On Thunder-Bucks
What a great trade for the Bucks is what I thought when New Jersey severed ties with Richard Jefferson in favor of the man they call Yi.
From then on I have proclaimed to any and all how much better the Bucks are. But somewhere, I lost confidence in the Bucks. Perhaps when they traded Mo essentially for Luuuuuu-ke.
But even though the Bucks were pounded in their opener at Chicago, 108-95, the lineup they trotted out of the tunnels of the United Center reminded me of why I was so high on this roster. Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva and Andrew Bogut create a lot of matchup problems. (Imagine if they kept Mo.)
Lately I’ve thought the Bucks were a guaranteed opening night victory for the inaugural Thunder. But watching their game Tuesday night (and, yes, I watched most of it all because of Derrick Rose) brought to mind the matchups the Thunder must deal with Wednesday.
Redd alone would make it a difficult defensive test for any team. And the Thunder’s defense wasn’t exactly impenetrable last season. The Bucks scored 97 points per game a year ago and upgraded in the offseason with the additions of R.J. and rook Joe Alexander.
The Thunder must find a way to limit the perimeter threats in Jefferson and Redd while also containing an inside-outside duo of Bogut and Charlie V. It’s a good first look at how the Thunder’s frontline will manage this year.
Remember, defense is what the entire focus was throughout training camp and the preseason and is a cornerstone this franchise wants to establish.
(You know they’re going to use the title of this post in marketing packages, turning money into some conjured currency that can be used only inside the Ford Center. 
-DM-
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Comments
i’m pissed that i don’t get to wear a thunder jersey at the game tonight. get on the ball with the merch! see y’all at the ford!
Whaddayaspect, Okies? Snookered twice by DuH!b’ya, bunch of yokels voting to give rich people more riches (including the public subsidy of a sorry facility), Whaddayaspect anyway? Gotta be pretty dumb to vote for either, says a lot about North Texas, eh? Well, you got ‘em, got those Okie Dokies — Seattle didn’t need them for their self-esteem. Better you should have them. After all, if all a city-state (that’s a stretch, I know, but what the heck gotta slop the pigs sometimes) has as its citizens are self-loathing, insolently-indolent, self-arrogating red-state couch-potato sports fanatics (what else is there to do in North Texas anyway?!!), better to keep them on their couches than give them anything meaningful to do or think about, right?
Kinda funny reading the post mortems tonight… Huzzah! Goooo Longhorns!!
wow, that was kinda weak (and about three months behind all the other haters). but at least your trying. i had a lot of fun tonight, and judging by your post, you don’t seem to have a lot of fun. but i’m sure you’ll type some witty comeback about how awesome your life is, and you just want to remind oklahoma that we suck. hooray for you!
Go OKC Potatoes!!!