Yi has Solid Debut, Mo Williams Leads Bucks to Defeat in Season Opener
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by Ryan Koski
This is the first edition of the Brew City Bucks Report as the beat writer for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Although the Milwaukee Bucks got blown out by the Orlando Magic in their season opener, there were several bright spots. The first was the play of Yi Jianlian, who finished with nine points on 4 of 5 shooting and hustled on nearly every possession during the the time he was on the court. He also made an imediate impact on the defensive end of the court, forcing a steal which led to a fastbreak and then blocking a shot on the Magic's next possession.
Jianlian was in foul trouble much of the game, but somehow managed to play 25 minutes before fouling out on a questionable charging call that could have gave 11 points with a chance for 12 from the charity stripe. If he can limit his fouls, which he should be able to considering his athletic ability, Yi will easibly be an all-star within several seasons
Another bright spot was the return of Bobby Simmons. The former LA Clipper scored 18 points off the bench and fought hard under the boards by out-muscling several Magic players on a couple offensive rebounds. If the often-injured Simmons can return to his 2004-05 form in which he won the NBA's Most Improved Player Award, he could provide the longshot Bucks a legitimate shot at a playoff spot.
Michael Redd also scored an effective 25 points in the game, but it was not enough to overcome the poor play by the rest of the squad. Charlie Villanueva and Andrew Bogut both combined to go 3 of 17 from the field, including Charlie V's odd line of having more turnovers (3), than points (2), however, the player who played the worst was Mo Williams.
The Bucks starting point guard lead the team to defeat by making only four of the 15 shots he attempted, while also registering only ONE assist. The line would seem to match that of a volume shooter that had a bad night, but for a starting point guard on any team, that is unacceptable.
Overall, the Bucks played good basketball for an entire half, trailing by only two points at intermission, but it takes the whole 48 minutes in order to win the game. The Magic were able to pull away in the third quarter on the strength of a 28-4 run that included a somewhat unguardable seven made three-point shots out of eight that were attempted. The Bucks did however manage to hold the Magic to 43.8% shooting, below their goal of holding their opponent under 45% on the season, but I guess it doesnt make much difference if you only shoot 37.9% yourself.
