his top teams to go to.
“There’s been an expectation for quite some time that Giannis’ days in Milwaukee, one way or another, are numbered,” said ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on NBA Today. “Whether that was going to happen this year, whether it’s going to happen potentially during this season, or whether it could happen next summer.”
Without this being a shock to majority of people, Antetokounmpo suddenly inching towards wanting out will create a market frenzy and the ultimate bidding war. While Milwaukee is trying to prevent this, a request continues to grow stronger with every passing moment.
“Then you look at the New York Knicks. They obviously knew it was possible that Giannis would be available. We saw some teams this summer potentially hold back on moves with the idea that Giannis could be available. So the idea that you wouldn’t be prepared for this kind of phone call, I don’t think is true. And despite knowing that, the Knicks went ahead and extended Mikal Bridges, which significantly limited their ability to make a major trade. Again, that action indicates that they didn’t think they were in position to make this type of trade right now.
“And let’s go to Giannis. If you want to be traded as a star player that makes over $50 million a year in the apron era, especially if you have a small selection of teams that you want to be traded to, you do not ask for a trade or discuss a trade in August. Those discussions happen before the NBA offseason begins. That’s not to say that a trade couldn’t happen, but certainly he would have to understand that.
“So, I definitely think the actions that we see indicate at some point Giannis could again be discussed with the Knicks or elsewhere, but I look at the actions here and I don’t think they were ever going to lead to a deal over the summer between New York and Milwaukee.”
The 30-year-old is eligible contract extension on October 1st, 2026. If he were not to sign that $275 million extension, then he would become a free agent for the first time in his career in 2027.
Did the Milwaukee Bucks have any legit interest in sending their franchise player to the Houston Rockets? Houston’s general manager Rafael Stone made an appearance as a guest on ESPN Radio Houston, where he cleared the air once and for all.
Per the popular GM, Giannis Antetokounmpo was highly coveted by the Rockets, as Houston was absolutely willing to get a deal done. However, general manager Jon Horst ultimately said no and Antetokounmpo was not available for potential trade scenarios.
“I deal well with Jon Horst, I really like him,” Stone said. “Jon was very clear that they weren’t doing anything. So, that was that.”
Since the beginning of this year’s offseason, rumors have circulated throughout the league on the future of Antetokounmpo. The 30-year-old said he was willing to keep an open-mind and wanted to still compete for a championship, white reiterating his love for Milwaukee and not wanting to leave.
This spurred on rampant rumors and reports of potential trade packages, teams interested, and if he would ever request a trade out of Milwaukee. In the end, unless Giannis wants it, the Bucks have no plans to trade away the player who delivered them a championship back in 2021.
According to ESPN’s Jamal Collier, Damian Lillard has always had the plans of making a return to the Portland Trail Blazers before his retirement.
Even before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, he reportedly told people his plan of making a return to Portland.
“In just two years, I probably wouldn’t have believed it,” Lillard said in late July at his introductory news conference. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect this to happen at some point, but for it to happen this soon, I wasn’t expecting this.”
Ultimately, his plan of returning home was sped up due to his Achilles tear. Once that happened and the Bucks no longer wanted him, Lillard was ready to return to Portland and enact his plan.
By the time Lillard is able to rejoin the Blazers, he will be 36 years old when he is fully healed from his Achilles injury.
