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 The Athletic’s Sam Amick, after signing a multi-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, it has been revealed that Taylor Jenkins is set to make over $10 million dollars per year. He will be one of the highest paid coaches in the NBA.
Steve Kerr earns $17.5 million per year and Erik Spoelstra earns $15 million per year; Jenkins will be up there with them. After spending last season away from basketball, the 44-year-old returns to the NBA to coach his former team and replacing newly retired Doc Rivers after he made the decision to leave the organization.
Jenkins has history with this organization, as he served as an assistant under then-coach Mike Budenholzer during the 2018-19 season. He spent six years with the Memphis Grizzlies, turning them into a playoff-contending organization, before getting fired.
According to Marc Stein, the Milwaukee Bucks are not expected to clean house and will most likely retain the services of general manager Jon Horst. He’s been with the organization as their general manager since 2017.
Despite going 32-50 this season, the 43-year-old’s future within Milwaukee is not expected to be in jeopardy.
Him, Wes Edens, and Jimmy Haslam recently met with free agent coach Taylor Jenkins to discuss their head coaching vacancy.
The former Executive of the Year winner (2019) has a record of 444-275 with the organization, plus this was the first season the Bucks have missed the postseason under Horst’s leadership. Horst also constructed their championship-winning roster.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, last week, Taylor Jenkins met with Jon Horst, Wes Edens and Jimmy Haslam to discuss the Milwaukee Bucks’ head coaching vacancy. Both sides are expected to talk again soon to continue talking about the opening.
Reportedly, Jenkins is seen as a top coaching free agent for this upcoming hiring cycle. Before getting fired by the Memphis Grizzlies towards the end of the 2024-25 season, he took the organization to the postseason four of the six seasons.
Milwaukee has been in need of a head coach ever since Doc Rivers made the decision to step down as their coach and officially retired from the league.