NBA Today | It’s time the rest of the East should be scared of Giannis and Bucks – Richard Jefferson

NBA Today | It’s time the rest of the East should be scared of Giannis and Bucks – Richard Jefferson

Richard Jefferson you had a front row seat but it looks like the Bucks have found their stride coming out of the All-Star break and here’s why here’s what they did over the weekend we’re going to start at the game you called Doc Rivers Giannis and tent kmo facing

The number one team at the time in the Western Conference the Minnesota Timberwolves and Giannis running looking faking he was so impressive their team I think they uh they hit a bunch of Threes Minnesota hit a bunch of Threes late that got him up to like 43% from the

Field but for the majority of that game they were hovering around 39% defensively the Bucks defense that was probably as good as I have seen it in a long time against an elite team an elite offensive team that was fully loaded and ready to go we were doing all access

There and the Bucks ruined that this Dame Lillard 3 His Feet weren’t even facing the rim when he took off we went from all access for the Timberwolves to Dame time the Bucs get that win and then Sunday against a depleted 76ers team remember this is Doc Rivers return to

Philadelphia Dame Lillard I thought that was going to come a lot later I thought it was going to come a lot later I didn’t think he was going to be doing a return to Philly well yanis made sure to make him look good this Outlet pass to close the

First half had the bench hyped Giannis even danced into the locker room following that dime to Brook Lopez look he’s like even they got to look at me man they they play football on Greece well come on man that a hell of a pass Giannis throwing it down there and then

Once again Brook Lopez finds you got to guard out you got to guard him out there I don’t know you think they was on the on Scouting Report well we talked so much about the Bucks defense early in the year Richard is throwing up his hands in Delight because their defense

Has stepped up in the past two games over the All-Star break wins over the Timberwolves the 76ers allowing just 102.5 points per game on over 40% shooting those are both large improvement over Doc’s defense the allstar break you called the game Friday there was a large Improvement what’s the

Biggest reason why they’re winning right now well I I I think their intensity you lose that game in Memphis before the All-Star break look that’s the most dangerous time the first two games before the All-Star break those first two games after the All-Star break some guys are already on vacation some guys

Haven’t come back from vacation so I think that that loss against Memphis all the questions all the chirping we saw JJ running his mouth getting hot getting fired up and so when you look at this the Bucks had to answer a call and you come out of the break against the number

One team in the Western Conference a a team that is playing great basketball and you showed up you knew that you were coming in for a fight they showed up on a Friday night in Minnesota and balled out played great from start to finish then again against a Philly team that

Just beat Cleveland who was playing really really well this Philly team look they don’t have Joel and B but they are still a formidable team and you go out there and play well again so to me I I don’t want to say they’re turning a corner but all things point in the right

Direction well I think think with them the biggest step obviously is defensively in that paint area um they’ve kind of gotten back to their I would want to say old defense boen holer defense however you want to call it okay yes yes but but defending the paint

Right um and you look at this number here’s the thing he has the most shots coming at him in that in that drop defense but that’s also the shot that you’re willing to live with they’re making you take that shot so it’s actually a good sign that he has the

Most attempts on him now if you look at him in the pick and roll you’re going to see here as they roll the tape right there okay stop right here you’re going to see them chase over the top okay so that on ball Defender chases over the

Top you see Brook sitting right there hands spread now his job right there as that Defender he’s basically playing two-on-one and you want to keep that ball handler in front of you and you want to keep that roller in front of you so when they start to come the problem

Is that court gets really small for that offensive player and now you’re kind of playing in his territory so the last part of this is is the pursuit you see uh Pat right there trying to get back in front and the other thing about he he

Never I know he can’t jump very high but he hardly ever jumps so you’re taking these shots over seven-footers and that’s basically what they’re baiting you to do um and so far it’s worked out well for them especially you know they’re they’re starting to hold teams under that that 100 point right and

Here’s the other thing not that okay the 100 point is a nice round number right but can you get your defense to hold them to like 106 and 107 cuz one thing we do know with this team is they can score the basketball yes so at the end

Of the day you’re going to put enough uh points on the board to win a lot of basketball games but that defensive end of the court has to come together and I think that is a separation factor for them coming into the last part of the Season defense wins championships it’s

Also been their identity especially particularly when they won a championship in 20121 but it feels like the East this year it is still ba paced by the Boston Celtics they extended their season High winning streak to eight games they had a 14-point win over the Knicks Boston has the best record in

The NBA and with their core uh they’re starting five of Tatum Brown holiday white porzingis all start they’re actually winning better than 80% of their games they continue to pull away from the pack in the Eastern Conference and take a look at this right Boston has

A five game cushion for the best overall record so considering they also have the fourth easiest schedule remember remaining in the NBA it’s going to be tough for any of these teams to make up any significant ground over their final 25 games the Celtics are most likely

Going to finish with the best record in the NBA and have home court advantage in the playoffs but perk is the gap between them and the rest of the teams we just showed that big hell no hell no in the Eastern Conference yes okay I get that right you

Have you’re looking at the Cavs right a young team led by Donovan Mitchell we don’t really trust them Evan Mobley has been up and down we have to see and wait to see what they’re going to do in the postseason when you look at the the Milwaukee books we know all the termo

That’s been happening around that organization and with that team but when it comes down to comparing the Celtics to the Western Conference and I know these people out there in the world on the internet are going to say oh we was 13- six against the West well to be

Honest here’s my thing my last my last sighting when they played against the top-notch Western Conference teams like the Delver nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers it was a Beatdown not the Nuggets but with the Clippers so do I think the Celtics are a great basketball

Team yes do I think they’re going to come out of the Eastern Conference yes do I think Jason tum is an unbelievable Superstar yes I believe all those things but what I can’t do is disrespect how hard the western conference is on the side of the Eastern Conference and so

They’re going to have to have their battles right now I don’t even have them favored as to win it all to be honest with you look I think the gap for the Celtics in the in the during the regular season I think it’s bigger right I think

It’s big it’s hard to match up with the amount of talent the versatility that they have but I think that starts to shrink as the playoffs come yes they could have home court but we’ve also seen them lose a game seven on their home floor right we’ve seen some things

From the Boston Celtics over over the last few years so when I look at this they are the best team I think adding Drew holiday adding a guy that has Championship experience you know and again their whole team has been half the team has been to the finals or had been

On playoff runs so I just think the Celtics as the season goes on they’re going to win 60 games in my opinion they’re going to play great they’re going to get the number one seed but there are going to be things that they can need to improve on in my opinion

That makes them a clear-cut favorite we just saw what the Denver Nuggets are doing like yic is a problem but I think porzingis pulling him away from the floor also being a shop blocker there are things that he offers that could really be a great matchup if they

Potentially were to go against Denver I I I think Boston’s really good obviously I put I’m going to put them in the finals I don’t know if they win and here’s the other part not be they have a great offense they have a great defense um the versatility I think the emergence

Of Derek white how he’s come on uh you got a real ball Hawker maybe the best on ball defender in Drew holiday so you’ve added these pieces and then poor zingis a legit a legit in- out guy right but at the end of the day I feel like and you

Go back to when eay was there right didn’t they lose like every home court game and won every away game or something crazy or it it was something different like that so I think the mentality the mental toughness needed to uh maintain and sustain greatness throughout the playoffs I want to see

That I want to see that from them and then let’s also compare the Denver Nuggets they have their consistent Core group right when you look at Philly they got a brand new coach Joel and bead’s out when you look at uh the Knicks they they’ve been banged up but we saw how

Well they were playing when they were hurt when you look at the Milwaukee Bucks they’re going through a transitional phase so they are now again I know the Boston Celtics have had some coaching change overs the last few years but they have their core group and their

Core group is all pushing in the same direction so that makes things easier for you not easy easier so when I look at that that’s why I think it shrinks during the during the postseason because everybody’s like they’ve kind of figured out their crew they got their coach Nick

Nurse and Doc Rivers even the Clippers adding James Harden they’re going to be much better teams come April May June than they are currently right now and the fact of the matter is the Celtics are just a team that until they do it until they prove it because they’ve been

There and been so close so many times we’re going to continue to have questions and nitpick just because they’ve been right on the cusp we’ve seen it happen they’ve had a 2-1 lead in the finals even and they couldn’t quite get it done so until Jason Tatum is that

Guy the best guy in a Finals series on the floor which he even says he wasn’t Steph Curry was right in that last finals that he was in until we see that there going to be some questions that sort of swirl before we head to break I

Do want to get to one more news item this clip was everywhere on Saturday because seconds after upsetting number eight Duke wake for a students they stormed the court but watch here Duke’s Kyle fikowski collided with a fan and left the floor hobbled there’s no details yet on the severity of any Poss

Possible injury but filipowski is a top 10 Prospect on ESPN’s draft board and Jay bilis he weighed in on the incident we actually discussed this a few weeks ago on college game day uh and my thing wasn’t necessarily ban Court storming it was just the idea that fans

Don’t belong on the court and if they wanted to stop it they could stop it tomorrow one time all you have to do is once they’re on the court don’t let them off just just say you’re all detained and give them all citation or arrest them if you want to and then

Court storming will stop the next day that’s got to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my entire did he say detain 10,000 people did he say give 10,000 people citations me and Becky were talking before the the Hall of Famer Becky Hammond so what do you think

She goes if you don’t make stupid rules you don’t have to enforce them and that is silly first of all I get it as an Arizona player Duke player players typically the really good teams I’ve had the court stormed on me four or five times it’s a part of it it sucks you

Don’t want to see this there has been things that happened but this is about college basketball this is about college football to say something and I love Jay billis a legend in this game that is asinine to suggest that because for me when you look at this yes get your

Players off the floor we saw the situation with Caitlyn Clark however you feel left to write about that was it a little bit of a flop was it a little bit of an embellishment I get it but this is a part of college sports it always has

Been for what 40 years 50 years you know what even in football you’re going to stop all the people from running on the field when Alabama loses to Florida A&M no you’re not going to stop it so figure out a way to protect your players and again we’re talking about one situation

Two situations over the course of how many court storming we get it but let’s not get old and get the get off my lawn get a citation let’s arrest them all do you do we know what we’re talking about when we say these things like come on to

Me if you pay P your tuition and you go and support your team and they’re an underdog against a high level Arizona Duke North Carolina Kansas Kentucky and you get the win look you deserve the storm the court that’s my opinion let’s not arrest or S give citations to 10,000

People what are we talking about holy coign and agree with you on that one Richard love you Jay let’s not discipline Joy but yes love you Jay R ABC NBA Saturday Prime Time match up has Nicola yic and the Nuggets squaring off against LeBron in the late foreign foree speech spee foreign spee

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NBA Today | It’s time the rest of the East should be scared of Giannis and Bucks – Richard Jefferson