Despite all the hype for the NBA’s 75th season opener between the Nets and the Bucks on Tuesday night, it was always going to be, as Brooklyn superstar Kevin Durant put it after his club got trounced, 127-104, “just one game out of 82.” In the grand scheme of things, this result will prove to be irrelevant should these two clubs meet for greater stakes in a best-of-seven series seven months from now.
1. The Bucks seem to be Joe Harris' kryptonite. The issues he had in the finals were here again. They bucks to an amazing job of running Harris off the three point line. Then they do an amazing job of protecting the rim when he goes to the hoop. Obviously Giannis is a big part of this - but so is Lopez. There defense is just fantastic. If there is a playoff series against the Bucks, Harris needs to understand that the rim is just not open for him.
2. I recall the start of last season Spencer Dinwiddie threw what felt like 100 force lobs to Jarrett Allen. Almost in identical fashion Harden seemed to force 100 lobs to Claxton. I don't know if this is Nash's coaching or just history repeating itself, but Harden needs to tone it down ALOT. Almost every lob was a fail. Bad pass, sloppy hands, bad timing. Yes, a lob looks amazing and Harden and Claxton are a great duo - but stop forcing the issue. As mentioned earlier - the Bucks do amazing job of clogging the paint. Stop forcing lobs. It leads to turnovers, which leads to easy fast breaks for the other team.
3. Where's Bruce Brown? The guy has proven himself. He defends. He works hard. He gets 50/50 balls. And he makes smart plays. If not starting, he needs to be in the 8 man rotation.
4. Aldridge looks done. Honestly, he looked done in the 5 games last season, but he was at least a useful offensive option when Durant was out. It looked worse now. He's just too slow for the modern NBA game.
5. Harden has to give more effort. He is so talented and smart, but he needs to be more aggressive when the ball isn't in his hands. Standing 35 feet from the basket when off-ball is a waste.
My opinion, go with Griffin at the 5 and Bruce Brown at the 3. You get more hustle, more effort, and flexibility.
1. The Bucks seem to be Joe Harris' kryptonite. The issues he had in the finals were here again. They bucks to an amazing job of running Harris off the three point line. Then they do an amazing job of protecting the rim when he goes to the hoop. Obviously Giannis is a big part of this - but so is Lopez. There defense is just fantastic. If there is a playoff series against the Bucks, Harris needs to understand that the rim is just not open for him.
2. I recall the start of last season Spencer Dinwiddie threw what felt like 100 force lobs to Jarrett Allen. Almost in identical fashion Harden seemed to force 100 lobs to Claxton. I don't know if this is Nash's coaching or just history repeating itself, but Harden needs to tone it down ALOT. Almost every lob was a fail. Bad pass, sloppy hands, bad timing. Yes, a lob looks amazing and Harden and Claxton are a great duo - but stop forcing the issue. As mentioned earlier - the Bucks do amazing job of clogging the paint. Stop forcing lobs. It leads to turnovers, which leads to easy fast breaks for the other team.
3. Where's Bruce Brown? The guy has proven himself. He defends. He works hard. He gets 50/50 balls. And he makes smart plays. If not starting, he needs to be in the 8 man rotation.
4. Aldridge looks done. Honestly, he looked done in the 5 games last season, but he was at least a useful offensive option when Durant was out. It looked worse now. He's just too slow for the modern NBA game.
5. Harden has to give more effort. He is so talented and smart, but he needs to be more aggressive when the ball isn't in his hands. Standing 35 feet from the basket when off-ball is a waste.
My opinion, go with Griffin at the 5 and Bruce Brown at the 3. You get more hustle, more effort, and flexibility.