Bucks 117, Iverson/Webber 108 (1-0)

A basketball-starved nation finally got some real food last night as the Bucks won their season-opener in Philadelphia, 117-108 in overtime over the Iverson/Webbers. I'm going to attempt to review these games even though I didn't get a chance to watch them. I am, after all, the Wisconsin Sports Fan Living in Dallas. Also, I currently work 5 nights a week for a cruel master known a Papa John. I can, however, search out and find highlights for every game.
I know that reviewing a game based on NBA.com and sportscenter highlights is a little like reviewing a movie after watching the trailer, but that won't stop me. This is the internet, and I am a lone blogger typing away in a remote cabin on a manual typewriter and somehow cutting and pasting the letters onto your screen. Anyway...

THE GOOD:
Where do I start? There was so much good in this game from so many players, the game would have been highly encouraging even had they lost. But they won, so let's kneejerk a little, shall we?

TJ Ford is back and better than he was before. They say he can shoot now, which is less important than the fact that he's making Steve Nash-esque decisions with the ball. He almost had a triple-double last night! I remember him being a decent rebounder because he's so darn fast, but a triple double for a 5'11" guy is really impressive. He is the #1 reason for Bucks optimism this year, not Bogut/Magloire, Redd/Simmons, or the great bench. He stars out with 16 points, 14 assists, 9 boards, only 5 turnovers, and he kept Iverson under 40 (no small feat considering what he did to the Bucks last year).


It was a great stat night for a number of Bucks: New Buck Bobby Simmons got 22 and 12, including 6 offensive rebounds. Bogut went for 13 and 9 including 2 big baskets in crunch time, and Magloire matched his 9 boards. Altogether, they outrebounded Philly 52 to 39, which is awesome but probably also in part due to the absence of Dalembert, the Iverson/Webber's Center. The parts of the bench not named Mo Williams went 12 of 16 from the field. Oh, and Michael Redd? 30 points, including the game-tying three at the end of reguation.

Speaking of which: It was a fantastic play to watch unfold, as Philly decided not to foul and put somebody on the line (a point Barkley made on the TNT broadcast last night). TJ Ford dribbled all the way under the basket with 10 seconds left, passed on the wing, got the ball back, drove the lane, and drew all five 76ers to himself. The entire time, Redd had his hand up calling for the ball. He knows he's the man who has to take the shot, now that he makes all the money. Bogut sort of clumsily gets in the way of the closest defender to Redd, and in a split second Ford launches the ball into Redd's hands. A split second later, he shoots a fadeaway three over the defender's outstretched arm. It goes in, and the Bucks season is on.

They won a road game after going 7-34 on the road last year. In the NBA, any road win is a good win.

THE BAD:

Magloire hasn't become a part of the offense yet (but that should change gradually as TJ figures out the best place to find him with the ball. It's great to have a point guard, eh?).

Chris Webber looked like an All-Star again, which means the 76ers could actually be tough this year (but not tough enough, eh?).

The defense needs work, but like I said, at least Iverson didn't run totally wild. Maybe he was just upset over having to wear a suit to the stadium.

The sole reason the bucks didn't win by 15 points in regulation is turnovers. 17 isn't so bad for them with the wild way they want to play, but only forcing 8 from the Iverson/Webbers is inexcusable. Also, they only blocked 3 shots. And when I say "they," I mean Bogut. Are they not putting defensive pressure on? Obviously, these are things I can't figure out just from highlights.

THE VERDICT:

Iverson/Webber may have the nationally known stars playing out of their minds (in the case of Webber), but the Bucks have the TEAM.