MILWAUKEE BUCKS = NBA CHAMPIONS!!!

[alexboom]

Alexboomthanks for the props, Alex, I'm just trying to keep you all entertained although as I've said this will be the last one...

meh, a true bullsfan would have nothing against one or two comebacks

[bullsfan009]

meh, a true bullsfan would have nothing against one or two comebacks

a true bullsfan would be playing with the Bulls instead of the Bucks!

[bullsfan009]

NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 5: Chicago Bulls @ Milwaukee Bucks (Bucks lead series 3-1)

MIL 88, CHI 68
Bucks’ Bench is Big-Time- Carries Milwaukee Past Chicago to the NBA Finals!!!

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN- Going into last night’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Chicago Bulls trailed 3 games to 1, and were a loss away from elimination from the playoffs. They had to win this game, but felt good about themselves because of Game 4, a 19-point shellacking of the Bucks at the United Center in Chicago.
It became evident in the first quarter, however, that the Bucks were also using that blowout as a source of motivation. In front of the 20,000 Milwaukee faithful who were packed into the Bradley Center, the Bucks smoked the Bulls in the first 10 minutes of play. They led 16-8 with 3:56 left, then 22-14 with 1:08 to go. And after a Dwyane Wade layup, another Bucks basket, and finally a Dwight Howard turnaround shot in the lane, Milwaukee was up 28-14 after one quarter of play. The Bucks made 14 of their 22 shot attempts (63.6%) in the period, and dished out 11 assists, while holding the Bulls to 29.2% shooting. The Bulls were already in a huge hole, and in a must-win Game 5 scenario, Chicago fans had every right to be nervous.
The second period brought no relief, though. The Bucks fans got worked up into a frenzy as their team ran off 9 unanswered points to start the quarter. They led 37-14, and that score capped a 17-0 run for the Bucks- they had been up 20-14 at one point in the first quarter. Bulls coach Scott Skiles called a timeout and pleaded for his team to get themselves together, but it wasn’t looking good. The Bucks bench had gotten hot, and were outplaying the Chicago starters. Ryan Bowen, Robert Traylor, Nate Robinson, and Melvin Ely were all clicking.
Keith Van Horn entered the ballgame for the Bulls and ran off a few points, including a 3-pointer, to cut the lead to 44-25 (4:13 remaining). But Kareem Rush canned 2 consecutive threes, and the Bucks doubled up the Bulls 50-to-25. At halftime, Milwaukee led 55 to 31, shooting 54% versus the Bulls’ 31%. And the Bucks fans in attendance were ecstatic; their team appeared to be going to the NBA Finals!
During the halftime break, the Bulls knew that they had to find some way to come back. And they had to do it soon. Coach Skiles urged them to leave nothing in reserve, to give it all they had. “I told them, if you guys lose this game, you’ll have 4 months to rest…”
The Bulls played outstanding defense in the third, holding Milwaukee to 27.3% shooting. And Eddy Curry was a monster in the paint. After 2 consecutive Curry dunks, the Bulls had cut the lead to 57-40- still a sizeable margin, but they were pumped and believed they could come all the way back. Bucks coach Terry Porter called a timeout, and inserted 3rd string point guard Bryce Drew in for the struggling starter Beno Udrih.
The move had a stabilizing influence on Milwaukee, and they kept their lead above 15 points for the rest of the quarter. And not only that, they extended it once again! With 3 seconds left, Bowen was fouled and sent to the free throw line for 2 shots. He made the first foul shot, and missed the second…but “Tractor” Traylor outmuscled Tyson Chandler for the rebound, and threw the ball back out to Bowen, who had ran to the 3-point line and was WIDE open. Ryan released the shot just as time expired and…SWISH! That put the Bucks ahead by their biggest margin of the game, 75-48, and seemed to take the wind out of the Bulls’ sails.
Chicago needed to make up 27 points in a single quarter to save their season. There are only a few players in the entire NBA with whom a team would have any chance of combing back, and the Bulls didn’t have any of them. In the fourth quarter, they once again played superb defense by holding Milwaukee to 26.7% shooting, but simply couldn’t muster up any kind of sustained, major offensive run. The Bucks rested all 5 starters for the entirety of the final quarter, and won by 20, 88-68. Their bench had led the way, outscoring their starters, 52 to 36, and now the entire team was headed to the NBA Finals!!!

BUCKS NOTES
Dwyane Wade had his lowest scoring game (8 points on 3-for-12 shooting) in a long time...It didn't matter, though, as 3 bench players scored in double figures...The Bucks will now gear up for the Phoenix Suns, a dangerous, high-scoring team...We'll see what happens.

BULLS NOTES
After the game, Bulls coach Scott Skiles commented to the media: "First of all, I want to tip my invisible hat to the Milwaukee Bucks. They played some of the best defense I've seen in awhile, although we certainly helped out some with horrible shooting. But I hope they win it all- they are going to be tough to beat if they can keep up that defense in the Finals. Also, I want to tell my team how proud I am that they made it this far. Obviously, I wanted us to win it all, but for a #7 seed who nobody expected to even get out of the first round to come within 3 wins of the Finals, that's incredible. So I hope my guys get some rest, and work on their games, and we can come back next year with renewed confidence."

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS UPDATE
It came down to a series-deciding Game 7 between the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. The Suns pulled off an incredible 98-97 win at home, and advanced to the NBA Finals to face the Bucks!

GAME STATS

MILWAUKEE
Divac: 2 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 0-5 FGs
Howard: 14 pts, 8 reb, 0 ast, 5-7 FGs
Hill: 10 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 5-8 FGs
Wade: 8 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 3-12 FGs
Udrih: 2 pts, 0 reb, 3 ast, 1-6 FGs
Rush: 6 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 2-8 FGs
Traylor: 10 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 2-2 FGs, 6-6 FTs
Robinson: 10 pts, 2 reb, 5 ast, 4-9 FGs
Ely: 5 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 1-1 FGs
Bowen: 15 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast, 6-14 FGs
Drew: 2 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 1-1 FGs
Collins: 4 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1-3 FGs
TOTALS: 31-76 FGs (40.8%), 21-22 FTs, 45 REB (12 OFF), 21 AST, 9 FL

CHICAGO
Curry: 14 pts, 16 reb, 1 ast, 7-9 FGs
Chandler: 5 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 2-9 FGs
Nocioni: 13 pts, 5 reb, 0 ast, 6-17 FGs
Jackson: 15 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 7-22 FGs
Hinrich: 4 pts, 0 reb, 7 ast, 2-12 FGs
Deng: 4 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 2-4 FGs
Duhon: 1 pt, 0 reb, 2 ast, 0-3 FGs
Van Horn: 7 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 3-4 FGs
Harrington: 3 pts, 6 reb, 0 ast, 1-5 FGs
Pargo: 2 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 1-5 FGs
TOTALS: 31-90 FGs (34.4%), 3-6 FTs, 46 REB (17 OFF), 15 AST, 14 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bulls 14 17 17 20---68
Bucks 28 27 20 13---88
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three-point field goals: Milwaukee 5-17 (Rush 2-5, Bowen 2-5, Robinson 1-3, Wade 0-1, Udrih 0-3), Chicago 3-15 (Van Horn 1-1, Jackson 1-4, Hinrich 1-7, Duhon 0-1, Pargo 0-2). Turnovers: Milwaukee 11, Chicago 10. Steals: Milwaukee 8 (Wade 2, Hill 2), Chicago 9 (Hinrich 3). Blocks: Milwaukee 11 (Wade 3, Hill 3), Chicago 4 (Jackson 2).

BUCKS WIN SERIES 4-1!

WE’RE GOING TO THE FINALS!!!

[bullsfan009]

Upcoming...

[Keo]

You made it!! Wade didn't have his best game but he didn't need to. Bulls finished with only 68, you've really showed dominanace throughout the series. Good to see guys like Traylor, Robinson and Bowen stepping up off the bench. Their play was key to the victory and we haven't seen much from your bench so it was good to see. Hats off to Eddy Curry, he played well throughout the seires. Good luck against the Suns, it will be extremely hard no doubt about that. I hope the Bucks are ready!

[Sac-1]

You did it! Good job and even though you blew out Chicago they didn't let any of your players get over 20 points(espically Wade ). Well atleast you are past that and now you have a big challenge ahead of you, it will be very high scoring but once you shut down their offence they have nothing since they suck at defence so the Key will be to stop their offence which as you know will be a very tough job so good luck.

[shadowgrin]

Nice read of your franchise. Keep it up and do well in the Finals.

[bullsfan009]

You made it!! Wade didn't have his best game but he didn't need to. Bulls finished with only 68, you've really showed dominanace throughout the series. Good to see guys like Traylor, Robinson and Bowen stepping up off the bench. Their play was key to the victory and we haven't seen much from your bench so it was good to see. Hats off to Eddy Curry, he played well throughout the seires. Good luck against the Suns, it will be extremely hard no doubt about that. I hope the Bucks are ready!

I think to beat the Suns, I'm going to have to either get a very good series from my bench, and have maybe 5 or 6 guys scoring in double figures in each game, or Wade's going to have to have a MONSTER series (like 40 ppg )...Thanks for the support and insightful commentary

You did it! Good job and even though you blew out Chicago they didn't let any of your players get over 20 points(espically Wade ). Well atleast you are past that and now you have a big challenge ahead of you, it will be very high scoring but once you shut down their offence they have nothing since they suck at defence so the Key will be to stop their offence which as you know will be a very tough job so good luck.

Good advice there- I'll try to play as good of defense as I can, but I realize that it's going to be a much higher scoring series than against the Bulls. The Suns have so many weapons (remember, this season was based off of last year's rosters, so they still have Joe Johnson & Quentin Richardson to go along with Nash + Amare + Marion)

Nice read of your franchise. Keep it up and do well in the Finals.

thanks shadowgrin, I will definintely try...

[bullsfan009]

Position-By-Position Finals Preview

CENTER: VLADE DIVAC(MIL) vs. AMARE STOUDEMIRE (PHO)
This is a nightmare of a matchup for Divac, who's matched up against a beast in Stoudemire. Amare can shoot over the top, drive around, or dunk on Divac at will. The Bucks may have to double team Amare often, or give Melvin Ely a try at center at some point. ADVANTAGE: SUNS

POWER FORWARD: DWIGHT HOWARD (MIL) vs. SHAWN MARION(PHO)This is an interesting matchup. In the post, Howard is much stronger than Marion, and should be able to score fairly easily. But on the other end of the floor, Marion is really a small forward, and his combination of outside shooting and penetration ability will keep Dwight very challenged throughout the series. Fortunately for the Bucks, Howard is as athletic as big men come, and he might just be able to stay with the Matrix. ADVANTAGE: EVEN

SMALL FORWARD: GRANT HILL (MIL) vs. QUENTIN RICHARDSON (PHO)
Hill has been very streaky in his short stint with the Bucks, and he's going to have to step it up against a tough player in Quentin Richardson. "Q" can really hit the 3-ball, but is also known as a good inside scorer and rebounder. This could turn out to be a critical matchup in the series. ADVANTAGE: EVEN

SHOOTING GUARD: DWYANE WADE (MIL) vs. JOE JOHNSON (PHO)
The only position where the advantage goes to the Bucks. Although Joe Johnson is an extremely versatile player, with a great shooting touch, and solid playmaking skills, he's no match for Dwyane Wade. "Flash" is having a great postseason, and he's going to try to light up Johnson, because this matchup has to make up for the Bucks' weaknesses at Center and Point Guard. ADVANTAGE: BUCKS

POINT GUARD: BENO UDRIH (MIL) vs. STEVE NASH (PHO)
No contest here. Steve Nash is one of the top, if not the very best, point guards in the NBA. He's an unstoppable playmaker, an unbelievable shooter, ballhandler, and passer. Udrih is really struggling in the postseason, so Bucks coach Terry Porter might have to consider putting Nate Robinson or Bryce Drew in to try and contain Nashty Nash. ADVANTAGE: SUNS

Well, it should be a very exciting series. Stay tuned everyone! And have a good weekend.

[shadowgrin]

What about the analysis for the bench depth? Stats leading to the Finals? Analysis on offense and defense?

I like reading your franchise.
Your franchise is one of the few that I'm willing to read, even if you want to make a long write-up.
Apologies if I'm too demanding.

[bullsfan009]

What about the analysis for the bench depth? Stats leading to the Finals? Analysis on offense and defense?

I like reading your franchise.
Your franchise is one of the few that I'm willing to read, even if you want to make a long write-up.
Apologies if I'm too demanding.

not at all, shadowgrin, here's some more in-depth info. I don't have any stats on me, so I'll do what I can...

NBA Finals Insider Analysis: Milwaukee Bucks

Bucks' Corner: The Bucks are going against one of the top scoring teams in the league in the Phoenix Suns. They don't have the offensive firepower to match Phoenix basket-for-basket, so they're going to have to compensate in other ways. Coach Terry Porter remarks:

"We definitely need to do the little things to pull out this series: limit our turnovers, control the boards, and overall play tough defense. Even with all of that clicking, I think we're still going to need some big-time points production from a few different players each night. I almost expect Dwyane to get 25-to-30, but other guys need to step up, whether it's Grant Hill mixing it up, Dwight Howard/Melvin Ely/Robert Traylor in the post, Kareem Rush hitting some 3s, or Nate Robinson putting on his cape and flying to the hole."

Offensively, look to see the Bucks trying to establish an early inside game by taking advantage of the Dwight Howard-Shawn Marion matchup. If that's working, Phoenix will have to help, and that'll give outside shooters like Udrih, Rush, and Drew opportunities to contribute. Regardless, Dwyane Wade and Grant Hill will be the #1 and #2 attacking options for the majority of the ballgame: they need to play consistently well.

Defensively, look for the Bucks to play tough man-to-man D, with some trapping on Steve Nash in the backcourt, and possible double-teaming on Stoudemire in the paint.


Suns' Corner:
Phoenix is playing a Milwaukee Bucks team that just came off a defensive battle of a series against the Chicago Bulls. The Suns know that they don't "D-Up" like the Bucks do, but they also are confident that the Bucks' offense is no match for their own. Led by Steve Nash, the Suns will try to score in big bunches, and try to win with offense. They have all the weapons too: Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Quentin Richardson, Nash, and capable bench players like Jim Jackson and Lehindro Barbosa.

Coach Mike D'Antoni comments: "Our goal to win this series is to simply play the way that got us here- shoot early and often, run all game long, and let our superstars be superstars. We feel that the Bucks don't have anyone to match up to our 2 best players- Amare and Steve- so we're going to try to exploit those mismatches as often as possible. If we can control the tempo and force a fast-paced, high-scoring contest, we like our chances of winning the title."

Defensively, the Suns have to be worried about Dwyane Wade. They may just have to throw double-teams his way practically every time he touches the ball, because Joe Johnson will have difficulties containing him 1-on-1. So the Suns' primary defensive focus will be the containment of Wade, and after him, making sure to keep other dangerous players like Howard, Hill, Robinson, and Rush in check. But overall, Phoenix isn't too concerned about D- they want to win with their O.

[bullsfan009]

Welcome to the NBA Finals!!!

ERNIE JOHNSON: It’s the pinnacle of the most competitive basketball league in the world. It’s where all 30 teams of the National Basketball Association want to get by season’s end. It’s where Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, and Shaquille O’Neal and others have been transformed from superstars to All-Time Greats. It’s the NBA Finals, and this season, the Eastern and Western Conferences are represented by the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, respectively.

KENNY SMITH: The Bucks failed to make the Playoffs last season, finishing 7 games under .500 with an 11-and-18 record. But they turned things around this season, improving to 19-10, and getting the #4 seed in the East. To get to these Finals, Milwaukee beat the Boston Celtics, the top-seeded Miami Heat, and the surprising #7-seeded Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.

CHARLES BARKLEY: The Phoenix Suns having been playing this entire year with a chip on their shoulders, after being upset in the first round last year after a 20-win regular season. This year, they won a league-best 24 games, and came into the Playoffs with a #1 seed. To get to this point, they beat the Los Angeles Clippers 3-1 in the first round, swept the Golden State Warriors 4-0 in Round 2, and edged out the San Antonio Spurs in 7 games in the Western Conference Finals.

ERNIE JOHNSON: And so get ready for Game 1 between the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks!

GAME SUMMARY

PHOENIX, ARIZONA- The opening quarter took the Suns and their fans by surprise, because Milwaukee completely outplayed them on the offensive end. The Bucks shot 62% , with 10 assists, and scored 32 points in the period. Dwyane Wade, Grant Hill and Dwight Howard were eating up the sometimes-porous Phoenix defense, scoring a combined 23 points. Wade got his in spectacular fashion: he had 4 dunks in the quarter, including a sick baseline alley-oop from PG Beno Udrih, who had penetrated to about the free throw line, saw Wade backdoor his man Joe Johnson. Beno just threw it up and let Flash go and get it. On the Suns’ side, Amare Stoudemire had no trouble netting 8 points on Vlade Divac, and Shawn Marion got off to a great start with 9 points in the quarter. But Milwaukee had the start they were hoping for- a 6-point, 32-26 lead after 1.

Most spectators of the first quarter were expecting the Bucks to come down to Earth, and back to reality in the 2nd quarter, and their hot shooting to cool off. But they didn’t. Milwaukee shot 61% in this period, led by a big quarter from a BIG man- Robert “Tractor” Traylor. He dominated smaller defenders Shawn Marion and then Walter McCarty to the tune of 16 2nd-quarter points, on 7-for-9 shooting. Add in Ryan Bowen continuing his lights-out shooting from Game 5 of the ECF against Chicago, and the Bucks built up a 9-point lead at the break: 57-48. Phoenix fans in attendance were worried and quiet during halftime, eager for their beloved Suns to step up their play.

Milwaukee scored the opening bucket of the second half to lead by 11, 59-48, but after that Phoenix finally got hot. They quickly trimmed the lead to 4, but the Bucks held on with their outside-inside combination of Hill/Wade and Howard. The three combined to shoot 11-for-19 in the third, and the Bucks pushed the lead back up to 10.
After the Suns scored with 4.9 seconds left in the quarter, Dwyane Wade showed why he’s a superstar. He took the inbounds pass, sprinted downcourt, where he was met by his defender, Joe Johnson. In a “flash”, Wade performed a hesitation move to his right immediately followed by a left-to-right hand, through-the legs crossover. The combination sent Johnson reeling backward, and gave Wade the space to get off a 20-footer just before the quarter buzzer sounded. He lined up the shot, let it go, and as the buzzer blared the ball swished through the net. 81-71 Bucks, end of 3.

In the huddle before the start of the final quarter, Suns coach Mike D’Antoni was not pleased , to say the least. He urged them to leave it all out their on the court- to give it everything they had. “We didn’t come this far to give in now!” he yelled.
But at least for this one game, there would be no coming back. The Bucks were just too good on this night. They quickly ran up the lead to 13 at 87-74 on a Bryce Drew basket, then led 96-82 on a Dwight Howard offensive rebound + put-back dunk + a foul . Howard and Grant Hill played with a fire in the 4th – Howard had 7 points and was everywhere with 6 rebounds (4 offensive), while Hill was in a groove offensively, building up his point total to 26 in the game with a 5-for-8 shooting quarter.
A Traylor fastbreak layup made it 106-90, and the Suns were looking very rattled on the court. They were getting blown out, in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, on their home court. They couldn’t mount a comeback, and so Phoenix fell 112-99 in Game 1. Milwaukee had shot 55% in the ballgame, compared to the Suns’ 44%.

Indeed, the #1 question pressing the Milwaukee Bucks in their NBA Finals matchup with the high-octane Phoenix Suns was “Could they keep up offensively?” Well, after one game, people might have to start asking the Suns that exact question.

FINAL SCORE: MILWAUKEE 112, PHOENIX 99

BUCKS NOTES
The Bucks may have set an NBA Finals record by having 4 different players finish with at least 20 points in a single game, which they did tonight with 20-point efforts from Howard, Traylor, Wade, and Hill…Milwaukee’s bench outscored Phoenix’s 39-16…Dwight Howard played most of the 4th quarter at center, allowing the hot Traylor to play PF. Howard shut down Stoudemire to only 1 field-goal attempt, and 0 points in the 4th.

SUNS NOTES
All 5 Suns starters scored in double figures, but no one reached 20 points…As a team, Phoenix took care of the ball brilliantly. They committed just 3 turnovers all game…Steve Nash struggled with his shot in Game 1, going 6-for-17…The Suns often live-and-die by their three-pointers, and tonight they may have died by it- they were 5-for-19 from downtown.

MILWAUKEE
Divac: 2 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1-3 FGs
Howard: 20 pts, 12 reb, 3 ast, 7-12 FGs
Hill: 26 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 12-20 FGs
Wade: 20 pts, 4 reb, 6 ast, 10-15 FGs
Udrih: 5 pts, 1 reb, 6 ast, 2-5 FGs
Rush: 0 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast, 0-3 FGs
Traylor: 20 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 8-13 FGs
Robinson: 0 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 0-1 FGs
Ely: 4 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 2-4 FGs
Bowen: 11 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 4-6 FGs
Drew: 4 pts, 2 reb, 5 ast, 1-3 FGs
TOTALS: 47-85 FGs (55.3%), 15-16 FTs, 45 REB (13 OFF), 29 AST, 12 FL

PHOENIX
Stoudemire: 18 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast, 8-14 FGs
Marion: 19 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast, 9-17 FGs
Richardson: 11 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 4-9 FGs
Johnson: 19 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 8-21 FGs
Nash: 16 pts, 1 reb, 7 ast, 6-17 FGs
Abdul-Wahad: 6 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 3-6 FGs
Nesby: 4 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast, 2-5 FGs
McCarty: 0 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 0-3 FGs
Voskuhl: 2 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1-1 FGs
Barbosa: 4 pts, 0 reb, 3 ast, 2-5 FGs
TOTALS: 43-98 FGs (43.9%), 8-12 FTs, 37 REB (15 OFF), 22 AST, 10 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bucks 32 25 24 31---112
Suns 26 22 23 28---99
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three-point field goals: Milwaukee 3-13 (Bowen 1-2, Hill 1-3, Udrih 1-3, Drew 0-2, Rush 0-3), Phoenix 5-19 (Johnson 3-10, Richardson 1-4, Nash 1-5). Turnovers: Milwaukee 14, Phoenix 3. Steals: Milwaukee 3 (Hill 2), Phoenix 9 (4 Tied With 2). Blocks: Milwaukee 8 (Howard 2, Bowen 2), Phoenix 3 (3 Tied With 1).

IMAGE GALLERY

Although he didn't play well, rookie Nate Robinson enjoyed being a part of the NBA Finals.


Reserve Robert "Tractor" Traylor was crucial to the Bucks' success in Game 1, scoring 20 points.


Pictured here is the driven leader of the Bucks, Dwyane Wade.

BUCKS LEAD SERIES 1-0

[Keo]

Wow, I was expecting Phoenix to charge out of the gates but the Bucks win Game 1! You had 4 players scoring 20+ so it was a no-brainer, that's very impressive. You did the things you had to do and others chipped in instead of Wade and Howard carrying the load. After this game, you have a big shot. This is going to be a great deries, good luck in game 2.

[bullsfan009]

Thanks, Sensation. With this win I stole home court advantage (not that you can really tell the difference in the game ). I hope to get a diversified offensive attack in each game, and if I can hold the Suns to around 100 points, like they had, I just may be able to pull this thing out...

[shadowgrin]

Good read as always.
Only one complaint about your write-up though, Charles Barkley was too civilized in the pre-game analysis.
I'm rooting for Phoenix to come back on game 2.
In fact, I want the series to go to a game 7 to see how Milwaukee is going to handle the pressure.

[bullsfan009]

Good read as always.
Only one complaint about your write-up though, Charles Barkley was too civilized in the pre-game analysis.
I'm rooting for Phoenix to come back on game 2.
In fact, I want the series to go to a game 7 to see how Milwaukee is going to handle the pressure.

yeah that didn't sound like Barkley at all. (GI-NO-BI-LI!!! ). Although I hope to disappoint you and sweep in 4 games, this series could very well go 7. Phoenix is tough. Hopefully I'll have Game 2 ready tomorrow or Fri.

Talk to you all later-

[Sac-1]

Wow surprising win in game one, i guess your offence was better played and thats how you won the game. This is the first time i see four players score 20 points or more and not playing on starter, this is outstanding you deserved it . Good luck in game 2 and you better hope your players stay hot.

[bullsfan009]

Wow surprising win in game one, i guess your offence was better played and thats how you won the game. This is the first time i see four players score 20 points or more and not playing on starter, this is outstanding you deserved it . Good luck in game 2 and you better hope your players stay hot.

In Game 1 it seemed so easy to score, because if you remember the Eastern Conference Finals against the Bulls, that was a very tough defensive series. So transitioning from the Bulls' defense to the Suns' defense... it's soooo much easier. This would have been a completely different style of series, more like the ECF, if it was against the Spurs. And yes, I definitely hope my players stay hot

[bullsfan009]

NBA FINALS, GAME 2: BUCKS @ SUNS

ERNIE JOHNSON: Well the Milwaukee Bucks surprised the basketball world in Game 1 with an outstanding performance, getting the win and stealing home court advantage in the series. Four separate players scored at least 20 points, the first time in NBA Finals history that has happened.

ERNIE JOHNSON: Joining me now are Kenny "The Jet" Smith and Charles Barkley. What did you make from Game 1, looking now to Game 2?

CHARLES BARKLEY: Well first of all I just wanna ask, "Who picked out that tie for you tonight, Ernie? What is that, yellow or gold? And what did I tell you about asking your wife to pick out your ties, man? I know she got better taste than that...Hey, can some of the guys in the back get me some sunglasses out here; I'm going blind!

ERNIE JOHNSON: That was the always insightful Charles Barkley folks... Kenny, would you mind telling us a little about this series?

KENNY SMITH: Well, Phoenix was caught by surprise in Game 1. They thought they could come out, and play like they've been playing all year, just running right through teams with their great offense. But in Game 1 they met a Milwaukee Bucks team that showed that they really get after it on D. But what was most surprising to me was that the Bucks showed they can get really score, too! This team can play ball, and the Suns shouldn't take them lightly.

CHARLES BARKLEY: You see, the Suns have to out-score teams in order to win...

ERNIE JOHNSON: Doesn't everybody, Charles?

CHARLES BARKLEY: ...C'mon, man!

ERNIE JOHNSON: I'm sorry, go ahead Chuck.

CHARLES BARKLEY: ...Well, the Suns have to outscore teams, and what I mean by that is their offense wins and loses games for them. They aren't like the San Antonios and Detroits who can go out, shoot 35% and score 75 points, but still win. Phoenix has to run and gun, score 105 or 110 points to get it done.

KENNY SMITH: Their offense has been so good that they've gotten this far playing that way, but in Game 1 the Bucks held them to under 100 points, while dropping 112 themselves. Phoenix either has got to step up their offense, or somehow find a way to get some stops, if they want to win this series.

CHARLES BARKLEY: Which I assume they do.

ERNIE JOHNSON: There you have it, folks, get ready for Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the visiting Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns!

[bullsfan009]

GAME 2 SUMMARY

PHOENIX, ARIZONA- The Bucks took an early 16-11 lead in the first quarter, but Phoenix was carried by 8 points from Steve Nash and 6 from Amare Stoudemire to conduct a 9-point swing and lead 24-20 after 1. Dwyane Wade showed early signs of having a big night, scoring 10 points in the period, making 4-of-5 shots, and soaring for 3 rebounds. Both teams shot around 44% in the period, a percentage favoring the Bucks because they're looking to have a lower-scoring, more defensive-oriented game.
Milwaukee opened the 2nd quarter in dramatic fashion. Reserve PG Nate Robinson exploded off a screen, got into the lane, and threw down a FACIAL on 2 defenders. And the very next Bucks' possession, Dwyane Wade blew by his defender Joe Johnson, cut baseline, and drew multiple defenders. Dwight Howard slid into the wide-open lane, and Wade found him with a nice alley-oop that Howard jammed in with two-hands. Howard had a BIG 2nd quarter, and at halftime his stat line was quite impressive: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists. Wade hit for 6 more points, giving him a game-high 16 at point.
Despite these positive numbers on Milwaukee's front, Phoenix still clung to the lead at the half, 44-42. Phoenix had a well-rounded offensive quarter, while holding the Bucks' total team to 43.5% shooting.

The scoring pace picked up considerably in the 3rd quarter, as 59 total points were scored in it. A Joe Johnson jumper with 3:09 left put Phoenix ahead 64-56, and a Steve Nash 3-pointer made it 71-64 with 1:17 to go. But the Bucks were kept in the game by the scorching hot hand of Grant Hill. Hill hit 3 3-pointers in the period, and scored 11 total points to raise his total to 15 at that point. Dwyane Wade scored 8 more points, and it took those two solid efforts to keep the Bucks from falling behind by double-digits. That's because Amare Stoudemire dominated down low with 10 points and 9 rebounds in the 3rd quarter alone! Heading into the 4th, it was Phoenix 74, Milwaukee 71.
In the fourth and final quarter, Milwaukee head coach Terry Porter went with an offensive-focused lineup: Beno Udrih at the point, Dwyane Wade at the 2, Kareem Rush at the 3, Grant Hill matched up with Shawn Marion at the 4, and a Melvin Ely/Dwight Howard rotation at center to try to contain Stoudemire. It worked.
Rush nailed 3 consecutive 3s, and Wade was smoking hot from the field too. The Bucks simply exploded offensively in the 4th, going 11-for-14 in it (78.6%!!!) A Wade steal + fastbreak jam made it 92-86, Bucks, with 3:56 to go. Then at the 2:12 mark, Dwight Howard's baseline jam + a foul put Milwaukee up 99-88.
It was too much for Phoenix, who cooled off to shoot just 9-for-27 in the fourth quarter, or 33%. Steve Nash was 2-for-12 himself, including 1-for-6 on three point attempts. And so the Phoenix Suns dropped their first two games at home, and are in serious trouble in this series if they don't get Game 3 in Milwaukee.

BUCKS NOTES
It was a gigantic game for Dwyane Wade: 37 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals on 14-for-20 shooting (70%). He was 5-for-5 in the fourth quarter...And Milwaukee got a nice lift from reserve big man Melvin Ely, who was very efficient with 13 points on just 7 shot attempts...But not as efficient as Beno Udrih: 12 points on only 4 attempts! Compared to Steve Nash's 24 points on 25 shots, and Udrih really outplayed him.

SUNS NOTES
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni was asked to comment after the game on the loss: "I'm obviously very disappointed that we couldn't take advantage of our home court in either game. Now we have our work cut out for us. Really, we've got to do in Milwaukee what the Bucks did here in Phoenix for us to have a chance in this series. But I believe we can do it; I believe in our team."


GAME STATS

MILWAUKEE
Divac: 0 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 0-5 FGs
Howard: 19 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 5-11 FGs
Hill: 15 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 6-14 FGs
Wade: 37 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 14-20 FGs
Udrih: 12 pts, 0 reb, 6 ast, 3-4 FGs
Rush: 9 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 3-6 FGs
Traylor: 0 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 0-2 FGs
Robinson: 2 pts, 0 reb, 3 ast, 1-4 FGs
Ely: 13 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 6-7 FGs
Bowen: 0 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 0-0 FGs
Drew: 0 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 0-1 FGs
Collins: 0 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0-0 FGs
TOTALS: 38-74 FGs (51.4%), 22-23 FTs, 37 REB (5 OFF), 28 AST, 18 FL

PHOENIX
Stoudemire: 23 pts, 17 reb, 1 ast, 9-19 FGs
Marion: 17 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 7-23 FGs
Richardson: 12 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 4-9 FGs
Johnson: 12 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 5-12 FGs
Nash: 24 pts, 1 reb, 3 ast, 9-25 FGs
Abdul-Wahad: 7 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast, 3-7 FGs
Nesby: 0 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 0-2 FGs
McCarty: 2 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 1-1 FGs
Voskuhl: 0 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 0-0 FGs
Barbosa: 0 pts, 0 reb, 2 ast, 0-3 FGs
TOTALS: 38-101 FGs (37.6%), 17-20 FTs, 45 REB (22 OFF), 16 AST, 17 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
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Bucks 20 22 29 36---107
Suns 24 20 30 23---97
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Three-point field goals: Milwaukee 9-15 (Hill 3-4, Udrih 3-4, Rush 3-5, Robinson 0-1), Phoenix 4-16 (Nash 4-11, Marion 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Barbosa 0-1, Richardson 0-2). Turnovers: Milwaukee 15, Phoenix 8. Steals: Milwaukee 7 (Wade 3), Phoenix 13 (Richardson 5). Blocks: Milwaukee 9 (Ely 4), Phoenix 5 (Stoudemire 2).

IMAGE GALLERY

Dwyane Wade played spectacularly in Game 2, finishing with 37 points.


Nate Robinson is still struggling, but he's still very exciting when he comes through.

BUCKS LEAD SERIES 2-0

[Keo]

Lol, I was scrolling down expecting to read the final note and I see "sorry I didn't have time to finish it guys". You really spoiled it. Good effort by Ely off the bench, Wade, Hill and Rush had the hot hands and shot well and Dwight Howard got it done as well so a good team effort for the come from behind victory. Stoudemire dominated the boards and shared most of the scoring with Nash who surprisingly had only 3 assists. You've certainly proved me wrong, I wasn't expecting the underdogs to take a rare and unexpected 2-0 lead but you've done a nice job. Let's see you carry that into Game 3. Good luck!!

[Sac-1]

Wow your team has been very impressive so far and hope it continues, even though you won Stoudemire dominated but i guess the key to the victory was Marions horrible shooting and Wades very impressive shooting and the FG precantage between the two teams isn't even close. Pheonix really disapointed me in which i thought was going to be a very tough and exciting series, anyways good luck in game 3.
BTW are you gonna finish up the recap on monday?

[shadowgrin]

sorry I didn't get time to finish this guys

Lazy bastard.
I was going to post a reaction but I didn't have time to finish it.

[bullsfan009]

Lol, I was scrolling down expecting to read the final note and I see "sorry I didn't have time to finish it guys". You really spoiled it. Good effort by Ely off the bench, Wade, Hill and Rush had the hot hands and shot well and Dwight Howard got it done as well so a good team effort for the come from behind victory. Stoudemire dominated the boards and shared most of the scoring with Nash who surprisingly had only 3 assists. You've certainly proved me wrong, I wasn't expecting the underdogs to take a rare and unexpected 2-0 lead but you've done a nice job. Let's see you carry that into Game 3. Good luck!!

sorry about that...I was doing the Inside the NBA thing with Ernie-Kenny-Charles, and I ran out of time on Friday...But I edited in the rest this (Monday) morning. As far as the series, I'm finding it's much easier to score on these Suns. They just don't play much defense And like you said, Nash only had 3 assists, so their offense isn't clicking like it should. I've yet to see the real Phoenix Suns so far in this series.

Wow your team has been very impressive so far and hope it continues, even though you won Stoudemire dominated but i guess the key to the victory was Marions horrible shooting and Wades very impressive shooting and the FG precantage between the two teams isn't even close. Pheonix really disapointed me in which i thought was going to be a very tough and exciting series, anyways good luck in game 3.
BTW are you gonna finish up the recap on monday?

Yes, Phoenix isn't playing up to their potential yet. They haven't had good games from multiple players- like you pointed out that Stoudemire had a good Game 2, but Marion didn't. And I'm getting well-rounded efforts from multiple players, plus I'm playing pretty good D- that's why it's 2-0. And yes, I did edit in the rest of the recap this morning.

Lazy bastard.
I was going to post a reaction but I didn't have time to finish it.

Ah...we've got a wise guy here Good to see you've got a good sense of humor, shadowgrin.


Now on to Game 3!

[bullsfan009]

NBA FINALS, GAME 3: SUNS @ BUCKS

ERNIE JOHNSON: Hello everybody, I'm Ernie Johnson, alongside Kenny "The Jet" Smith and Charles Barkley, and welcome to Game 3 of the NBA Finals! The Milwaukee Bucks suprised the basketball world by taking the first two games in Phoenix by an average of 11.5 points per game. Charles, what happened?

CHARLES BARKLEY: The Suns haven't been matching the intensity of Milwaukee, especially on the defensive end. And when you combine that with the fact that their offense isn't clicking, that's just a formula for losing.

KENNY SMITH: I agree with Charles. Milwaukee appears to be playing with a hunger. They really want this title. That's not to say that Phoenix doesn't want to win it, because they do, but they're not translating any of that desire to the court. Why? I really don't know, and I'm sure their coach, Mike D'Antoni, is trying to figure that out too.

CHARLES BARKLEY: Well he better figure it out quick, 'cause it's going to be over real soon if they don't play better.

ERNIE JOHNSON: Alright, now what are you two looking at in Game 3?

CHARLES BARKLEY: I'm very interested to see how the Suns are going to play offensively. Are they going to be stubborn and continue to play their same way, which has got them two losses in the series, or will they mix it up to try to spark the team?

KENNY SMITH: See, that's very tough. If Phoenix changes their style of play, you could aruge that that's stupid, because that's how they play best, and that style brought them here to the Finals. But if they don't change their style, they might keep losing and then people will be talking about how their resistance to change and denial of reality lost them the series.

CHARLES BARKLEY: Well it don't matter what people say, or what style they use, as long as the get the Ws.

ERNIE JOHNSON: That's Charles Barkley, always to the point. Well, hope you folks at home enjoy Game 3 of the NBA Finals, between the Milwaukee Bucks and the visiting Phoenix Suns. It should be good.