Author: Michael Regan

He’s Giannis. Giannis Antetokounmpo. The son. The brother. Greek Freak. The father. A two-time MVP. The Defensive Player of the Year. Finals MVP. Most recently, Superman. And now, the man with many names can add one more – hero. According to reports from Greece, Giannis has stepped up to provide housing aid to those pushed into need by the wildfires currently hitting the country. Initial reports suggested he provided 87 hotel rooms, and, yesterday, Greek reporter Harris Stavrou tweeted that the number had risen even higher – https://twitter.com/harris_stavrou/status/1424039401202634754 Sometimes we are too flippant with the title of hero, but, often,…

There’s no one easy way to start a championship story that’s been fifty years in the making. But, for the Bucks, the summer of 2013 is as good of a beginning as any. It was then, in a thirty-five day span, that a franchise mired in mediocrity took the first steps on their final ascent to the title that had eluded them for nearly half a century. It just didn’t seem that way at the time. Giannis was drafted on June 27. At the moment, there was nothing particularly memorable about the selection. He was a skinny teenager with zero…

The Bucks answered the call at home, rolling to a blowout Game 3 win behind Giannis’s greatness and a supporting cast rejuvenation before they overcame the Devin Booker game to tie the series up with an equally great effort from Khris Middleton and a quieter but still spectacular showing from Giannis. It wasn’t always pretty, especially Wednesday night. But the Bucks, as they have all postseason, found a way to get it done in the moments that mattered most. Now the moment is bigger than it’s ever been. Three games for a title, starting with a crucial Game 5 in…

Let’s start with the with the business brought about by Friday’s news – Josh Hader was named the June National League Reliever of the Month. Since the award debuted along with Hader back in 2017, it has been handed out twenty-three times. He now has four of those trophies? plaques? online certificates? to his name. Only Edwin Díaz (5) has more, with both Aroldis Chapman and Liam Hendricks owning three. That’s not a bad position to be in. Hader also won the award back in May and June of 2019 after his initial recognition in April of 2018. So what did…

It’s good to be a Brewers fan right now. After a cold stretch spoiled a fantastic start to the season, they’ve responded as well as anyone could have hoped over the last two weeks. Milwaukee is on a 14-2 run sparked by the addition of new shortstop Willy Adames, and the latest win pushed them, at least temporarily, half a game ahead of the Cubs at the top of the NL Central. The pitching continues to be excellent, and the offense is finally starting to hit its stride after a brutal start to the season. Let’s ride. For now, though,…

The Portland Trail Blazers exited the postseason without a series win yet again. This time, they fell short in a 2-4 first round loss to the Denver Nuggets, who were without two likely starters in Jamal Murray and Will Barton. In the immediate aftermath, they fired long-time head coach Terry Stotts. Stotts’s downfall was caused by a lack of consistent postseason success despite the presence of star Damian Lillard. Dame’s incredible offensive ability has created expectations that were not met by four first round exits in five years, and while those expectations might not have been realistic given Portland’s roster…

Giannis free agency rumors and trade talk. Endless taunts and criticisms. And a five game bubble beatdown to back all of it up. The tension that was at the forefront of this series was well-documented and obvious to fans here and across the league. There’s a reason many predicted the 6 seed Heat would hang with the Bucks despite their inferior record, stats, and players. There was a significant mental roadblock in Milwaukee’s way, and not everyone believed they could clear it. We can officially say it now – those people were wrong. The Bucks made as strong of a…

It happened folks. Despite dreadful perimeter shooting and a group of refs that did the Bucks no favors, they hung on to take Game 1. This felt far more important than a single win after what happened last summer, and it was great to see Milwaukee pull this one out despite all of the things that went wrong. They missed thirteen free throws, were outscored by 45 points from beyond the arc, and saw Duncan Robinson make more threes than the entire Bucks team. None of it matters after Khris Middleton’s fadeaway fell at the end of overtime. One down.…

It’s no secret the Brewers have some of the best bullpen arms in the game. Josh Hader is a flame throwing beast who has given up just two runs in fifteen innings while striking out nearly two batters per frame. Devin Williams started to heat up after a slow start, allowing just three runs in his last 11.1 innings, and he boasts one of the best pitches in baseball. JP Feyereisen is the newcomer on the scene, and – before his implosion in the finale against the Braves – he had allowed just eight walks, five hits, and one earned…

With just nine games left in the season, this quick two-game series with the Nets is a prime opportunity – and, really, the last opportunity – to make a run at the 1 seed. The Bucks are 3.5 games behind the Nets and 3 games behind the Sixers, and it’s hard to see them catching either team at this point without a sweep in the Fiserv Forum. Making up less than 2 games with seven to go is certainly a more reasonable goal, even if it will still require a great finish and some help. Now, the obvious question…