Deer Diaries: A Milwaukee Bucks Podcast

It's all over (yet again) for the Milwaukee Bucks. Their 2024-2025 campaign ends in sour fashion once more with a fitting comedy of errors in a 118-119 OT loss to the Indiana Pacers. Jackson and Morgan get together one last time for our final Instant Reaction podcast of this season and these playoffs to discuss where it all went wrong, the early reverberations from the defeat, and where it could lead the franchise moving forwar...

The Milwaukee Bucks now find themselves down 1-3 to the Indiana Pacers after losing Game Four at home, 129-103. But that buries a massive lede: Damian Lillard left the game with a non-contact injury that (as of this moment) looks likely to have been a torn Achilles.

Where does that leave the team in this series? Was there anything from Game Four that can be built upon heading forward? And what is Kyle Kuzma doing out there, anyway?

R...

When the Milwaukee Bucks needed a boost in the worst way possible, who other than Gary Trent Jr. to answer the call? The veteran guard repaid Doc Rivers' confidence with 37 points in his first stint as a starter in a long while, helping Milwaukee defeat the Indiana Pacers, 117-101 to make the series 1-2. Kyle Carr and Van Fayaz got together post-game to talk GTJ's heroism, Giannis Antetokounmpo chugging along, whatever Kyle...

The NBA Playoffs are officially underway for the Milwaukee Bucks, and they've started their journey on something of a sour note. Where does the team go having dropped game one in Indianapolis, 98-117? What worked worst, what worked best, and what can Doc Rivers & Co. do to try and course correct this coming Tuesday in Game Two? Brew Hoop's Van Fayaz & Morgan Ross discuss that and more in this instant reaction podcas...

We've made it two for two now as Tom Lewis of Indy Cornrows (our former sister site at SB Nation covering the Indiana Pacers) joins the podcast yet again to preview Bucks-Pacers. In an exercise largely meant to catch Bucks fans up on where the Pacers stand heading into the playoffs, Kyle and Riley ask the tough questions, including:

• What are the strengths of this Pacers team versus last year's edition?
• Has Tyrese Haliburt...

The Milwaukee Bucks 2024-2025 regular season is at a close, so it is the perfect time to sit back and reflect on what we just witnessed. Kyle, Van, and Riley gathered to chat about the team's strong finish to the season and how it sets them up for a first-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers. Everything flows through Giannis Antetokounmpo, but can the team find enough "second guys" to prevail? And what direction w...

In a special edition of Deer Diaries (A Milwaukee Bucks Podcast!), we're thrilled to host the second-annual Golden Hoof Awards. With votes cast by the staff of Brew Hoop, we've hashed out everything from bench players waiting to be starters, best wins, worst losses, coaching masterstrokes and mistakes, and more beyond! Hardware is on the line. Who will get a chance to speak at the Golden Hoof's podium? Listen to find ou...

What a difference a week makes. In the short span of seven days, the Bucks have sustained a four game losing streak, lost Damian Lillard indefinitely to a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis, and look set to be in a fight for their lives for the East's fifth seed. With instability plaguing the team on the court, Kyle, Adam, and Riley take a step back and assess where things go from here. Is this simply the reality of a team reaching the...

In the 200th (!!!) edition of Deer Diaries, we were pleased to be joined by Gale Klappa. Gale is the host of the Bucks+ podcast Courtside with Gale Klappa where he interviews Bucks players, coaches, members of the front office, and figures from the wider basketball world on a weekly basis. Klappa is a longtime fixture in Milwaukee, an avid basketball fan, and also a minority owner of the team.

After an intro into his background, we...

Back from his own version of, "One, two, three, Cancún!" Kyle Carr makes his triumphant return to the podcast stage with Jack on this edition of Deer Diaries. And just in time for the Bucks to have a pedestrian week!

They begin by discussing the possible big man rotation headaches Doc Rivers will need to tackle - complicated in the short-term by Jericho Sims' thumb surgery. Then it is on to refereeing challenges Gianni...

Will the Milwaukee Bucks ever be able to break through the next tier of the Eastern Conference contenders? Riley and Jack recorded fresh off the Bucks fourth defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers to take stock of the team's limitations. Can an iso-heavy offense do just enough in the playoffs to get by? Has Taurean Prince proved himself to be a worthy starting two guard stopgap? Is there a shortfall in team smarts, tale...

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror and the stretch run of the NBA season underway, the Milwaukee Bucks look to have found their way. New additions like Kyle Kuzma and Kevin Porter Jr. have had promising moments, and the loss of Bobby Portis to suspension doesn't seem to have caused much of a hitch just yet. Kyle, Adam, and Riley discuss what the Bucks are up to that has them winning often and against reasonable comp...

What had once seemed fantasy is now a reality: Khris Middleton is a Milwaukee Buck no more.

It'd only be appropriate to memorialize his place in franchise history and what he meant as a pillar of the team over a decade-plus career in Milwaukee. Scorer, creator, and even a stout defender and iron man (82 starts in 2017-2018!), Khris has given us plenty of great memories which we enjoyed talking about tonight.

Some chat about the...

The Milwaukee Bucks forever road trip finally came to an end before another loss at home to the Grizzlies; so what did we learn? That Bobby Portis is the most important Buck of all time, perhaps ever. Kyle, Adam, and Riley chat about the 1-3 effort out west and what other flaws, if any, this series of bumps in the road revealed about the team. Plus: rapid fire questions, Kyle reviews 1998's Rush Hour, and we make our weekly predict...

With the NBA trade deadline looming and the Bucks flitting in and out of the rumor mill, Kyle, Adam, and Riley re-united for the first time in a long time to break it all down. Why is it nigh impossible for the Bucks to find a simple trade partner? Is it realistic to think Khris Middleton could be moved in a deal? And what level of swap would need to happen for our hosts to drop an "emergency podcast"? They answer all tha...

On this edition of Deer Diaries, Kyle and Adam review a Bucks week featuring some impressive wins leavened by a very lopsided loss to one of the top teams in the East. They wonder if the offense is even making other teams adjust and the state of Giannis and Dame's chemistry Milwaukee's defense is under the microscope again after the Knicks loss, and they wonder what will happen with Khris Middleton’s bench shift? Things are wrapped...

It wouldn't be the Milwaukee Bucks if they didn't keep it interesting, right? As they fight the flu and a 1-2 week, Kyle, Jack, and Riley get together to chat about the nature of the losses. Are we seeing Milwaukee's depth stretched to its absolute limits? Is it a question of talent or execution, or both? And where exactly do the Bucks and their stars rank when it comes to "clutch time"?

All that plus rapid fire, the Sonic the Hedg...