Yes the schedule has been pretty easy over that period but nevertheless I’ve watched several of those games they are playing with intensity and focus. At the same time they are playing very free, like they are playing with house money after many people had written them off.

We know Giannis is one of the fiercest competitors in a league full of fierce competitors. He seems really fired up on the sideline, and if he comes back like a bat-out-of-hell, the Bucks could be a hellacious matchup.

Also if the Hornets stay in the play-in zone, I’m actually really looking forward to the play-in tournament in the East this season.

Ayjel89

133 | 4 hours ago

“Dangerous play-in team” sounds like an oxymoron

OrganicValley_ | Bucks

64 | 4 hours ago

As dangerous as the Jimmy Butler led 8-seed Heat

GoZards18

37 | 4 hours ago

They have Spo, you have Doc Rivers

JonnySports | Knicks

28 | 4 hours ago

Isn’t Doc Rivers historically at his best coaching lower seeded teams? Like you give him the 2019 Clippers and he coaches his ass off, give him the 2020 Clippers and he’s utter dog shit.

Dramatic-Address-812

12 | 4 hours ago

No hes better when theres no expectations. When you have a top 3 player, theres always expectations

JonnySports | Knicks

8 | 3 hours ago

If they’re the 8 seed and go up against the Pistons, no one is going to have any expectations for them to win that series, even with Giannis at 100%.

Dramatic-Address-812

0 | 3 hours ago

I would love for that to be true. While the prediction is we will lose, a lot of playoff series come down to match ups and best player. And the bucks match up well against the pistons. There is also tje obsession to talk up players like giannis and jokic to be almost superman esque.

justlobos22

1 | 3 hours ago

its gets reduce to 1v1, Giannis is not getting a pass againt Cade, he’s expected to win

RedtheGamer100 | Hornets

9 | 4 hours ago

Naw, that narrative only emerged from 2019. His first blown 3-1 lead was with the 8th seed Magic 😂

Coolguynumber01 | Warriors

12 | 4 hours ago

i mean being up 3-1 as an 8 seed against a 1 seed is a pretty impressive feat in itself

RedtheGamer100 | Hornets

-8 | 4 hours ago

Naw

Stepsis24 | Lakers

1 | 14 minutes ago

He’s good at raising a teams floor but doc teams usually are pretty bad in the playoffs

nowhathappenedwas | NBA

1 | 4 hours ago

Isn’t Doc Rivers historically at his best coaching lower seeded teams?

Is he? The Bucks looked awful in the first round as a 5-seed last year.

Majestic_Reindeer439

2 | 4 hours ago

Both have at least one ring. Basically the same coach, many are saying

ForneauCosmique | Spurs

4 | 4 hours ago

I get the reference but this just isn’t the same, like at all lol

moby323 | 76ers

3 | 4 hours ago

That’s true but also I’m not saying that they are going to the finals.

ForneauCosmique | Spurs

1 | 2 hours ago

Not you, the guy I replied to

2coolcaterpillar | Thunder

9 | 4 hours ago

I’ve learned to not doubt the east play-in teams. Or maybe this is a Heat specific thing

rocpilehardasfuk | Warriors

7 | 4 hours ago

It’s just a Butler Bam thing.

Playin teams are usually brittle and have bad defenses..

Heat with Bam Butler can turn up their defense. And Butler unlocks a really high level offense. Add in Spo and all of a sudden the Heat are causing upsets

moby323 | 76ers

9 | 4 hours ago

Fair enough.

Do I think either the Hornets or the Bucks will make a deep playoff run? Probably not.

Could they make even a good team have to work really hard to beat them? Absolutely.

Then-Response8324 | NBA

3 | 4 hours ago

reminds me of the discourse of the ‘21 warriors

moby323 | 76ers

6 | 4 hours ago

Hey man it was also the discourse in 2022-2023

AcanthocephalaSad541 | Heat

2 | 4 hours ago

Sounds like every heat year too

captain_ahabb | Lakers

2 | 4 hours ago

2021-2023 Lakers type post

Alexcox95 | Heat

1 | 4 hours ago

Hey now the Lakers were play in regulars for a few years and they were super dangerous! /s

Obi_Wan_Benobi | Spurs

1 | 3 hours ago

Maybe they take shots at the other player’s knees?

gergab1133 | Lakers

40 | 4 hours ago

Even if it’s an 8 spot I hope they get in. We need Giannis in the Playoffs.

OrganicValley_ | Bucks

30 | 4 hours ago

Healthy Giannis* in the playoffs. He’s usually there but he’s tough to recognize covered in all those casts and bandages every year.

hrxbgdchg

34 | 4 hours ago

Last three years have all been about Giannis getting healthy just in time for bucks to make a run in the playoffs. Look how those turned out.

This year’s bucks is significantly worse than last three years. The expectation should be that they are a first round exit until they prove differently.

OrganicValley_ | Bucks

13 | 4 hours ago

He was out with injury for multiple games in two of those three postseasons

dragonwhale

1 | 23 minutes ago

He came back down 1-2 vs Miami. And went on to lose 1-4 vs the 8th seed.

No shame though. Miami werent a real 8th seed.

[deleted]

-5 | 3 hours ago

[deleted]

OrganicValley_ | Bucks

4 | 3 hours ago

Correct. Which is way I’m hoping the Bucks are waiting as long as they can to get him back on the court.

Ok-Grade1476

4 | 3 hours ago

How it turned out is none of those bucks teams ended up healthy for playoffs. Would be shocked if this year is any different though.

Will_122 | Bucks

15 | 4 hours ago

Quality post, the East play-in is gonna be fun this year

vivekvangala34_ | Wizards

2 | 2 hours ago

Finally it won’t be the Heat/Hawks/Bulls/Raptors invitational

skullcandy541

2 | an hour ago

Heat and Hawks still holdin it down lol hopefully Atlanta gets tf out tho for MIL

PunningLynguist

1 | 22 minutes ago

Damn, Raptors get 1 play-in berth and we’re part of leadership for the invitational? Kudos to us

eutectic_h8r | Raptors

1 | 6 minutes ago

I call it the red team midoff

Chiptoon | Baron Davis

8 | 4 hours ago

Doc Rivers is excellent at making underdog teams overachieve. He’s just not good at making true contenders perform up to their potential. He’s the king of “nobody believes in us” teams.

KarJenSt | Lakers

9 | 4 hours ago

Giannis is the best player in the league when healthy. Obviously they are going to have a chance in the east when he is playing

[deleted]

-2 | 3 hours ago

[deleted]

KarJenSt | Lakers

4 | 3 hours ago

Just say you dont know ball

[deleted]

-4 | 3 hours ago

[deleted]

EyeMaximum6344

3 | 3 hours ago

Brother, what? lol

Undevelop

3 | 3 hours ago

What did Giannis do to y’all? So many weird takes about him flood every Bucks-related thread in this sub

KarJenSt | Lakers

2 | 2 hours ago

Its just some 10 year old tiktok kid that might have bet all his parents money on Giannis to leave the Bucks or is just mentally not there yet

KarJenSt | Lakers

2 | 3 hours ago

Thanks for proving that you dont know ball

SirThixcksAlot

-6 | 3 hours ago

Hes not the best player in the league, 2. He was healthy last year and they won one playoff game.

KarJenSt | Lakers

12 | 3 hours ago

Giannis has been the best player in the league for 5 years. He is elite on both ends on the floor unlike the media glazed guy that is arguably the worst defender at his position

Steven81

1 | 20 minutes ago

His lack of availability should be taken more seriously i think.

At first it was a few freak injuries, say his knee going back and forth. But eventualky it is becoming a recurring theme.

His playstyle has upsides (he is a two way player par excellence) but also downsides (he is increasingly unavailable, espec when you need him the most).

Said media glazed guy is indeed more one dimensional, in the sense that his great effect only remains elite on one side of the floor. But it comes with the significant upside of him never missing too much time.

And that matters way more than head to head comparisons imo.

SirThixcksAlot

-8 | 3 hours ago

Just bad take after bad take.

KarJenSt | Lakers

7 | 3 hours ago

Im just telling the truth. Its not my fault that you dont know ball

[deleted]

-5 | 3 hours ago

[deleted]

KarJenSt | Lakers

3 | 3 hours ago

Thanks for proving me again that you dont know ball

[deleted]

-5 | 3 hours ago

[deleted]

KarJenSt | Lakers

3 | 3 hours ago

Maybe you should get off Tiktok and your parents should take your phone away after 8pm. You have some serious issues

[deleted]

-2 | 3 hours ago

[deleted]

fatherpatrick | Spurs

5 | 4 hours ago

All us spurs fans are rooting for them to knock Atlanta out of the play-in hunt! Lets go Bucks!

Unusual-Ask6933 | Hornets

1 | an hour ago

I don’t trust a single person on that roster in the playoffs not named Giannis. Dangerous idk.

And for the Hornets, I only trust the coach and that’s because he’s from the Celtics coaching tree and won a chip with them.

dickleballs

0 | 4 hours ago

Going to bet on them going all the way on Kalshi

InsideDurian9022

0 | 3 hours ago

You watched the Bucks without Giannis? That’s sadomasochism.

moby323 | 76ers

3 | 3 hours ago

I likes the biscuitball

boothillion | Trail Blazers

-1 | 3 hours ago

Teams go on runs all the time. And then they regress to the mean. The Blazers went 10 for 11 at one point last year, only losing to OKC. They didn’t make the play-in.

I’ll start believing in the Bucks if they can go 8 for 10 again this season.

Bigdadyk

-5 | 4 hours ago

That’s the complete opposite of what they want. They want to salvage their pick

elaichSD

12 | 4 hours ago

I don’t think they care about the pick at all. They have their 2026 and 2031 picks available to trade and package. Multiple trade pieces with Kuzma, Portis, Turner, Green, Porter, and Rollins. They have assets to take one more swing at building a roster around Giannis. However, step 1 in keeping him interested in staying isn’t tanking for draft value, it is finding a way into the tournament and competing.

Bigdadyk

-5 | 4 hours ago

The pick in 26 is like only top 10 protected so making the playoffs means they lose it

elaichSD

5 | 4 hours ago

Which would make 2028 pick available to trade. ‘28 might be considered more valuable because a lot of teams think that Giannis might leave in ‘27.

Neuroxex | Bucks

4 | 4 hours ago

The Bucks have the least favourable pick between their own and the Pelicans this season, the Hawks have the most favourable between those two, there are no protections.

FlipMoBitch | Bucks

3 | 3 hours ago

It’s not protected at all. Bucks get the worst of NOLA/MIL picks so they’re very likely to keep it no matter where they end up.

FlipMoBitch | Bucks

3 | 4 hours ago

They have the 10th best odds and there’s really no way for them to get lower. Everyone above them wants to win and everyone beneath them is going to try and lose out. Tanking doesn’t do much

HibachiTyme | Knicks

-5 | 4 hours ago

They suck

gigglios

-8 | 4 hours ago

Better without giannis. He will return and kpj and rollins will suck. Giannis just doesnt fit with most players and negatively impacts em

Chubbadog | Pacers

-11 | 4 hours ago

It’s astounding to me that Giannis hasn’t faced any repercussions from the league for his business endeavors.

Unserious league.

A320neo | Celtics

20 | 4 hours ago

The real problem is Aaron Nesmith not playing through injury. Disgrace to the sport and our country as a whole tbh

Chubbadog | Pacers

5 | 4 hours ago

Haliburton should be out there playing on crutches.

RedtheGamer100 | Hornets

16 | 4 hours ago

Cba literally allows gambling investments 😭

PrimeTimeInc | Hornets

16 | 4 hours ago

He has done absolutely nothing against the rules. The league even came out and told you such.

milton1126 | Bucks

8 | 4 hours ago

It disappoints me when a seemingly moral athlete like Giannis doesn’t hold themselves to higher standards but I don’t follow the logic that Giannis ought to be punished.

Shamed, criticized, and taken less seriously? Absolutely. Punished? Nah.

You want punishment for gambling endorsement? Vote with your feet and stop watching the league that co-signs it.

Undevelop

3 | 4 hours ago

What does this have to do with the post? And why in the hell would he face repercussions lmao

The Milwaukee Bucks have won 8 of their last 10 games and could still be a dangerous play-in team when Giannis comes back.