2021 NBA Playoffs

[Shawshank]

i watched Lakers-Suns and needed rest from basketball and waited for Valanciunas teams game.I love basketball but cant watch all 8 serries have to make difficult desicions

So far all games 1 was very good indeed.Fans makes big diffrence.

Watched last 5 minutes of Knicks-Hawks game when i saw that score is 1 point game.

Bogdan was very good in his 34min +17 according to stats when he was on the floor by far the best in hawks team.

Hero of the game T.Young was +- 0 in his 35min.

[Joško Poljak Fan]

Of course I made spicy predictions and uncorrect accordingly. That's why I stopped betting at basketball.

I missed that Brown was out for Boston as well. Still hoping that Celtics could pull out this one.

[Buckalis]

Middleton wouldnt have hit that game winner neither in 2019 or 2020 playoofs and bucks lost similiar game endings in 2020 vs Heat.

Giannis is best player in nba offence+defence for first 46minutes,but he needs somebody close in last 2minutes. I think Middleton improvement and adding Holiday is diffrence between Bucks 2019,2020 and this Bucks 2021 team.

Both serries vs Raptors 2019 and Heat 2020 Bucks was leading more than loosing,but was loosing all game endings.

This 2021 Bucks will not lose all game endings.This is best Giannis bucks team in playoofs atmposphere.

But still Bucks road is brutal Heat-Nets-Sixers nobody have harder road to nba finals.

I don't think that Khris Middleton is any better than the previous season... He has always being a top-20 player (IMO) over the last three seasons.

The addition of Holiday has of course being huge for the Bucks, but I believe it's more to it... One can't overlook Divincenzo's rising and the addition of Portis too...

IMO, the starting five and the 6th man (Portis) of the Bucks can challenge and are able to beat any opponent in the NBA and if the Bucks would have a better starting C than (aging and slow) Lopez (Val? Vooch? Turner?), they would then have the best starting five and 6th man in the entire league... It's the rest of the rotation which is weaker than the best of the competition and this is why I believe the Bucks will be close to unbeatable for the three following seasons...

As far as this season is concerned, I believe that how deep the Bucks will go into the playoffs, will highly depend on the performance and help that Tucker, Fobes and Connaughton can delver when called from the bench...

[Katastroika]

Congrats Buckalis, haven't watched the game but according to stats it was impressive.

Going with 2-0 to Florida seems like a big deal in this series. If you take one down south this series could be done like you have prognosed more easy than it seemed after beginning.

[Straight forward]

Doncic balling. As I projected, to me it's 50/50 between Mavs and Clippers and now Mavs has an edge. What a baller Luka is. It's no shame not to want him as opponent in the qualifying tournament. It would hurt too much when literally one player kills your best team in 5 years

[Mindozas]

Doncic balling. As I projected, to me it's 50/50 between Mavs and Clippers and now Mavs has an edge. What a baller Luka is. It's no shame not to want him as opponent in the qualifying tournament. It would hurt too much when literally one player kills your best team in 5 years

It would be fun to see Memphis vs Mavs in next round with series winner (JV or Luka) not making to OQT I guess Mavs would have the biggest Lith support ever

[Shawshank]

Go Luka !

Chris Paul it seem not meant to win in playoofs .Once again got injury in most critical point of season.

[Buckalis]

We are now entering Day-3 of the 1st round, which has been established to be the most decisive day out of a series...

For the teams which are up 2-0, winning this too will mean "having their opponent with his back in the corner"... For the teams which are 2-0 down, it means "win this or there is no tomorrow"... For the teams which are tight with their opponent, it means "who gets the upper hand"...

[Buckalis]

The Bucks look scary...

[Shawshank]

J.Holiday is game changer for Bucks 34min 19pts+12asist +41 and elite defence .

He let Giannis do his thing . Giannis dont need think about making every play anymore going 1 vs 3 like in 2019 and 2020 playoofs, when Holiday is on team .



I didnt see that Bucks gonna run over this tough Heat team like that.

2 round between Bucks vs Nets is worthy conference final matchup.

[Buckalis]

J.Holiday is game changer for Bucks 34min 19pts+12asist +41 and elite defence .

He let Giannis do his thing . Giannis dont need think about making every play anymore going 1 vs 3 like in 2019 and 2020 playoofs, when Holiday is on team .



I didnt see that Bucks gonna run over this tough Heat team like that.

2 round between Bucks vs Nets is worthy conference final matchup.

You are spot on!

With the addition of Holiday, but the presence of Middleton too and the promotion of DiVincenzo to the starting line up to back up Holiday in his play-making, no opponent can "built walls" and have three players on Giannis anymore... This season, it's all players of the Bucks driving to rim (even slow leg Lopez does) if there is a driving lane open up on him and not only Giannis as it was happening during the two previous seasons.

But, in any case, it's the stellar defense which the Bucks are playing with the addition of Holiday and Divincenzo to the starting line-up which makes a huge difference than the previous two seasons... They've kept the Heat under 100 pts for 4 quarters in all three games!

As far as the (potential) matching against the Nets which follows, I would agree that it should be the East finals, but I believe the Bucks have chosen to play against them in the 2nd round instead of the finals for two reasons:

1. They think that the Nets won't be to their best until later.

2. They think that the Nets don't have enough information on the full tactics potential that the Bucks will follow against them and especially how they will integrate Tucker in the rotation in order to restrict Harden (lets not forget that no other player in the league knows Harden's moves better than Tucker).

All that said, I'm really concerned on the injury which Divincenzo suffered yesterday, because I don't think many people realize how important he has been in the Bucks rotation and especially in supplementing Holiday's game... Fingers crossed, I hope it's nothing serious.

IMO, if there is one team which can give the Nets a run for their money and even beat them, that team is the Bucks... they match great player to player as far as the starting line ups are concerned and it will all come down on how well Portis, Tucker, Forbes and Connaughton will contribute when called from the bench... If it will be as well as it was in game-2 against the Heat, the Bucks will then beat the Nets.

[Buckalis]

Donte DiVincenzo Out for the postseason!

It is a major hit for the Bucks, which will impact the team's performance greatly for the rest of the postseason.

People tend to overlook the "lesser name" players on a team and only focus on the stars... But the importance of Divincenzo for the Bucks was huge, the Bucks have traditionally being a team which benefits from the ability of the players on the court to play-make, they under perform if there is less than three play-makers present on the court and guarding Giannis becomes much easier for the opponent to do.

The Bucks were starting four players with play-making ability this season on Holiday, DiVincenzo, Middleton and Giannis, but had no other alternative coming from the bench on either Tucker, Portis, Connaughton or Forbes, which caused most of the game to be handled with three play-makers present and occasionally with only two for the times that Divincenzo was called from the bench after resting to give Holiday a breather and one out of Giannis or Middleton was also resting...

As it is, there seems to be no other alternative for the Bucks, but to extend further Giannis', Middleton's and Holiday's minutes, as well as promote either Teague or (rookie) Nwora for some minutes in the major rotation, either of which can't replace the "real thing" the Bucks had up to now...

[Buckalis]

Heat Vs. Bucks in Miami game 4 with the Bucks up 3-0 starts in a few minutes...

Although things have been altered after DiVincenzo suffered an injury and will miss the remaining of the playoffs for the Bucks, which makes the Heat favorites to win this on paper, I still think it will be a close game and despite if the Bucks will win it or not and finish the series today, they'll eventually manage to come and promote to the next round.

For this game and if there is another one against the Heat, I will expect the Bucks to start Bryn Forbes at 2 next to Holiday at 1, Middleton at 3, Giannis at 4 and Lopez at 5, but I do also expect P.J. Tucker to come from bench taking Middleton's place at 3 and then either Khris to sit until Jrue needs a breather, or, to internally rotate and take PG with Tucker's entrance while Holiday will take his 1st rest before he comes back at PG...

Never the less, if the Bucks will promote to round 2 and (presumably) play the Nets, I will then expect Bryn Forbes to come from the bench with Tucker starting for the Bucks at 3 against the Nets and Middleton starting at 2... In any case, I'm pretty sure the Bucks will not want to show for the Nets to be able and "study", what the tactics against them will be...

[Buckalis]

If anything, this game 4 match up of the Bucks against the Heat along with my previous comments, helps people that don't understand much about basketball, but still like to watch it (nothing wrong with it as long as they don't develop an "opinion") to start understanding why some players, even if not yet have reached the point to be "stars", are still key for a team's success...

To everybody's surprise (mine too), coach Bud started Pat Connaughton in his attempt to balance the rotation better latter and did use Teague already for some minutes early in the game... That's to his benefit for later (if of course he can keep the score difference under control) because by doing this he saved more minutes of playing time from all Giannis Middleton and Holiday...

Still coach Bud is hiding the tactics he will follow against his next opponent...

[Buckalis]

I was prepared to say (predict) that the Bucks will take the lead mid-3rd quarter, but it was already mid-3rds and the Bucks did take the lead... Coach Buds tactics is paying off... Prediction, Giannis will finish the game with lesser points than his usual, but with a triple double.