20 years?

Maybe my average up next career.

Too strong to be contained.

He honestly data Cooper playing with each other.

Come on, let's go.

And here come the Bucks Holiday.

Got it, Thio.

Life after Oladipo for the Pacers.

People not talking about him.

But there's gonna be an exciting team.

And watching the East Malcolm Brogdon and Amada Sabonis Just having an unbelievable all star type year wrapping, Lighting it up.

Sabonis score.

We have a lot of weapons.

Were a really good team.

Obviously wanna be at the end, the last team standing.

You gotta work for it.

You got hurt to get it.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah, This is the whole Bob.

We got bucks versus the Pacers at 7 p.m. On ESPN and we brought our good cysts rods going on.

Would A to talk about this matchup.

Let's start on the Bucks side.

Obviously, they're usually in a class of their own when it comes to the Eastern Conference.

Right now, we got the Brooklyn Nets doing their thing.

The 70 Sixers doing their thing, the Celtics somewhere in the mix.

Where do you feel like the bucks stack up?

Christine the Bucks have their hands full because the Eastern Conference on a whole has improved due to an influx of talent and also the growth of young players returning to the conference.

You know that Nets Clippers game We were all watching last night.

We knew the Nets could score the ball, but they showed that when they're locked in, they could defend at a high level and they deed up against a very elite in the groove, contending, um, Clippers team in a playoff type atmosphere.

They showed up and held on to win the Game 70.

Sixers got A M V P Candidate and Joel Embiid, but I'm or important.

I'm mostly impressed with that, But I'm also Ah, further impressed with Tobias Harris is improvement and comfort Ben Simmons looking comfortable in his own skin, regardless of what others se has to dio.

And then you have one of like the most young and dynamic duos in the league and Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum glowing up before our eyes.

I think it's gonna be a dogfight coming out of the East, and I'm here for it.

In order for Milwaukee to come out of the East a lot of that burden rests on the God like shoulders of Yonas instead of Cooper.

Now those shoulders haven't been working too well at the free throw line.

Unfortunately, shooting the current career worst 59%.

How does that end up affecting Milwaukee down the stretch?

Yeah.

I mean, if you look at it first of all from just a macro level trend wise for Yannis.

I mean, this has been happening over the course of five seasons.

Now, every year in the last five years, he's been decreasing his percentage from the free throw line.

That's a terrible trend.

Then you look on a smaller level into this season, and you've got Yanis Antetokounmpo, who takes a lot of free throws.

So it's worrisome that he's not connecting.

He's number three in the league for free throw attempts.

He's getting there about 10 times a game, and you must make teams pay.

Or else they won't defend you honestly.

And you risk becoming a liability on the court in times where they could use them.

And then, of course, in the playoffs, you know, this is when this is when the Bucks have struggled and playoffs often come down to single possessions, execution free throws.

And you want Yanis at this point to be finding a rhythm and some confidence around the free throw line versus in the playoffs when the pressure starts to beat down on you, It's not gonna get any easier when he's hanging around in the paint, and that's because Indiana fans watching.

Right now, I'd be like, All right, get on with it.

Talk about the Pacers.

We're about to right now.

Ross.

Every team has their variation of the Big Three.

Obviously, in Indiana it's a bonus Brogden and Myles Turner, but not for anything he's doing offensively.

This Joker is leading the league in blocks per game, and he's doing it all with a fractured freaking right hand.

He's like the defensive player of the year in a runaway.

So far correct.

I think he absolutely needs to be at at the top of list.

Definitely 100% of the candidate on disses someone in Myles Turner who wants all the d p o y smoke.

You know, this is someone who actually said I've led the league in blocks and still didn't make it all defensive team.

Um This has happened to him two years ago where he led the league in blocks.

And you know how Michael Jordan was like in the mean.

Um, and I took that.

Personally, I think that happened for Miles, you know, like this offseason, Um he worked on strengthening his hips, his lower body, his glutes, his core reason why, to increase his stability and strength, his explosiveness and his ability to fend out of the pick and roll not only against Bigs, but also against perimeter players.

He watched video of of Kevin Garnett, Chris Bosch on the defensive end for that type of inspiration.

He should absolutely be a defensive player of the year candidate, and he wants to be a catalyst for this team.

And he wants the recognition.

S o g money mentioned it.

There's a makings of a Big three in Indiana with the Pacers, but, I mean, there's still in a very competitive east now.

How far do you think they could go?

I think this Pacers team, we're going to know a lot more about them in the second half of the season.

Christine, don't forget that this is a team with the new head coach Napier Corcoran that comes with learning a new system, a new language, kind of jelling and messing.

They lost T.

J.

Warren to injury.

This is someone who was breaking out on the bubble.

You traded Victor Oladipo.

You are hoping to get Caris Levert back, but obviously, you know he's out indefinitely still recovering from the kidney surgery.

So that's a lot that's valid, but in the middle, you know.

In the midst of that, though, you know Malcolm Malcolm Brogden has increased his scoring without decreasing his assist making.

So that's key he's creating for himself and others.

Sabonis.

That's part of that Big Three having another All Star caliber season.

Myles Turner.

I mentioned his defense, but he also looks more comfortable on offense.

And I'll give you an X factor, I think, with the kind of gap on the perimeter from scoring that we mentioned earlier.

I think this is a chance, maybe for Jeremy Lamb coming off of that knee, perhaps to be an X factor here, but we'll know a lot more about the Pacers in the second half of the season.

They have a lot of potential, so that's an X factor in the season.

What's the X factor tonight?

Who do you have?

Bucks or Pacers?

Well, I got the bucks, but I do think my eyes are gonna be inside.

First of all, all the talk about Myles Turner.

Can he be a defensive player of the year?

And he wants, He said, I want that award.

Well, you're going up against the reigning defensive player of the year.

And Yannis, Not to mention Sabonis is doing work inside as well.

I'll be looking in the paint this game to see what's happening.

We'll see what happens, and we will see you next time on hoop strain.

Thanks for joining us.

Prize.

All right, thanks, guys, for having me.

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