Well,my replay blog has begun,and tonight the Bucks kick off the 2005-06 NBA season at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia as the 76ers host the Purple and Green. And guess what? The Bucks won 103-98! Milwaukee was led by Michael Redd,who had 27 points and 6 rebounds plus 2 steals;and new Buck forward Bobby Simmons had an impressive performance by tallying 26 points. Of course,this was Fitzy,the Lumbering Leprechaun's 1st ever NBA game and Philip Fitzpatrick was impressive for starters with a double-double:14 points,11 rebounds,6 assists and 2 steals! Other outstanding stars for the Bucks included:
T.J. Ford,who made a triumphant return to the game after that spinal cord bruise he suffered in '04-he almost had a double-double with 10 points and 9 assists.
Dan Gadzuric had a better performance than new starter Jamaal Magloire. Check it:
Big Cat:7 points,6 rebounds,4 fouls and 4 turnovers in 23 minutes.Danny G:10 points,7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 25 minutes.Now,who would be better off starting the season-last year's starter (Gadzuric) or the 2004 NBA All-Star (Magloire)? Maybe Big Cat should've stayed in New Orleans and have the Leprechaun (Fitzpatrick) start in the middle and have Gadz play at the 4.
Giving credit where credit is due:Saluting the opposition's effortsThere is one guy who always gives the Bucks fits (note I did not say
Fitz!).
The Answer,Allen Iverson. Philly's #3 has always tormented Milwaukee in his 9 years in the Association,mostly in the '01 Eastern Conference Finals. And the tradition continued tonight as he dropped 42 on the Bucks while dishing out 8 assists. Can't wait 'til November 23 to see what he does to the Bucks again...
Two other 'Sixers to give a round of applause to:
Chris Webber had 13 points and 7 rebounds. But that was small potatoes (Irish pun!) compared to Philly Fitz' 14/11/6! Now that is what I like to see:A Notre Dame alum (Fitzpatrick) doing better than a Michigan man like C-Webb! Kick some NBA arse,Fighting Fitzpatrick!!!!
And
Andre Iguodala had 14 points,3 rebounds and 5 assists. Together C-Webb and the Two A.I.'s scored 69 of the 'Sixers' 98 points.
Numbers don't lie,because the ball don't lie.The Bucks shot a tad under 50% this evening (37 for 75) while Philly was 34-74,and both teams tripled their pleasure with Milwaukee going 9-14 from deep (Bobby had 4 trifectas,Mike had 3) while the 76ers had 5 3's out of 8 with the Answer canning 3. Bucks were 80% from the line (16-20) while Philly was 25-34,and the Purple and Green handed out more assists 23-18.
Now,for the most ridiculous stat of the night!The Bucks outrebounded the Seventy-Sixers 41 to 30,thanks to the power of the 7'1" rookie power forward from Notre Dame named Philip Fitzpatrick,who actually was the difference,because he had 11 rebounds,and that was the Bucks rebound margin:
+11!Now that the Bucks are 1-0,who's next?Tomorrow (11/2/05),the Bucks take on the Nets at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford,and this game begins New Jersey's 30th season in the NBA. Hopefully,the Nets won't wear the star-spangled jerseys they had in the 70s and 80s (they one wore 'em in game 5 of the '03 Finals...they lost to the Spurs!) Anyway,it's a homecoming for Philip Fitzpatrick,and he is inviting his parents and his 12 other brothers and sisters and his uncle,Msgr. Hugh 'Father Flucky' Fitzpatrick to the game. Before the NBA,and before Notre Dame,Fitzy was the star center at St. Patrick's Academy in nearby Elizabeth,N.J. where this 7'1" white center with size 18 feet helped trample the opposition during his high school days. By the way,game time is at 7:30 eastern/6:30 central and can be seen on FSN North and can be heard on NewsRadio 620 WTMJ.
