Bucks manager, Jon Hurst in Game 3: “This wasn’t a good basketball game, and I think management played a role”

distance dollars103-101 victory in the third game, The Celtics were unhappy with the game officials.

They thought Bucks was a keeper Jrue holiday commit Celtics Protect Marcus Smart In a 3-point attempt with 4.6 seconds remaining, Smart deserved three free throws. Smart coach and coach Emi Odoka passionately argued for their position on the court, but the officials disagreed, instead awarding him only two. In the end, Smart executed the Celtics’ game plan perfectly to score the first and miss the second to give the Celtics a chance to equalize, but their efforts were unsuccessful and the Bucks concluded with a win. After the match, the Celtics continued to defend their case.

“He picked up the ball, he was turning around to his shot, both feet. You can’t say this was a sweep. Odoka said.”Bad call, no poor call. I saw him in person, but I also saw him in the movie. It’s a snapshot. After he started to shoot, he was fouled on his way up. Bad missed call. “

On Sunday, it released its own league The last official 2-minute report on Game 3 He listed the foul as a confirmed correct call, adding, “Holiday (MIL) makes a foul by calling the Smart (BOS) arms before it brings the ball up toward the basket. A personal foul is called a foul.”

Although the final sequence caught attention, it didn’t appear that Boston’s only problem was with the management of Game 3. While in the post-match media, Odoka noted the highly physical nature of Saturday’s game and his belief that he should be the one to complain to those in charge. Not his players.

“If they’re going to call it that way, constantly on both ends, we have to play through it and not talk about calls and come back,” Odoka said.

Game fitness was always a topic in the Bucks media room after Game 3 too, but Mike Budenholzer wasn’t the Bucks coach. Nor did Giannis Antikonmo decide to push the issue of appointment When the opportunity presents itself to reporters. However, Holiday chose a different tactic when asked about Antetokounmpo’s ability to efficiently score 42 points while playing consistently through contact.

“That’s what he does, to be perfectly honest,” Holiday said. “We only had half of their free throws, but it was a nice physical game. I don’t know. Two fierce teams, two teams that love to sit back and play defense. I imagine it will be like that for the rest of the series.”

And apparently, Holliday wasn’t alone in this feeling.

The Bucks, as an organization, weren’t pleased with many things related to management tasks in Game 3, including the variance in free throw attempts – 34 for Boston, 17 for Milwaukee – and the Celtics’ 17 free throw attempts in the final 16:33 of the game (11 times in the quarter fourth), while the Bucks did not attempt a single free throw during the same time period.

“I mean this honestly: I respect that, at the end of the day, it’s hard work, right? I couldn’t do their job,” Bucks general manager John Hurst said Sunday evening in an exclusive interview with You Can’t Do Their Work. the athlete. “Management is tough, just like playing is hard and training is hard, and I think we all have a level to try to get better and improve. At the end of the day, that’s what caught my eye. We have to improve. That wasn’t a good basketball game, and I think management played a role in that.”

While Holiday and Antetokounmpo hinted at the team’s feeling about the referee throughout the match and right after the match, the organization’s opinion became coherent once I was able to review the stats and also check the game tape for what was one of the most physical matches. Games in recent memory.

“When you start looking at the numbers, it’s very outrageous,” Horst said. “And I think our players and the Boston players deserve just to tackle it and look at it and get some improvement.”

“I understand how difficult the task is and the things that happen, but you just want a fair game at the end of the day. I think the stats really speak for themselves.”

Speaking with the athleteHorst shared some points that made the team’s point of view.

List of stats shared with the athlete, started with the general free-throw variance for both teams but included more detail in the fourth-quarter free-throw variance. For example, using tracking data, the Bucks claimed that the Celtics attempted 11 free throws on 14 drives in the last quarter, while the Bucks’ 10 drives yielded zero free throws.

The Bucks ranking also included a series of stats for individual players:

• In the first three quarters, Antetokounmpo took 12 shots in the paint and attempted 12 free throws. In the fourth quarter, Antetokounmpo took eight shots in the paint but did not attempt a free throw.
• Holiday became the first player since 1993 to take 30 shots in a playoff and not attempt a single free throw. Holiday took 14 of his 30 shots in paint.
• Both are Derek White (eight) and Jaylyn Brown (11) Recorded a single-game playoff high on free throw attempts. White took six shots in total, and only two of those shots came in paint.

“Jrue Holiday, 30 field shot attempt, it’s not like this guy just jumped in,” Horst said. “He’s a great, physical, strong goalkeeper, and by the way, he’s also the elite guy who hits the streak. I mean, he’s at the top, whatever, the 80th percentile, the 90th percentile in free throw attempts this season, probably somewhere around that all his life. professional.

“For taking 30 shots – which is great, I applaud Jrue for doing everything he could to help our team win yesterday, and he felt he needed to be assertive and so aggressive – but not having any free throw attempts, that still stands out.”

While the overall numbers drew most of the dollar’s ire, they also ruled out one specific play that officials didn’t justify in the second quarter.

With the shot clock approaching possession, Grayson Allen Try shooting a 3-step over Robert Williams, but is blocked in the back area. While Allen races to chase after him, he and Jason Tatum Tangled in a fight for the loose ball, Allen grabbed Tatum’s right hand. The call sent Tatum to Earth, but the play continued. Allen passed the ball to Holiday, who attempted the Contest 3 on the right wing as Allen smashed the attacking glass.

When the feast shot passed through the net, Grant Williams He crossed the corridor and threw his shoulder at Allen, knocking him to the ground.

“These are tough games to manage. Playoff basketball is tough. All basketball is tough,” Hurst said. “And I think, in general, the physical strength of the game and how each team plays has been beneficial to both teams. I think people would love to watch that. And it’s a fun basketball brand.

“But I would just say, I know they’re self-meditating because they’re good at their jobs, but Grant Williams playing on Grayson, it’s gratuitous. Everyone who watched that play knows it was dangerous. Grayson was in pain last night. It hurt again. This morning. I think he’ll play in Game Four, but it was a dangerous play. It was a game that wasn’t basketball. And that’s gratuitous.”

Allen’s physical examination by Grande Williams went gratuitous and largely undiscussed after the match, but the play was interrupted with Horst a day later and exemplified the kind of play that Bucks believed crosses the physical playoff line. With two teams focused on strong defense, physical play will continue, but only time will tell if those in charge will allow defenses to be completely physical going forward, especially now that both teams have raised concerns about it.

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(Photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images)