| Bucks | Fear The Deer! | Nov. 2

[Justine.]

Ouch. Pierce is killin' you.

[kibaxx7]

So, it's gonna be a Finals against Kobe. Good luck with that

[Martti.]

Young Buck explodes, Bucks tie series.
Bucks (102) - Celtics (95)

Jennings went nuts in the fourth, scoring 22 points.

Brandon Jennings exploded in the fourth, scoring 22 points, including all of his 4 three-pointers to lead the Bucks over the Celtics in game #4. The series is now tied at 2 games a piece.

Paul Pierce, who scored 29 and 34 points in games #2 and #3, was held to just 9 points and Rasheed Wallace, who had 32 in game #3, scored 14 points on 4-10 FG. Kevin Garnett led the C's with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists.

Brandon Jennings racked up 33 points and 11 assists on 10-18 shooting, his best in the series and Michael Redd also got out of his slump in games #2 and #3, scoring 27 points on 11-21 shooting in game #4.

After three quarters, KG had already managed 22 points and 10 boards and Michael Redd had scored 23 points. Then Jennings took over.

He scored in just 6 seconds in the fourth, knocking down an open three. Both teams exchanged baskets for the next minutes, the Bucks got most of the points from Jennings, whether it was his bucket or an assist.

He made 6 of his 7 shots in the final period, 4 of his 5 three-pointers and went 6-8 from the line, sealing the deal for the Bucks with free throws. The Celtics couldn't buy a bucket late, missing shot after shot.

Paul Pierce stated after the game, that the Celtics will win game #5 and the series to head to the NBA Finals, where the Lakers are waiting.


FINAL SCORE (Record after the game)
MIL (2-2) | 102 |
BOS (2-2) | 95 |

Player of the Game : Brandon Jennings


| 33 PTS | 3 REBS | 11 ASTS | 1 STLS | 1 BLKS | 10-18 FG | 4-5 3 PT FG | 9-11 FT

Key Performers :

Bucks :

Andrew Bogut : 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
Michael Redd : 27 points, 2 blocks, 11-21 FG
Hakim Warrick : 8 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
Thaddeus Young : 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2-4 FG
Luc Mbah a Moute : 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3-3 FG, 1-1 3PT(Bench)
Andray Blatche : 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2-3 FG (Bench)
Eddie House : 3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1-2 3PT (Bench)

Celtics :

Kevin Garnett : 28 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 11-20 FG, 6-7 FT
Rasheed Wallace : 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Rajon Rondo : 13 points, 4 assists
Paul Pierce : 9 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Luis Scola : 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2-10 FG (Bench)
Kendrick Perkins : 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists (Bench)
Flip Murray : 11 points, 5-5 FG (Bench)



Redd wasn't too shabby wither, scoring 27.


Garnett led the Celtics with a near triple-double game.

[Martti.]

Conference Finals

Team	Score	Team	Series score
(1) Los Angeles Lakers	120-80	(6) Memphis Grizzlies	Lakers advance 4-0
(1) Boston Celtics	95-102	(3) Milwaukee Bucks	Series tied 2-2

[dare]

You held Pierce in only 9 points but still it was a close game, nice to see the Lakers advance

[Clutch]

what's with Rondo giving up two 20+ 4th qtr games to Jennings?

the Deer need to DISAPPEAR already and give Stern and the NBA what they really want - Lakers v. Celtics, part 42 (or whatever # of times they've met in the Marttiverse)


j/k man ... Cinderella teams reaching the finals is nice too

[kibaxx7]

As Clutch said... C's need more defense from Rondo! You did have defense on The Truth and Sheed, also Scola.

[Justine.]

Tied the series! BJ3 is just awesome. And nice Lakers sweeping the Grizzlies. Good luck with game 5.

[rise]

Wow! another huge night for Jennings! Congrats on holding Pierce to single digits! and good to see Redd playing well again!

give Stern and the NBA what they really want - Lakers v. Celtics, part 42

Stern and the NBA are the only people who want Lakers vs. Celtics part 42. Honestly, I'm much happier with neither of them in the Finals. The only reason I rooted for the Celtics in real life is because I still haven't got over the Magic's sweep of the Bobcats. Although it's not like I didn't expect it...

[megarover]

That's what I call LOCK DOWN DEFENSE!

[Martti.]

Garnett's late board crashing puts Celtics up 3-2.
Bucks (93) - Celtics (97)

Bogut blocked this with his chest, but couldn't rebound when it mattered.

Paul Pierce said that the Celtics will win game #5 and his bold statements were true. The Celtics walked away with a narrow 97-93 win, despite leading by 14 after three quarters.

Pierce didn't play a huge role himself, scoring just 8 points on 3-14 shooting, but did have an important fast break dunk late in the fourth. Kevin Garnett was 2 assists shy of a triple-double for the second straight game with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Rajon Rondo had 19 points and the Celtics bench racked up 25 points. Brandon Jennings had another huge night, finishing 2 rebounds shy of a triple-double before fouling out. Andrew Bogut had his best game of the series with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks.

But despite Bogut's huge rebounding numbers and a huge block on Rondo, some can blame him on this defeat.

Behind Jennings, Bogut and Korver, the Bucks rallied from 14 down. Kyle Korver scored 13 of his 16 in the fourth and Jennings had 6 points of his own. With 35 seconds left, Kyle Korver scored a three-pointer from the corner, setting the score 92-90, Celtics on top.

Rajon Rondo was fouled and, despite shooting 63% from the stripe during the regular season, made both shots. The Bucks called a time-out and Kyle Korver knocked down another three. The Celtics called a time-out with 8 seconds to go, up 94-93.

Rajon Rondo was quickly fouled and sent to the line. He made the first free throw, but missed the second. Looking back, it would have been better for the Bucks if he had made both.

Rondo missed and Kevin Garnett rose over everybody to grab the offensive board. After it was a huge disarray in the paint, some tried to steal the ball, coach Skiles yelled "Foul, for fuck sake!". But Garnett somehow got up a shot with 4 seconds left, he missed, but got the board once again.

The Bucks couldn't foul him yet again and Garnett scored an easy two, leaving 0.7 on the clock. The Bucks didn't hope for a miracle and inbounded the ball to Eddie House, who just caught the ball, not attempting a desperation shot.

The TD Garden was going nuts, with some fans already flashing "Beat LA!" signs and posters. Game 6 is in Milwaukee, where the Bucks, for the first time this post-season, are facing a 'win or go home' situation.


FINAL SCORE (Record after the game)
MIL (2-3) | 93 |
BOS (3-2) | 97 |

Player of the Game : Kevin Garnett


| 27 PTS | 13 REBS | 8 ASTS | 1 STLS | 3 BLKS | 12-24 FG | 0-1 3 PT FG | 3-6 FT

Key Performers :

Bucks :

Andrew Bogut : 24 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, 12-20 FG
Brandon Jennings : 24 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 9-15 FG
Michael Redd : 6 points, 2 assists, 3-14 FG, 0-3 3PT
Hakim Warrick : 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 7-15 FG
Thaddeus Young : 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2-3 FG
Kyle Korver : 16 points, 6-10 FG, 4-6 3PT (Bench)

Celtics :

Rasheed Wallace : 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists
Bill Walker : 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1-1 3PT
Rajon Rondo : 19 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, 5-9 FG, 8-10 FT
Paul Pierce : 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3-14 FG, 0-2 3PT, 2-4 FT
Luis Scola : 3 points, 4 rebounds (Bench)
Kendrick Perkins : 6 points, 2 blocks, 3-5 FG (Bench)
Tony Allen : 9 points, 1 steal, 1 block, 4-8 FG (Bench)
Jason Williams : 5 points, 2-2 FG, 1-1 3PT, 3 minutes (Bench)



Jennings out-running Rondo and KG for a big dunk.


Pierce struggled, so he put some anger into this dunk.

[kibaxx7]

A chest block? Wow. Tough loss man, good luck in must-win Game 6.

Ah, check the comments below the pics, they are from G5.

[Martti.]

Thierry., thanks, fixed now.

[Fresh8]

I really hope you can pull off back to back wins to advance to play the Lakers. You've got to start the game strong and build a big lead by halftime in the next two games so that you don't need to be bailed out by Young Buck!

[Clutch]

nice one by Bogut - i think i've only ever seen Yao jump as high

so, once the C's are finished here are you going to draw out the Lakers v. Celtics finals game-by-game or just do a quick series recap and get on with the more exciting off-season? hopefully the latter

[Martti.]

Sit, I rely largely on the sim intervention feature. I don't like playing the whole game. And Young Buck has no problem bailing us out, he's the franchise player now.

Clutch, yeah, I used FFS block on that and was like what the hell??!? If I lose the series, the Finals will probably be in just one post with the table I use, + stats and Finals MVP.

[Martti.]

Rondo's late heroics send Celtics to the Finals
Bucks (94) - Celtics (104)

Rondo's monster dunk, while Jennings can't watch.

Rajon Rondo scored 12 points in the final quarter, including a crucial 4-4 from the stripe late in game #6 of the Eastern Conference Finals to guide the Celtics back to the NBA Finals to face the LA Lakers.

This was the Celtics second straight ECF, last year they lost to the Orlando Magic in 6 games and the upcoming Finals will be their second in 4 years.

Andrew Bogut had 32 points, a series high. Brandon Jennings had 19 points and Hakim Warrick had 16. Michael Redd struggled for the 2nd straight game, going just 4-18 from the field. Combined, he was just 7-32 (.219). He is an Unrestricted Free Agent this summer, perhaps hurting his chances for an extension.

Paul Pierce broke out of his slump from games #4 and #5 as he scored 23 points to go with 8 boards and 6 assists. Rasheed Wallace had 26 big points, mostly in the first half. But the headlines will say Rondo, because of his clutch play.

He had 5 points through three quarters on 2-9 shooting, but then took over. He scored 12 points, 4-7 from the field and 4-4 from the stripe. He also had 6 steals, one from Jennings with 2 minutes to go, resulting in Rondo's dunk.

The Celtics had built up a 10-point lead though 3 periods of basketball and Rasheed Wallace's dunk increased it to 12. Jennings was more of a play-maker, as he scored only 4 points in the final period, compared to 22 in game #4 and 20 in game #1. He did have 4 of his dimes in the period.

The Bucks never got closer to 5 points after Andrew Bogut's big block on Pierce and Kyle Korver's three-pointer with 1.31 left. But Rondo went on to score 8 straight points and the game never got close.

The Celtics will now head to the Finals to face Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and the rest of the Lakers. These teams met it in the 2008 NBA Finals, where the Celtics won 4-2, led by Finals MVP Paul Pierce.


FINAL SCORE (Record after the game)
MIL (2-4) | 94 |
BOS (4-2) | 104 |

Player of the Game : Rajon Rondo


| 17 PTS | 5 REBS | 5 ASTS | 6 STLS | 0 BLKS | 6-16 FG | 0-4 3 PT FG | 5-5 FT

Key Performers :

Bucks :

Andrew Bogut : 32 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 14-27 FG
Brandon Jennings : 19 points, 5 assists, 8-15 FG, 2-5 3PT
Michael Redd : 11 points, 8 assists, 4-18 FG, 0-4 3PT
Hakim Warrick : 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 6-8 FG. 4-4 FT
Thaddeus Young : 0 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals
Kyle Korver : 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3-5 3PT (Bench)

Celtics :

Rasheed Wallace : 26 points, 5 rebounds, 9-13 FG, 7-7 FT
Kevin Garnett : 15 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 6-12 FG
Paul Pierce : 23 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 10-19 FG, 3-3 FT
Bill Walker : 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Tony Allen : 10 points, 2 assists, 4-7 FG (Bench)
Luis Scola : 4 points, 3 rebounds (Bench)


The Bucks miracle season came to an end.


Bogut scored 32, but it wasn't enough.

[kibaxx7]

Ah, that sucks bro. Looking forward to the offseason!

[Martti.]

Will Redd and Jennings be together next season?.

Gone until November - Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks pulled off an incredible season. Many predicted them not making the Playoffs, or at best as 8th seed. They played really well together, led by Sophomore sensation Brandon Jennings and the emergence of Andrew Bogut.

Jennings has just an amazing season. He started in the Rookie Challenge, taking home MVP honors behind 26 assists. He started the All-Star Game and helped East triumph over West with 8 points and 7 assists. He led the league in steals and assists and was among the MVP candidates throughout the season. He was the main reason also behind the Bucks Playoff run and was the key behind the 2 wins in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Andrew Bogut was just as spectacular. He was voted by the coaches to the All-Star Game and led the league in blocks. Some say he was snubbed with the All-NBA selections, not making the All-NBA nor the All-Defensive teams.

Redd had some huge games during the regular season, 44 in The Garden and 43 at home in the season finale. He had 50 points to lead the Bucks to the ECF in game #6 against Miami, but struggled for most of the series.

Now, the busy off-season begins.

The Bucks have 5 contracts coming off the books -

* Redd (18.3M)
* Alston (8.38M)
* Gadzuric (7.24M)
* Young (2.7M)
* Luc (854K)

That's a total of 37M of expiring contracts. And with Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amar'e Stoudemire, Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki all having the option to become free agents, cap space is a big necessity.

The Bucks probably won't re-sign Alston and Gadzuric. Gadzuric played a total of 12 minutes in the Playoffs and Alston was suspended by the league for marijuana possession.

Young also expressed his desire to test the free agent market. Luc Mbah a Moute and his agent are working on an extension to remain with the team, as Luc expressed great desire to stay with the team.

And that leaves Michael Redd. He has played his whole career in Milwaukee, 11 years now. Fans love him and he loves the city, but he didn't say anything specific regarding his status. Redd was also an All-Star this season and his long-range shooting can benefit a lot of teams.

If the Bucks choose to not re-sign him, they would start building around the Jennings-Bogut dou. It would be a great plan, but Redd has been a very important part of the city and the organization and what better way to honor him then have him retire as a Buck.

The big FA names would probably re-sign with their teams. Pierce and Kobe are in the Finals, so need to leave. Wade reached the Eastern Conference semis. James's Cavs made the second round, but lost to the Celtics.

But anything can happen.

[Clutch]

man, tough break not that i wished it upon your Bucks, but also kinda suspected as much especially since your only wins were pretty much Celtics victories as well, if not for Jennings' two 4th-quarter miracles

great season nonetheless, espec. BJ and Bogut

decisions decisions... Redd is probably the biggest/hardest choice to make; he walks and gets picked up by someone good? it could come back to haunt you; sign him and you risk losing out on a big time free agent (provided one jumps ship, which sometimes they don't) but at least you'd have a career Buck veteran ala the Truth in Boston

either way, looking fwd to seeing how you manage it all; also hoping Luc returns to the roster; he's a solid enough role-player for you

that is the fun thing about virtual dynasties... anything can happen, as you say

[Martti.]

Kobe now has a ring for all the fingers on one hand

Lakers beat Celtics in 6 games, win 16th title

Kobe Bryant was named the NBA Finals MVP for the second time in his career and won his 5th title as the Lakers beat the Celtics in the 2011 NBA Finals.

Bryant averaged a modest 19.5 points per game, not even a team-best, to go with 6.3 assists and 4.8 boards, not to mention 2.1 steals. Gasol averaged 19.5 points and 9.1 rebounds with 1.85 blocks.

All starters averaged over 16 points per game. Luke Ridnour, former Buck, led the Lakers with 20 ppg and 6.9 assists. Andrew Bynum averaged 17 points and 10 boards with a tad over 2 blocks.

Ron Artest held Paul Pierce to 15 ppg while averaging 16.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals and over a block.

Rajon Rondo went down in game #4 with a severe ankle sprain and the Lakers won the last 3 games of the series. Bryant made a buzzer-beating three-pointer in game #6 of the Finals to secure the title.

Team	Score	Team	Series score
(1) Los Angeles Lakers	91-97	(1) Boston Celtics	Celtics lead 1-0
(1) Los Angeles Lakers	99-90	(1) Boston Celtics	Series tied 1-1
(1) Los Angeles Lakers	102-106	(1) Boston Celtics	Celtics lead 2-1
(1) Los Angeles Lakers	99-93	(1) Boston Celtics	Series tied 2-2
(1) Los Angeles Lakers	124-98	(1) Boston Celtics	Lakers lead 3-2
(1) Los Angeles Lakers	103-100	(1) Boston Celtics	Lakers win 4-2

[Martti.]

Kemp is keeping his old teammate around for at least two more years.

Bucks extend Payton's contract

The Milwaukee Bucks have announced that they have extended assistant coach Gary Payton's contract for 2 more years.

Gary Payton worked with Brandon Jennings. Jennings developed defensive and play-making skills, leading the league in steals and assists while averaging 20+ points. He also led the league in made free throws.

Payton's contract is expected to be 2.46M over two years.

[kibaxx7]

The Milwaukee Bucks have announced that they have extended assistant coach Gary Payton's contract for 2 more years.

Does that mean this is going for two more seasons?

[dare]

Kobe with the buzzer beater to win the championship

[Valor]

"Bryant for the ring! GOOD!!!"

LAKERS > CELTICS JUST LIKE IT WILL BE IN REAL LIFE