A few weeks ago the Milwaukee Bucks looked like a team still scratching out an identity. Yet through the rough start they found ways to win all four of their NBA Cup group stage games. That earned them an automatic berth in this week’s quarterfinals and, more importantly, an opportunity to play artificially high-leverage basketball months prior to the actual NBA playoffs.
In some sense this is a success for Adam Silver and the league. While 22 other teams will go through the motions of “regular” regular season games, this lucky group of eight get to participate in win-or-go-home battles for the right to head to Vegas. And to say that the stakes are completely made up would be too cynical: One could find a way to argue that Milwaukee’s defeat at the hands of the upstart Indiana Pacers started a chain reaction that reverberated into their eventual crash out in the East’s first round. Bobby Portis had his blow up with Adrian Griffin setting course for the hiring of Rivers, the Pacers received another boost of confidence that they had Milwaukee’s number, and the season post-Cup was often quite rocky.
There is no rivalry with the Magic per se, but should Milwaukee advance to face the Hawks or Knicks in the semifinals we’ll have gotten a chance to see the new-look Bucks take on a number of playoff-bound Eastern neighbors. A great mini-run here featuring a strengthening Khris Middleton could go a long way to pushing the Bucks season past recovery and into true forward momentum. From 2-8 to NBA Cup winners; now that’s a good story.
Let’s roundup!
Milwaukee Bucks Links
The irony is not lost on me that this article came out lauding the growth of Giannis’s skills and ability to read the floor only to be followed by the greatest YOLO three-point attempt he’s taken in awhile against the Celtics in a winnable game. I’ve reached a place of acceptance that he is unlikely to win it again barring the Bucks breaking through back atop the Eastern Conference with him in the fore. Third-place finishes and below in the weaker of the two conferences won’t cut it. Him not getting it in 2022-2023 was likely the final nail in the coffin.
Bucks’ Khris Middleton: Ankle recovery has been the toughest(ESPN)
Good news early on that he looked to be in decent shape and that the medical team thought him capable of handling a 23 minute load on his return. Assuming the Bucks will really only hold him out on back-to-backs heading forward we should be able to watch him take the court during the length of whatever NBA Cup run Milwaukee has upcoming. Sorry he had to go through another round of rehab, but happy to hear/see that he has come out the other side in decent shape.
NBA Cup: Knockout Rounds preview(NBA.com)
No need to celebrate any injury news, but Milwaukee’s odds to advance got a huge push with the news that Franz Wagner unfortunately tore his oblique. Still, Orlando remains a dangerous team who won’t be a lightweight even without Wagner. Another good early-season test even if the opponent is a ways off full-strength.
The First-Quarter NBA Efficiency Landscape(The Ringer)
These graphics are always very interesting to look through to help compare eye test to what the numbers are saying. Milwaukee’s seven-game win streak went a long way to bringing them to slightly above the middle of the pack in these rankings. With Middleton back I’d wager on a boost to the ORtg while the DRtg remains stable—not a knock on Khris, just the reality that there will be nights where the Bucks big rotation has trouble hanging in if the coaching staff opts to go more switch-heavy. 12th-best in the league on defense (as of Saturday night) is far better than I’d have hoped for even a couple weeks ago, so we’ll take it!
Know Your NBA Enemy
Orlando Magic - RIP Orlando Pinstriped Post
Gone but not yet forgotten. I did like that someone at HQ must’ve gone in and added a link to a gambling gift card promo post-OPP’s death.
Should the Bucks advance past the Orlando Magic in the NBA Cup, they’ll play either the Hawks or Knicks. So here’s a piece from both sites for good measure!
Atlanta Hawks- Peachtree Hoops -Five wins in a row: the Hawks’ defense is turning the corner and other musings
A case of a team making enough changes to its roster and coaching style to finally flip their point of emphasis away from all-out offense to prioritizing a solid base defense. That defense has really shored up only recently and it certainly gave the Bucks some fits at home. Milwaukee’s defeat last week wasn’t as bad as the loss in game two of the 2023-2024 season (which prompted plenty of “uh ohs” on my end) and I’ll be interested to see if Atlanta can replicate it again should these teams play in the Cup semifinals.
New York Knicks - Posting & Toasting -Grading the Knicks at the quarter-mark of the season
Shoutout to future Buck Jericho Sims who the Knicks happened upon at pick 58 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. A big who can’t score or create even a semblance of a shot for himself, but who can defend all the way out to the perimeter? Sign me up (even if he is already 26 going on 27).
The Social Media Section
I think that’s exactly right
Unless you don’t have 10, in which case you should stand on however many you’re capable of doing so
Giannis’s shirt matching with Thanasis’s pants. Love it.
Khris returns to the court and to posting
These are probably the least-bad color ways of this current model of his shoe
When, not if, Bobby gets moved on, I will dearly miss his Visit MKE promos. He’s great in all of them.
Based on the comments, congrats again (again (again)) to the happy couple
I’ve had to take last week off due to illness and so do not have an updated prediction record for this week. I’ll do the math and project forward my “winning percentage” after the Cup in case Milwaukee does take part in the exhibition Final. From there, it’ll be smooth sailing the rest of the predictive way. The (possible) games!
NBA CUP — v. Orlando Magic, Tuesday, Dec. 10th — 6:00 PM CST
should the Bucks win — NBA CUP — v. Atlanta Hawks or New York Knicks, Saturday, Dec. 14th — in Las Vegas, NV and time TBD
Embrace the excitement! It’s as good a time as any for the Bucks to hit their stride in full.
Happy Monday!