Evidence that the Milwaukee Bucks are not just a very good team but in fact are a great team just coming into its powers is piling up. Milwaukee smoked the Toronto Raptors on Friday to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. The Bucks never trailed in the game and led by as many as 28. The Raptors were never closer than 13 in the second half.
The Bucks are now 10-1 in the playoffs and are outscoring opponents by an average of 15 points per game. This isn’t even early Warriors territory -- this is like the Warriors once they picked up Kevin Durant! Since we only consider Giannis Antetokounmpo a superstar on this roster, with Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe as All-Star caliber players and a host of solid players around them with a top-flight coach, it’s pretty mindbending to see the team do this.
But when you consider that we grade superstars primarily by their offensive exploits, and that Milwaukee is a system offense based around not just a superstar but the MVP and a candidate for best player in the world, and that the Bucks have multiple All-Defense candidates (including said MVP) ... it all comes into view. This is a defensive superteam of sorts.
The thing is that the Raptors fit that bill, too, at least until they came up against the Bucks. Toronto didn’t force many turnovers and let Milwaukee grab way too many offensive rebounds in Game 2 (the boards were a problem in crunch time of Game 1, as well). Milwaukee wasn’t on fire from the field or anything, they just maximized their attempts through those other means. That beat Toronto’s elite defense.
We’ll see if the Raptors can make this a series as it relocates to Ontario or if we’re dealing with an Eastern hegemon just coming into its powers.
Scores
Raptors 103, Bucks 125
Milwaukee leads series 2-0
Schedule
Warriors at Blazers, 9, ESPN
Golden State leads series 2-0
Links
Not much out there this morning, folks.
Anthony Davis to the ... Suns? Like, the Phoenix Suns? Those Suns?
Tyreke Evans has been banned from the NBA for two years, indicating he tested positive for a “drug of abuse,” aka not marijuana or PEDs.
The Currys are stealing the show during the West finals.
Rockets franchisee Tilman Fertitta, in explaining that he’s not afraid of the luxury tax, calls getting under the luxury tax threshold via salary dumps “an accident,” which must be news to the Rockets’ front office.
Inside the relationship that let Steph Curry thrive.
Be excellent to each other.
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2019/5/18/18630425/bucks-superteam-raptors-nba-playoff-2019-gmib
2019-05-18 12:45:22Z
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