NBA TODAY | “Milwaukee is not a championship team” – Brian Windhorst rips Bucks loss to Wizards

NBA TODAY | “Milwaukee is not a championship team” – Brian Windhorst rips Bucks loss to Wizards

May have a Fighting Chance because this should be a gimme the Milwaukee Bucks visiting the Washington Wizards they didn’t have Kyle kozma but these guys had y us attend to Kumo yeah I mean if you look at his stats You’ be like oh sure the buck should win now mind you no

Dame Lillard that is a factor but this is inexcusable defense right here everyone watching not playing not competing giving up the easiest shot in basketball Cory kissper 27.7 rebounds the Wizards with lead 9186 through three quarters fourth quarter here the Wizards up Denny AA pushes the ball up the court

Hit just an acrobatic layup through contact and one 23 points eight rebounds five assists the Wizards up by 12 after the made free throw this is later in the fourth Giannis doing what he does the spin move in the post the contested layup and one Bucks once again attacking

Giannis trying to do it by himself somehow gets that one to go as well and then under 20 seconds to go here Malik Beasley misses the three Here Comes Giannis Second Chance points the Bucks only down two but what were you saying about defense Chan transition defense

Was horrible you’ll hear from Doc Rivers on how he thinks that was but like this is a maage shot what they miss and then they didn’t get back here’s Doc Rivers I’ve made a lot of notes I will say that I won’t share that um but we don’t bring the

Necessary um professionalism seriousness on the road um and and that’s something that we can fix um that’s something we’re going to have to fix all right so Doc is essentially questioning Milwaukee’s professionalism there perk what are you questioning why why is he questioning their professionalism and why is it

Isn’t there like we’re talk when we look at the contending teams we’re not having this conversation about the Denver Nuggets we’re not having this conversation about the Boston Celtics especially at this point of the season so why are you not mentally there to go on the road and be arguably the worst

Team in the NBA on the in a must win situation and I can understand if this was in December or November but we’re talking about March heading into April when you’re in the locker room and everything on your mind should be about you and the Milwaukee Bucks and how can

You get better and the only way that they can get better is having that mentality right and getting back in transition defense that comes down to having your mind in the right place that comes down to uh talking on defense that just comes into effort and for a veteran

Ball club like this is very alarming at this point of the Season that we got to be talking about effort well doc pretty much called the team an unserious team which is concerning Logan Roy well done I’m going to tell you that they should get serious because did you see that

Number about 41% for the 76ers to be the seven seed with Joel embiid I agree with Zach I thought embiid looked really good last night for a guy two months off of knee surgery with more time to go before he get ready for the playoffs I think

Philly just showed some fangs last night even though they weren’t ready to go and you watch the Bucks being called an unserious team they the last thing the Bucks want is a monum of stress in that first round after what happened last year and they better be watching very

Carefully because if it ain’t the Bucks it might be the Heat and we know there’s scar issue there too Brian gets a tan and starts saying fangs okay Mr whorse but but Zach I hate that I’m even asking this question are the bucks at risk of yet another first round

Exit we’ve been waiting all year two weeks that’s all I wanted from the Bucks two straight weeks so like six games six straight games of dominant Peak Milwaukee Bucks performances we’re not going to get it it’s too late now so they’re going to go into the playoffs on

This roller coaster like oh they look good this night oh there that yeah Dan was out cool you’re playing the Wizards like just win the game and this is the second time you talked about unserious people this second Doc Rivers got this job yesterday in the scheme of things

This is the second time he’s publicly lit into his team the first time he said half of us were in Cancun before the All-Star break when they lost in Memphis to another team look I still think this team has a really high ceiling their record is really good I think they’re

The second best team in the East unless the Knicks get healthy and everyone else gets healthy but they are absolutely at risk of losing in the first round to either the Sixers or the heat like that those are going to be I I pick the bucks right now on both those series but

They’re not toss-ups they’re going to be long hardfought series unless Milwaukee really shapes up I’m not worried about that um I I think they’re they’re going to get past the first round and the second round you know why because the bright spot and all of this is moneymaking militon we talk about how

Healthy Joel embiid look Chris militon since he’s came back from injury he looks extremely healthy and we know when Damen Lillard gets back into that lineup we know what’s going to happen with with Chris Middleton that’s that third option he will be out tonight as he continues

To deal uh Damen Lillard with that groin injury no I mean I but he’s not going to be out inde definitely right so he’s going to be back but again we all were when Chris midon was out we kept saying I didn’t heard you know all of us say

The Bucks are going to go as far as how good is Chris milon going to look like is Chris milon going to look like the old Chris militon and to be honest he has looked like the old Chris militon but it doesn’t matter who you are if you’re not addressing what doc River

Said is professionalism and you just outlined it professionalism when you hear that that is transition defense that is communic a like there’s no excuse at the profession the hardest thing to coach is defense you have Superstars getting them to buy in on defense is what differentiates a good

Team from a championship team and that’s been their biggest issue that’s why they brought him in now when it comes to this professionalism transition defense you you have to communicate like these are non-negotiables for great teams that’s why perk I say I don’t feel so good

About them in the first two rounds the only thing that makes me feel good is that at certain times they will have two of the better players on the floor but what we have seen from Dame is you know it’s been an up and down season for him

And especially being out at this point exactly it’s been it’s been hard because you know him he needs that Rhythm to go in but we all know they count on him in the postseason they count on Yannis in the regular season it just has not been

On the same timelines for me to feel good about what they’ve done when they can’t do the basics do they do they need to get better consistently like for as being more consistent yes but let’s not act like the Milwaukee Bucks haven’t had signature wins since being under Doc

Rivers the defending champs the Minnesota timber wolves like have a nice list of teams that they they beaten and shown that they have a level that they could rise to and we’re not talking about a young group in this locker room we’re talking about a veteran group and

The core of that group actually won a championship without the the exception with the exception of Drew holiday so that’s a big exception yeah but I mean you replaced them with d but what I’m saying with Bobby poris Brook Lopez Chris milleron and Giannis I mean once

You completed the Miss Mission I I’m a strong believer that it is an on and off switch I just think when you look at the four Conference Finals teams from last year and Miami’s in their own category with their own theme song hit it they’re coming and there were three

The the teams the Lakers were hitting their stride at this time of year you knew exactly who the Boston Celtics were you really didn’t have questions about the Denver Nuggets now is not the time of year when you still want to have this many unanswered questions and as Brian

Said I love y’all but you’re not serious people so presented by Navy Federal Credit Union we have a couple of NBA senior writers in the house Zack low Bri wior first Brian’s tan two of Texas’s finest are here Kendrick Perkins and back from Sensational NCAA tournament coverage the one the

Only auma I’m Andrews we’re so happy to have you back in the I miss you but I still have to do some business this weekend we’re going to see but I can’t wait to come back and hang again all over the coverage you’re back you’re not

The only one who is back though after a long awaited 8 weeks after undergoing surgery Joelle embiid returned to the floor for the 76ers remember nobody healed no campaign in this one so we haven’t seen the full compliment no Tyrese Maxi it didn’t matter Zack low

Here comes the MVP he loves that shot from the left block over two guys and that that’s right in I mean that shot you close your eyes you’ve seen that a 100 times and then later here in the second Joel embiid once again this is what you wanted to see the aggression

From the big man perk absolutely the Deep seals and the paint the post ups and right here the midi mid the midi he let all scores with 12 at the half CH going ahead to the fourth quarter here in beid he checked back in with 415 left down by five at

This point 3:30 to play or rather yep 330 to play here Sixers down two and B just in the pick and roll again another midi look he brings out the best of his game when it matters the most even when he has no legs I love it he’s always a

Defensive presence he’s always a beast on the boards but right here this is unguardable he’s too big too strong and one sign oh not almost clearly exhausted but he would hit uh both free throws there and then this is what you really wanted to Y yo that’s a yoink just got J

Skiny picked his cookies and there he goes picked his cookies I mixed my metaphors cookies cookies and we heard Anthony Edward say that on the micro this your cookies the steal the final seconds here though OKC still has a chance they got a bunch of good looks

Great look couldn’t quite get it to go and bead hey 24 points six rebounds seven assists in his return a hug for AI here he is after the game welcome back 30 minutes of action and a win how do you feel not good but I’m glad we got through it and we got

The win you know I just want to come back I think we got a chance uh even you know the level that I’m at and I’m only going to get better but you know this one was probably the hardest by far you know especially mentally I mean I think

Like minutes wise that was probably where I thought we would we would end up normally I would say oh you know couple weeks week and a half whatever but you know it wouldn’t surprise me hearing about one more game or two that he’s ready to

Roll so it was a good return for the Sixers about as good as they could have hoped for for Joel embiid and with the game in the balance he re-entered the game with 415 remaining the 76ers they Trail by six at that point and beid he led the comeback with eight points

Outscoring the Thunder by himself down the stretch so Zack we’ve waited eight weeks to see what Joel embiid would be what were your first impressions here I wanted to see the burst I wanted to see the closing speed on defense and the aggression and we got a couple holy

Bleep moments late in the game of just that maybe like a more relief holy bleep but still this is like this is Joel embiid this is Joel embiid I want to see he’s at the lane he’s waiting he’s ready to pounce look at him he’s ready he’s

Got he’s like a sprinter in the starting block ready to go lud Dort no now there was a charge anyway but he was going to swat that shot into the crowd and then later in the game same thing he’s way up here he’s at the three-point Arc he’s on

He’s back here he comes L dor no shot that’s speed that’s power this is when he’s at his best there just aren’t guys this size who can close like that on defense and he showed looks pretty healthy right there looked a little sluggish on offense but that looked

Pretty damn like Joel embiid he was at his best in closing time but prior to that if you saw Joel embiid he’d be like he would like this my man was tired but the fact that he gives you 24 points when tired and also more importantly the things that translate even though he’s

Just coming back from a long break free throws those closing free throws matter he leads the league in made free in free throw attempts and then also just defensive presence those change the games uh for and beat overall and we still haven’t seen the full complement

Of the 76ers the new look 76ers the additions they made at the trade deadline plus Tyrese Maxi who wasn’t playing last Night Ohe I hide you see First Blood an ally has been defeated an enemy has defeated Everyone needs Alice Where’s the candy At an enemy has been [Applause] defeated an ally has been defeated all has been [Applause] Defeated trying to run away detective Alice an ally has been defeated SL down an ally has been Defeated I need Alice an enemy has been defeated enemy ultimate my last breath where’s the candy At you deated enemy double Kill your tower has been destroyed an enemy has been defeated fore For base is under attack everyone needs Alice defat foree For For Speech fore speech fore speech Speech Now yeah Foree [Applause] Is Speech spee speech First Blood you have defeated an enemy you have been defeated an enemy double kill was unexpected step just in you have been defeated an ally has been defeated hold

NBA TODAY | “Milwaukee is not a championship team” – Brian Windhorst rips Bucks loss to Wizards