Is Damian Lillard MORE Important than Giannis to the Buck’s Success?

Is Damian Lillard MORE Important than Giannis to the Buck’s Success?

B l was a nice little sgy there I know did you see what happened uh the bucks with Jame Lillard leading the way 14129 they didn’t even have Giannis in this one but he did have 31 points a career high tying 16 assists that’s his first

Big game like this uh since joining the Bucs and in Bucks history uh Bobby Portis 31- 10 they hit 24 of 41 threes and Kevin Durant weird night uh 11 points nine rebounds but let’s concentrate on Dame Lillard for a second here 30 points and 15 assists that was

His first game of of those numbers at least since joining Milwaukee how do we make that happen more often I think it comes with time you know even Dame said you know he came into the Milwaukee situation not trying to step on toes and kind of trying to find his rhythm and

And place with with that group he just he has to be the lead guy you know I think out of him Middleton and Giannis he’s going to be the guy that you put the ball in that can absolutely go get you a bucket and can score so with that

Being said why not play through Dame why not give him the basketball and allow him to be himself and everybody else figures it out jannis to me has always been the type of player where he can put his head down in in an open floor nobody

Can stop him but now that they’ started playing that two-man game together where he’s a picker he’s a roller he’s giving them different looks that makes them dangerous and now Middleton back for his first game in the half 22 we talked about all his chemistry that’s not a

Chris Middleton problem Chris has come in and that first game back it looks seamless to me yeah and and Giannis is their I think Giannis is their best player right but that doesn’t mean you have to play through him I think they play through Damen L Lillard and that

Opens up the entire floor for Giannis to even be better offensively because when you surround him who like lose set with his head down he attacks he gets out in transition that opens up the floor so much and allows these other because you have to help when guarding yianis no

One’s going to guard him one-on-one especially in Trans in transition so when you have a team like this who had 18 threes in the first half last night they should only get better with Giannis but I think they have to play through Damen Lillard continue to let him do

What he does and that’s going to open up the floor make giannis’s game even easier um Lou talked about Chris Middleton with the 22 points look he missed 16 games and then just jumped back out there like nothing it happen and that’s not easy that it can’t be

Easy but title chances where is he in in the important well he’s the key he was huge in their title run before and he’s huge now and obviously they add Damen lar and I think Chris Middleton and Bobby poris are so important to this team every time someone’s gone out Bobby

Poris has stepped up and had a great game Chris Middleton he’s been in and out he’s been on a minute restriction he this this this game last night this is is the first time I’ve seen him almost just healthy and fresh and getting to his spots and looking like he did a

Couple years ago so it’s a great luxury to have because this is another guy this he was their closer when they won that Championship the ball was in his hands he was the one to go get a bucket um and now so you see him kind of get back to

His old ways doing things like this hitting step backs posting up smaller guys it’s just another Dynamic that they have when they when they have Giannis going downhill they have Dame stretching the floor defense now you have this guy who can kind of do a little bit of

Everything it it’s huge I I was looking down and that this topic just took me to a dark place boy who whoa whoa game seven I was on Atlanta Hawks and we had an opportunity to beat the Bucks and Giannis was out uh oh and Chris midleton

Put that team on his M it had a 20po fourth quarter and sent us to Cabo and and I’m thinking how important how important is this guy like he literally said Giannis no problem I can go beat these guys by myself and we had a joke

It was like he turning to Kobe Bryant out of the blue like he just he he woke up Chris Middleton and went to sleep kobby Bryant and and that’s what he did that and that’s the look that he’s going to give this group you know if Dame

Doesn’t have it if Yannis doesn’t have it you have a guy that can go out and get 30 or go get 20 points fresh out of bed and hadn’t played in 16 games that’s what Chris Middleton is going to give to Milwaukee Buck I still like Boston but

If there’s going to be a team that’s going to challenge him for that title coming out of the East it’s going to be the Milwaukee bcks and Chris Milton’s going to be important for it’s true we’ve talked all year long Boston Boston Boston it’s not going to be an easy

Series against the Milwaukee Bucks this team is complete this team can shoot this team is defending better which you got to give credit to Doc Rivers uh but this team is deep they have a lot of Shooters Malik Beasley they have a lot of ways they can hurt you but with with

Chris Middleton playing the way he did last night if he can have those efficient nights and go get Buckets it’s it’s going to be a dog fight when they play Boston he’s the he’s the X Factor and I will say we got to give Doc Rivers Credit I think Chandler spoke about it

Before the ball being in Damen Lillard’s hands that was Doc Rivers saying it and making sure that they preached it and they practiced it I think Adrien Griffin just for whatever reason could not get that across to the team could not get that across to the Jan into DMO and

Damen Lillard as far as the yes Giannis DMO I think everyone can say he’s one of the best players in the league probably the best player on this team of course but Damen Lillard when the ball’s in his hands when he can be the closer when he

Can be the lead ball handler that’s where this team thrives and is successful all right so with the Giannis thing and the hamstring is that a big deal my sense is listen he’s been the fact that he was at least able to warm up or or try to play you know you just

Want to make sure especially this late in the season that he’s 100% especially with a hamstring yep um so I expect he’s going to continue to test it out every single and the hamstring is something that you don’t want to mess with because it can linger and it can get worse but

Doc said last night this isn’t an injury they’re just taking his time well we saw was it uh last week or the week before like he warmed up that’s true he had the issue and he made a weird movement and and then they just sat him and then he played the next game

So this late in the season with a player that good with the stakes this high as far as like Chandler said like it’s really like let’s be let’s let’s call it like it’s Milwaukee and Boston right now like how dare you can New York I’m not calling it Cleveland Cleveland have

Something to say about it but can a team do an upset but I think going in you have to look at them to as the favorite they can’t how dare you in the month of March say an upset can’t occur they and by the way with the production that

They’re getting from Chris Middleton and Bobby poris this is just giving them even more confidence to not rush Giannis back because they know they can still win games against teams like I’m not saying can’t happen saying they’re the favores somebody’s going to upset somebody but in March with that said in

March teams start to separate themselves you’re starting to see who’s dead serious about trying to win a title and who’s trying to stay above water borrowing a bad bad injury from one of these guys it is going to be Milwaukee Boston and the Eastern Conference Finals

So is or they might meet up in the could they meet up in the no they can’t hold on so are you um offering a bet where we get to take the field in this thing I would like to take that yes I’ll take those to anybody else okay thank you

What what whatever you want whatever you want how about you pay me 10 grand I pay you 100 bucks I like it all right are bad bad eyes wait hold on how did that math work out I don’t know somehow I still want to take

It there you go if you feel confident um friend of the show Isaiah Thomas this was a fun tweet shs I got very happy when I saw this one so he’s got a gig Isaiah Thomas 10day contract with the Phoenix Suns 183 we know the numbers now

Nice a nice is that the number $183,000 he will make on this 10day contract the plan is for him to sign Tuesday at Wednesday uh it’s a 10-day contract but that roster spot is going to be his barring anything happening I mean he averaged 33 points and 45%

3point shooting in the G League all four games he had 30 points or more you think about shooting playoff experience he’s been a part of title chases in Boston the veteran leadership even if he doesn’t play I think that’s a guy you can look at in the locker room as well I

Got a a great text statement from Danny a over the weekend obviously their relationship when Isaiah Thomas got traded from Boston we know there was there’s a little bit of a grudge held there there’s a little bit of Colston in that relationship then Danny a brings Isaiah Thomas back to the Utah Jazz

Organization he plays with the Salt Lake City Stars at lead to this uh call up now Danny a told me he’s special as driven as anyone I know made a difference to everyone he was around in 10 short days in the G League I couldn’t be happier for him good pickup by the

Suns so lot of things accomplished for isah Thomas that relationship with Danny a being patched up he’s one of them deserving yeah and anybody that knows it knows he’s the greatest guy he’s not going to come in there he’s going to be zero distraction and and last week we

Could just see he’s not giving up he’s going to continue to try and not to do my own Homer show but I did call Phoenix Sons because that’s makes sense they have no point guard this kid is and by the way forget him being a great guy

Because he is he was killing what did you say his numbers were 34 on 44% game right 30 33 points a game yeah like the guy he deserves it he went he did his stin and now he and I hope he gets an opportunity here in this 10day stretch

Because the Phoenix Suns by the way need a point guard to set up that offense and it can be a guy that’s more deserving of the opportunity you know when you talk about veterans and and how hard it is to get back in the league get back on a

Team for three years it has been consistently talking tweeting manifesting his way back in into the NBA so the Charlotte stin was a great one for him now he has an opportunity with Phoenix to compete for a championship if they can get it together I don’t know if

They needed another scoring punch but if you’re going to add a scoring punch Isaiah Thomas is one of the guys to go and get I’m extremely happy for my friend um I shot him a text when when he got picked up this is great for him great for his family great for his

Career this was a good one um but the Suns thing is weird CU you know you heard the KD numbers this is a loss to a buck team with no Giannis at this point in the season March uh how concerning is that you know the game that game isn’t

Well that game isn’t concerning to me because they lost to a better team you know yeah but no Giannis like how yeah but I listen a Dame Lillard and a Chris Middleton have beat a lot of teams by themselves Bobby Porter playing but listen that that team that team is

They’re turning into a well oil machine that team without Giannis can beat a lot of teams so it’s not really concerning to me like I said them not really limping into the postseason but we just hadn’t seen it’s it’s Flash without the fire right now and at any moment they

Can turn into the one of the worst nightmares in the Western Conference I just hadn’t felt it I hadn’t seen it and you know I’m a Groove guy I’m A vibe guy and I hadn’t felt I hadn’t felt the vibe so I don’t really I don’t really take

That game to be too much but you know they got to figure it out very soon the concerning thing to me is how in the hell does Kevin Durant play 41 minutes and take 10 shots like that that’s unacceptable and he’s got to know that he’s got to be more aggressive I don’t

Care if they’re bad shots you’re Kevin Durant you have to be aggressive you have to set the tone and you’re the best player on this team you’ve been the best player everywhere you went whether it was the Warriors the Thunder the Nets everywhere you went you’ve been the guy

So don’t ever play 41 minutes again and take 10 shots that’s ridiculous that was an odd KD night um

On today’s episode of ‘Run It Back’ on FanDuel TV LIVE co-hosts Michelle Beadle, Shams Charania, Lou Williams, and Chandler Parsons talk about the Bucks and the duo of Giannis and Dame finally coming together.

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/n7eADC9ylso

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