# Milwaukee Bucks @ Charlotte Hornets, Game 1



## Kreutz35

After a crazy offseason seeing new owners, a new coaching staff, and a new focus for the franchise, we finally get to see some real basketball. The Bucks are starting fresh with one of the most exciting young cores in the league, led by Giannis "The Greek Freak" Antentokoumpo and Rookie Jabari Parker. Expectations aren't terribly high for this season, but the future has never looked brighter and that just might be what keeps the Bucks in Milwaukee.


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## Kreutz35

Bucks projected starters: 
PG Brandon Knight
SG Khris Middleton
SF Giannis Antentokoumpo
PF Jabari Parker
C Larry Sanders


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## Basel

Excited to watch this Bucks team. Didn't watch Jabari in the preseason so no idea what to expect from him tonight but excited to see him play.


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## 29380

Kreutz35 said:


> Bucks projected starters:
> PG Brandon Knight
> *SG Jared Dudley
> SF Khris Middleton*
> PF Jabari Parker
> C Larry Sanders


...


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## Basel

Kreutz35 said:


> Bucks projected starters:
> PG Brandon Knight
> SG Khris Middleton
> SF Giannis Antentokoumpo
> PF Jabari Parker
> C Larry Sanders


Why isn't Giannis starting?


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## Kreutz35

Coach Kidd never announced starters, so it was just projections until the game actually started. There's been rumors that he wants to use Gianmis as a super-sub... Guess we'll see how that works.


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## Kreutz35

MKG'S shot looks a lot better


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## Basel

Nice end to end play by Parker there. Both teams need to settle down a bit, it seems.


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## Kreutz35

Jabari coast to coast!


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## Kreutz35

Charlotte has the best uniform and court design combo in the league.


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## Basel

Middleton getting buckets.


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## Kreutz35

That Jennings-Knight trade is soon going to be known as the Khris Middleton trade. Dude's a baller.


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## Basel

Jabari is really quick with the ball for his size.


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## Kreutz35

Nice steal and pass by Parker


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## Kreutz35

Giannis is in


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## Kreutz35

Zeller's shot seemed way after the whistle... NBA continuation rules are ridiculous.


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## Basel

I completely forgot about OJ Mayo. What a disappointing career so far.


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## Kreutz35

You mean the thing that ate OJ Mayo, right?


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## Basel

Giannis chased down that ball to make the save with easy. Long ****ing arms and legs.


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## Basel

Kreutz35 said:


> You mean the thing that ate OJ Mayo, right?


I honestly didn't even recognize him when he first checked in until the announcers mentioned it.


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## Kreutz35

I like Zaza as a backup big, even if he is overpayed.


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## Kreutz35

Jabari needs to stop settling for long 2's


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## Kreutz35

Basel said:


> I honestly didn't even recognize him when he first checked in until the announcers mentioned it.


The crazy thing is, he's lost weight since last year.


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## 29380

OJ should be a decent contributor this season.


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## Basel

Wow. Heads up play by Henderson at the buzzer.


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## 29380

Basel said:


> Wow. Heads up play by Henderson at the buzzer.


Too late


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## Kreutz35

Looked late to me


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## hunerman

Lets go Bucks!!!


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## Kreutz35

@hunerman joined the party!


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## Basel

Coach Fish said:


> Too late





Kreutz35 said:


> Looked late to me


Indeed. Still a good play.


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## Kreutz35

Silly Ily with the nice drive


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## Kreutz35

I'm not a big fan of Knight, but he's on triple-double watch


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## Kreutz35

Nice little fast break there. Henson needs to finish the dunk though.


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## Kreutz35

He looked set to me...


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## Basel

Kreutz35 said:


> Silly Ily with the nice drive


Please tell me that's not actually his nickname and that's just coming from you.


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## Basel

If Ilyasova can rediscover his game this season, that would be huge for Milwaukee.


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## Kreutz35

It's my awesome nickname for him


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## 29380

Mayo is looking great might be able to trade that contract.


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## Basel

Ilya will Killya with his shooting.


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## Basel

Coach Fish said:


> Mayo is looking great might be able to trade that contract.


I'm glad he's off to a good start. I was a fan of his for a while but quickly lost interest in his career when he pretty much became a bust (in my opinion). I hope he bounces back strong this season. He's still really talented.


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## Kreutz35

OJ, Zaza, and Ily need to play themselves into being tradable pieces.


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## Kreutz35

Basel said:


> I'm glad he's off to a good start. I was a fan of his for a while but quickly lost interest in his career when he pretty much became a bust (in my opinion). I hope he bounces back strong this season. He's still really talented.


It's weird to think how young he still is.


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## Basel

Mayo to Giannis plus the foul. Good pass from OJ.


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## hunerman

I think I need a big glass of OJ for this game...


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## Basel

Kreutz35 said:


> It's weird to think how young he still is.


Wow, I didn't realize he's only 26 (turns 27 in the next week or so). Guy can still carve out a nice career for himself. He just has to want to.


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## Kreutz35

Get Bayless outta there!


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## Basel

If Zeller had thrown that putback jam in, that would've been incredible. But he wasn't even close.


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## Kreutz35

Giannis not letting Zeller posterize him.


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## Basel

Since when did Mayo become such a play maker?


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## 29380

Mayo is killing it.


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## Kreutz35

Mayo is playing well. Can't wait to see the Lakers trade us a 1st for him


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## Basel

This is OJ Mayo's world. We're all just living in it.


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## Kreutz35

So much more chemistry than last year. If things go right, this Bucks team could sneak into the playoffs


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## Kreutz35

I'd prefer getting another lotto pick, but getting these young guys into the playoffs could be big for their confidence as they grow up together


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## Basel

Kreutz35 said:


> So much more chemistry than last year. If things go right, this Bucks team could sneak into the playoffs


Wouldn't surprise me at all. I don't know why so many people have them near the Eastern Conference cellar.


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## Kreutz35

OJ Mayo turning himself into OJ Miracle Whip


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## 29380

Kreutz35 said:


> So much more chemistry than last year. If things go right, this Bucks team could sneak into the playoffs


Maybe but this Hornets team is not as good as people think it is.


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## 29380

Damn OJ


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## Basel

Wow. Mayo is killing it.


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## Kreutz35

I'm still waiting for the resurgence of the LARRY SANDERS! block party.


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## RollWithEm

I'm just starting to watch this one and the improvement in that MKG jumper is amazing. Bravo Mark Price.


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## Basel

Heat check.


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## 29380

Can't be mad at that heat check.


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## Kreutz35

RollWithEm said:


> I'm just starting to watch this one and the improvement in that MKG jumper is amazing. Bravo Mark Price.


I love seeing it. I've always been a big MKG fan.


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## Basel

Who had Middleton and Mayo lighting it up tonight?


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## hunerman

Less Bayless, more Wolters!!


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## Kreutz35

We have too many PGs... And the ones I like are the ones who aren't playing


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## RollWithEm

Pachulia actually does a pretty good job on Big Al. He's the type of guy who just never bites on a head fake or ball fake. He stays down and contests. That's all you can do against Al.


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## Basel

Enjoyed this first half. Will keep an eye on it the rest of the way and posting in here when I can but time to tune into Rose vs. Melo.


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## Kreutz35

Middleton is a pure shooter... That MKG jam was pretty


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## Basel

Very good first half for the Bucks. I'm impressed thus far.


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## RollWithEm

John Henson is a very solid screen-setter. I never noticed that about him last year. I wonder if it's something he's been working on.


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## Kreutz35

Bucks leading 57-46 at half. All-in-all, we're looking a lot better than I expected. Let's see if the boys can keep it up though.


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## Bubbles

Just got home. Good looking first half for the Bucks from what I can tell.


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## RollWithEm

The biggest thing I see with these Hornets is that Josh McRoberts was very often the trigger man for their offense last season. This season they are going to be much more reliant on Lance's penetration. It's going to take them some time to rejigger their offensive philosophy.


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## Basel

Kreutz35 said:


> Bucks leading 57-46 at half. All-in-all, we're looking a lot better than I expected. Let's see if the boys can keep it up though.



Good test to start the season. Double digit lead, on the road, against a good team. The Hornets will make a run. We'll see how Milwaukee responds to it.


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## Bubbles

Basel said:


> If Ilyasova can rediscover his game this season, that would be huge for Milwaukee.


It would be nice if he gained back some of the trade value he had a couple of seasons ago.


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## Kreutz35

All Bucks not named Knight or Zaza are shooting 65% from the field.


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## Basel

Kreutz35 said:


> All Bucks not named Knight or Zaza are shooting 65% from the field.



Knight is doing other things well and Zaza is playing good defense. So I think that's okay.


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## RollWithEm

And Darius Rucker's favorite NBA player is... Lance Stephenson? What a weird mismatch that is.


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## RollWithEm

Larry Sanders doesn't appear to have his spring back quite yet. His first jump doesn't appear to be as high as it once was and his second jump isn't quite as fast.


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## Kreutz35

I'd much rather see Knight as a combo guard off the bench. He just kills too many possessions with his long 2's and dribbling around. He's Brandon Jennings with better size and a more likable attitude.


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## Kreutz35

No block, but it's good to see Sanders affecting shots in the lane like that.


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## Kreutz35

Beautiful pass from Jabari to Sanders for the jam!


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## hunerman

These steals are very promising, especially when we run the break well!


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## Kreutz35

Larry making people miss


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## Kreutz35

That seemed like a less than stellar call...


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## Kreutz35

Jabari!!!


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## Kreutz35

I love how active and vocal Kidd is. Such a change from Drews last year.


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## Bubbles

This is going to be a fun team to watch this season.


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## Kreutz35

So much more hustle than I've seen from the Bucks in a long time.


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## Kreutz35

Larry quieting the crowd!


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## Kreutz35

Got to respond to this Hornets run.


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## Kreutz35

Game is really slowing down


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## Kreutz35

Knight is so eclectic. Some great plays, some horrendous ones.


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## Kreutz35

Hornets are closing the gap.


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## Kreutz35

Charlotte has a good crowd.


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## Basel

Knight needs a few rebounds for a triple double.


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## Kreutz35

Single digits...


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## Basel

Didn't like that shot from Mayo.


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## roux

Bucks look good tonight.. going to enjoy watching this team this year.


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## Bubbles

Basel said:


> Knight needs a few rebounds for a triple double.


Hopefully Kidd has taught him his ways.


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## Kreutz35

We're going to be a much more watchable team this year, for sure.


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## Basel

Great way to start the season for Milwaukee. Can't ask for much more from such a young team.


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## Kreutz35

Can't quit now


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## Kreutz35

Weak offensive foul there...


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## Kreutz35

There's a big block by Sanders!


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## Kreutz35

Hornets showing more heart right now...


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## Basel

Wow. I turned away for a few minutes and it's a 3-point game?


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## Kreutz35

Lance just gimping up the court. I don't like the dude, but that's heart to get down the court and get the steal.


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## Basel

Kreutz35 said:


> Lance just gimping up the court. I don't like the dude, but that's heart to get down the court and get the steal.



Yup. Big plays from him on both ends.


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## roux

Guess the tank is back on.. what a pitiful fourth quarter


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## Basel

roux said:


> Guess the tank is back on.. what a pitiful fourth quarter



The last six minutes, anyway.


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## Kreutz35

We're young. We need to learn how to close out wins.


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## Basel

Step away, Sanders. Not the time for a technical.


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## Basel

Kreutz35 said:


> We're young. We need to learn how to close out wins.



Can't ask for a better situation than this.


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## Basel

Coming down to free throws. Give it to Jabari. Make him face this pressure from now.


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## Basel

Dangerous pass from Mayo. Should've just held the ball. They would've fouled.


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## Kreutz35

Ugh...


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## Basel

Wow. Kemba Walker!


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## Bubbles

Good gravy Kemba.


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## Bogg

My oh my


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## Kreutz35

Kemba's been cold all night, but he hits the one that matters


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## roux

god awful defense there, holy shit


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## roux

Kreutz35 said:


> Kemba's been cold all night, but he hits the one that matters


we left him wide open


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## Basel

Overtime.


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## roux

What 24 point lead?


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## Basel

Basel said:


> Great way to start the season for Milwaukee. Can't ask for much more from such a young team.



#BaselJinx


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## roux

This is going to be a rough year


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## RollWithEm

I love overtime.


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## Kreutz35

Sloppy OT by both teams so far


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## RollWithEm

Brandon Knight with the huge stop!


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## Kreutz35

Might be getting a bit tired


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## RollWithEm

It's the Middleton and Marvin show.


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## Basel

Not sure what would be more impressive: Bucks winning it in regulation or winning this game in overtime after having blown it.


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## RollWithEm

I wonder who this play is going to be drawn up for. We might learn a lot about the Hornets from this offensive set.


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## Basel

RollWithEm said:


> I wonder who this play is going to be drawn up for. We might learn a lot about the Hornets from this offensive set.



I would guess Big Al as the first option and go from there.


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## Kreutz35

Gary Neal...


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## Basel

RollWithEm said:


> I wonder who this play is going to be drawn up for. We might learn a lot about the Hornets from this offensive set.



I guess it's Neal.


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## RollWithEm

Gary Neal with big play after big play since he got inserted into this game.


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## Basel

RollWithEm said:


> Gary Neal with big play after big play since he got inserted into this game.



Guy knows how to win.


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## Kreutz35

Except when he was a Buck...


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## Basel

Kemba again. Wow.


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## Kreutz35

Kemba is clutch


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## RollWithEm

Another huge hit by Kemba. That guy has always been clutch, hasn't he?


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## Kreutz35

I really don't want Knight taking this shot, but he probably will


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## 29380

Kemba is clutch.


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## Basel

RollWithEm said:


> Another huge hit by Kemba. That guy has always been clutch, hasn't he?



I know he was at UCONN.


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## Kreutz35

Give it to Middleton!


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## RollWithEm

Is this play going to go to Jabari?


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## Kreutz35

What do you have, Kidd?


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## roux




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## Basel

RollWithEm said:


> Is this play going to go to Jabari?



I would love that.


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## Kreutz35

What a disappointment


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## Kreutz35

Young team needs to learn to finish.


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## Basel

Middleton misses the WIDE OPEN three. 24-point comeback complete.


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## RollWithEm

GREAT play call. Perfect execution. Shot just wasn't on line. Good game by the Bucks.


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## roux

That was one of the worst loses i have ever seen the bucks have, regardless of who was on the team... pure ****ing garbage


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## Kreutz35

Good last play though, just didn't fall.


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## roux

RollWithEm said:


> GREAT play call. Perfect execution. Shot just wasn't on line. Good game by the Bucks.


We blew a 24 point second half lead including getting outsocre by 13 ****ing points in the final 3 minutes... they played like ass


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## Dornado

An OT game and John Henson can only get 12 minutes? I'm sure Kidd feels like he needs to play Dudley to space the floor and have a veteran presence out there and Parker seems locked in at the 4... still, I'd think there would be a way get Henson more burn, especially in a game where the Bucks got killed on the boards.


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## RollWithEm

Dornado said:


> An OT game and John Henson can only get 12 minutes? I'm sure Kidd feels like he needs to play Dudley to space the floor and have a veteran presence out there and Parker seems locked in at the 4... still, I'd think there would be a way get Henson more burn, especially in a game where the Bucks got killed on the boards.


As the roster is currently constructed, the Bucks have too many interior guys to get their rotation to make any sense. We know Kidd loves Sanders. Pachulia was playing very stout interior defense on Big Al when he was in. Ilyasova played well in his limited minutes scoring the ball. Jabari is going to average 38 minutes a game. Greek Freak just has too much raw talent to not throw him out there as well. On top of that, Middleton and Mayo got hot shooting the basketball. 

Really the only guy who doesn't need to get big minutes is Dudley, but he's also a savvy vet who knows how to defend on the perimeter. I love the screens that Henson sets and the rangy way that he protects the rim, but Kidd had 11 guys play over 11 minutes last night. This team seems like a serious candidate to package multiple talented players for one all-star piece. Henson/Knight/Ilyasova for Rondo might make some sense to clear up their logjam.


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