Tag: Brook Lopez

Madden: “Still Pinching Myself” After Bucks’ Title Feat. Jewell Graham

July 25, 2021 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton share an emotional embrace after the Bucks win their first championship in 50 years (Bucks/Instagram).

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In honor of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2020-21 NBA championship, the franchise’s first in 50 years, two longtime Bucks fans share their joyous feelings and thrilling experiences from the past week. First, Frank Madden, host of Locked on Bucks, details his long journey as a fan, including what it meant to witness his very first title alongside the man who introduced him to the Bucks 29 years earlier, his father. Then, Jewell Graham of Gimme a Buck podcast goes through his unforgettable time at the Bucks’ championship parade.

Frank Madden at 4:41-5:03: “For me, having a chance to be in the building and watch the Bucks clinch an NBA title with an historic performance by Giannis, it was pretty much the absolute fantasy of what I’ve always dreamed could be possible. I mean, basically if you had had me write up a script, I wouldn’t even have had the guts to be so bold as to write out what happened in this series and in that last game.”

11:11-12:04: “The day before, my mom had actually texted me, ‘Hey, I don’t know if he’s gonna be able to go ‘cuz big crowds, his balance and going up stairs in a stadium may not be ideal.’ But then on Tuesday, I talked to him. I was just like, ‘Hey, whatever we have to do – if you need to take me by the arm to feel comfortable, whatever we need to – let’s do it. We’ve gotta see this game together.’ Continue reading

Frank Madden: Bucks Should “Use Their Size” in NBA Finals

July 11, 2021 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Despite suffering a knee injury in the Eastern Conference Finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a historic performance, albeit in a losing effort in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. (Keith Allison/Wikimedia Commons)

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Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Greek Freak, led his Milwaukee Bucks to the franchise’s first NBA Finals in 47 years. Along the way, he received critical help from talented teammates Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez, among others. But through the first two Finals games, the supporting cast hasn’t done enough. With the Bucks trailing the Phoenix Suns 2-0 and the series shifting to Milwaukee, Frank Madden of Locked on Bucks explores what must change as the team hopes to win four of its next five in pursuit of the 2020-21 title.

7:05-8:03: “You’re tied in the Eastern Conference finals, you have the more talented team, you really should be advancing to the Finals, and then to see your superstar, two-time MVP, a guy who’s been remarkably durable, just suffer this horrible-looking injury. You know, I kind of half-jokingly referred to it as like from a fan perspective, it was like a near-death experience. Basically, those 24 hours thinking that ‘Geez, I have to be prepared that he’s blown out everything in his knee and next year is gone too’ to then, the next day hearing no structural damage and we’ll see what happens here over the next couple weeks. … To win those two games the way they did to close out the Hawks series was incredible to know that Giannis still had a chance to come back at some point in the playoffs. It just felt like a new lease on life, I think for Bucks fans, just that we had a chance at that. And then for him to come back and actually play at a high level has just been incredible.”

15:27-16:07: “Now you’ve got to win four out of five, so they [Middleton and Holiday] can’t afford to have three off games out of five. They’ve gotta pretty much be good to great more or less every game from here on out. Certainly, they can’t both be bad, as we saw in Game 2, shooting the ball. It’s just really tough. And again, I mean, I think we’ve seen those guys when they have their game, they’re really valuable two-way guys. They can both create for others as well as themselves. But you know, that’s the difference between a top 5-10 player and a top 30-35 player. I think those two guys are both in that latter category, and they’re just not going to be able to give you 25-30 points every night in the playoffs.”

Pratik Patel: “This Is the Loosest the Bucks Have Been”

June 7, 2021 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Defensive specialist P.J. Tucker’s ability to contain Kevin Durant, to the extent that he can, will be something to look for in the Bucks-Nets second-round series (@Bucks/Instagram).

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Despite a dominant performance by reigning, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nets star James Harden going down with a hamstring injury in the first minute of Game 1, the Milwaukee Bucks were not able to take advantage and secure the first victory in this highly anticipated second-round series. Pratik Patel of ESPN Wisconsin helps us digest that first game, the implications of the injury and what adjustments need to be made for the Bucks to advance. Specifically, he delves into how the Bucks can hope to slow down the supremely gifted Brooklyn offense, the leadership new addition Jrue Holiday provides and how Milwaukee’s supporting cast must step up to support its stars. Finally, we discuss the possible consequences of another disappointing Bucks postseason, coming on the heels of early playoff exits in the prior two seasons as well.

6:04-6:27: “If that truly is a re-aggravation of that hamstring injury, I’d be shocked if he even played in this series, let alone in Game 2. And if that’s the case, obviously it makes things a little bit easier for the Bucks defensively to hone in on two stars rather than three. But if the others for the Nets are going to play as well as they did in Game 1, then it might not matter.”

8:30-8:52: “This is also kinda the loosest the Bucks have been the last couple postseasons. The last two years, they were really pressed. There was a lot looming, a lot of talk about championship window. There was all of the conversation surrounding Giannis’ future and this year just felt different. The entire attitude of the team, the aura around them, the feeling in the locker room, was just different this year.”

Eric Nehm: With Bucks, “Is There Anything That Really Needs Fixing?”

June 4, 2019 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is primed to handily win the 2018-19 MVP race, according to guest Eric Nehm (Keith Allison/Creative Commons).

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On the heels of a disappointing Eastern Conference finals exit at the hands of the Raptors, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm is here to talk all things Milwaukee Bucks, including Giannis Antetokounmpo’s MVP campaign, the Bucks’ spectacular season, Mike Budenholzer’s inaugural year at the helm and the significant offseason looming ahead.

Some noteworthy clips (Particular time stamps may vary due to dynamic advertising.):

9:02-9:15: “I guess a less mature 24-year-old would just be angry and not really thinking about exactly how he gets better, but here’s Giannis, two days later, saying, ‘You know, I gotta find a way to be more comfortable in the midrange.’”

14:58-17:04: “I think Khris [Middleton] just really understands Giannis, and Giannis really appreciates guys that play hard, show up every night and can go out and actually take care of business … Giannis can help out with some of the rim protection, Khris can switch a bunch of different things; he also can defend other team’s No. 1s. And because he can defend the league’s best wings, guys like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis can stay on the back side and just be the free safety and attempt to just wreak havoc essentially. So it all just kind of works, and then on top of it, there’s just no frills. Khris doesn’t really have an ego. He doesn’t really go out there and demand more shots or anything like that.” Continue reading

The Bucks Are Scoring 122 Points Per Game! (An ’18-19 Quarterly Review)

November 26, 2018 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Khris Middleton is the most prolific 3-point shooter on a Bucks team suddenly quite 3-happy, and new head coach Mike Budenholzer approves (Keith Allison/Creative Commons).

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Aaron reviews the first quarter of the 2018-19 season, focusing on overall offensive production compared to last year and the Milwaukee Bucks’ considerable improvement spurred by their new style of play. While scoring is way up, offensive efficiency remains about the same as last season. Aaron explains how. He, too, explores Denver’s defensive progression under Mike Malone, as well as the unexpected offensive declines of the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics, and the Rockets’ regression on defense. There’s much more included, but we won’t give it all away. Oh, and next week, we’ll be back with a brand new interview.

Wizards Cast Spell, Climb 10 Spots (Power Rankings: Dec. 23, 2016 Edition)

December 23, 2016 / Joshua Fischman / 0 Comments

23-year-old shooting guard Bradley Beal has nearly equaled his age in points per game, as the Wizards continue their stellar play (Keith Allison/Creative Commons).

While nine teams held the same ranking from our previous edition, six squads rose or dropped at least six spots. Leading the way among most improved from last edition, the Washington Wizards jumped from 22nd to 12th. Thanks to lethal 3-point shooting, the Rockets continued their ascent to fourth even as starting center Clint Capela will be sidelined for the next month at the very least. The Nuggets also impressed the panel, playing extremely well in their first stretch as a completely healthy unit. The returns of Danilo Gallinari and Gary Harris have Denver fans feeling as high as their city’s altitude. The Lakers, however, continue their slide and can no longer use injury as the lone excuse for dropping 11 of their last 12 games. Since our second edition, which was published four weeks ago, the Lakers have dropped from 13th to 27th or seven spots every two weeks.

Biggest Jumps: Washington Wizards (+10), Denver Nuggets (+7), Dallas Mavericks (+6)

Biggest Falls: Los Angeles Lakers (-7), Portland Trail Blazers (-7), Detroit Pistons (-7) Continue reading

Devin Kharpertian: Nets Will Have to “Strike Gold” in Offseason

March 31, 2016 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Devin Kharpertian reporting from the Barclays Center for The YES Network

Devin Kharpertian reporting from the Barclays Center for YES

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The Brooklyn Nets and new GM Sean Marks certainly have a difficult road ahead, as they attempt to transform a struggling team without having control of any of their own first- or second-round draft picks over the next three years. Devin Kharpertian, managing editor and founding partner of The Brooklyn Game on the YES Network, joins us to explain exactly how the Nets got themselves into this situation, the current state of the team and why there might be glimmers of optimism after an overhaul of the front office this season. Exciting excerpts below:

1:55-2:40 on what new GM Sean Marks must do going forward:

“The thing that they have to do is wield some of their power in free agency this year. Now the problem with that is 25 of 30 teams are able to sign somebody to a max deal… It’s a really tough avenue for (the Nets), because the only thing they can do is something that almost every other team can do and almost every other team is in a better position to do, because the Nets just don’t have the talent to compete. It’s going to take some magic from Sean Marks.”

3:58-4:11 on whether any Nets player is off limits:

“Brook (Lopez) and Thad (Young) are the centerpieces right now, and Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) is a piece of that as well. But, I think for the right deal. They’re 21-52 at this point; nobody on that team is untouchable.”

Tag: Brook Lopez

Madden: “Still Pinching Myself” After Bucks’ Title Feat. Jewell Graham

Frank Madden: Bucks Should “Use Their Size” in NBA Finals

Pratik Patel: “This Is the Loosest the Bucks Have Been”

Eric Nehm: With Bucks, “Is There Anything That Really Needs Fixing?”

The Bucks Are Scoring 122 Points Per Game! (An ’18-19 Quarterly Review)

Wizards Cast Spell, Climb 10 Spots (Power Rankings: Dec. 23, 2016 Edition)

Devin Kharpertian: Nets Will Have to “Strike Gold” in Offseason

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