Scorched in South Beach!

DECEMBER 27, 2005
Heat 98, Bucks 67.Well, the Miami Heat lived up to their name, scorching the Bucks 98 to 67 at American Airlines Arena. Dwyane Wade led the way for Miami with 36 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Shaquille O'Neal did what the Diesel does best: dominate. His stats: 27 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks.The Bucks were rotten all night long, except for the 2nd quarter, where they outscored the Heat 28-22. Wanna know how bad the Bucks were? Milwaukee scored 13 points in the first quarter, 14 in the 2nd and 12 in the 4th quarter! And their 67 total points was a season low. Three Bucks players fouled out: Michael Redd (despite leading the team with 21 points) and both centers (Jamaal Magloire and Dan Gadzuric). In fact Big Cat and Danny G were completely destroyed by Shaq, as well as shut out in today's debacle. They combined for 0 points and 7 rebounds with 12 personal fouls combined!The only saving grace for the Bucks? Philip Finley Joseph Paul Finnigan Fitzpatrick. Fightin' Fitzie had 14 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, even though he was 5-for-13 from the field.All told, here are the miserable facts about tonight's game:They shot well below 40% (29-for-85).They were 2-for-17 from beyond the arc.They were soundly beaten in the battle of the boards, 54-42. (James Posey, a small forward, had 14 rebounds!)The Heat shot more than 50% (38-for-74).Another beatdown on the road (lost by 37 on 11/25/05 at Minnesota and get poleaxed on 12/7/05 at Philadelphia).And three players fouled out.And guess what? The goshawful Knicks, who beat the Bucks at MSG 15 days ago are coming to the Bradley Center. Will we see the Bucks of tonight against New York or the Knicks of 05-06 December 30? We will find out!

Quick recap of the next 3 games during the holiday stretch.

December 20 at Bradley Center
Spurs 99 Bucks 95
Tim Duncan and the defending world champs were to much for the Bucks as San Antonio won a close one tonight. Duncan had 34 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and 2 blocks to lead the winners. Manu Ginobili had 19 pts and 7 rebounds while Tony Parker had 17 points and 6 assists. The Bucks were led by Michael Redd and Bobby Simmons, who each tallied 27 points. Simmons was also Milwaukee's top rebounder with 11 boards. Philip "Fightin' Fitzie" Fitzpatrick had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, but he was no match for the much more experienced Duncan head-to-head. Even though the Bucks out-rebounded the Spurs 43-42, Milwaukee's weakness tonight was committing fouls. They committed 30 fouls, which led to 25 Spurs free throws made, compared to 16 Bucks points on 18 San Antonio hacks.


12/23/05 at the Bradley Center:Bucks beat Hornets, 96-82.
Michael Redd poured in 41 points to help the Bucks snap their 3-game losing streak. He had big help from Philip Fitzpatrick, who had 21 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists plus 3 blocks. His rookie counterpart, New Orleans point guard Chris Paul, also did well:22 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Kirk Snyder had 15 points while David West scored 13.

NEWS FLASH!
On December 24, the Bucks' owner, Sen. Herb Kohl announced that a meet and greet will be at the Calatrava, officially welcoming Bucks forward Philip Fitzpatrick to Milwaukee, that will be on December 31st, more details to come.


12/26/05 at TD Waterhouse Center
Bucks 86, Orlando Magic 71
Once again, Michael Redd and Bobby Simmons teamed up to score the majority of Milwaukee's points as Redd scored 36 and Simmons tallied 20 while the Bucks defense held Orlando to 71 points, Milwaukee's fewest points yielded this season. Fightin' Fitzie only scored 7 points, but grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked 6 shots! Dwight Howard had 21 points and 10 boards along with 2 blocks, also Jameer Nelson had 19 points and 5 assists to lead the Magic.The Bucks are now 15-9 this season, and with 2 more games left in 2005 (12/27 at Miami & 12/30 vs. New York) the Bucks look to impress everyone when '06 rolls around!

Bucks choke as Utah makes sweet Jazz music in their comeback win.

Saturday, December 17 at the Bradley Center
The Utah Jazz overcame a 15-point 1st quarter, a 35-point 1st half and a 47-35 halftime deficit as they defeated the Bucks 91 to 90 tonight, as the Bucks have lost 3 of their last 5 games. Jazz forward Andrei 'AK47' Kirilenko gunned down Milwaukee with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals, making 7 of 14 field goals and 11 of his 15 free throws. Center Mehmet Okur had 17 points and 6 rebounds while rookie guard Deron Williams had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the winners. The loss spoiled a great performance by Michael Redd, who had a game high 38 points and 7 rebounds. Bobby Simmons had 19 points and 6 rebounds while 7'1" rookie forward Philip Fitzpatrick had 11 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks. However, Fightin' Fitzie almost won the game on the final play. Fitzie had the last possession, but my dice roll came up 'D-8', I checked the Utah defense card, and it came up 'O' (It was not an open shot). And Utah came back to win 91-90. It was so depressing for Fitz to miss the game-winner, especially when tonight was his wife's 23rd birthday, and Erin felt sorry for him, and she watched the game from their apartment (she is expected to have triplets in June). However, they celebrated at home despite the loss with a great dinner at home. And on Tuesday, December 20, Philip will celebrate his 23rd birthday as the Bucks host the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs at the Bradley Center. I hope the Bucks can win one for Fightin' Fitzie!
Jazz 91, Bucks 90
top scorers: Andrei Kirilenko 25 Michael Redd 38
top rebounders: Andrei Kirilenko 10 Philip Fitzpatrick 11

By the way, the Milwaukee Bucks are 13-8 so far this season.

A very unhappy birthday for Philip Fitzpatrick, in Philip's favorite city.

Happy 23rd birthday to Philip "Fightin' Fitzie" Fitzpatrick!

Paul Pierce scored 41 points and Wally Szczerbiak added 28 as the Celtics pounded the Bucks 115-99 today at TD Banknorth Garden. Pierce also had a game-high 13 rebounds and 3 assists while Al Jefferson added 13 points off the bench and Delonte West had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Philip Fitzpatrick, Milwaukee's 7'1" rookie power forward, led his team with 27 points, he also had 7 rebounds. Michael Redd also shined for the Bucks, he had 25 points.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

The Bucks had a big advantage in offensive rebounds (13 to 6), but Boston won the rebounding wars, 39 to 32.Boston had more field goals, 42 to 37, but the Bucks had 7 treys compared to Boston's 5.The C's made more free throws than Milwaukee, 25 to 16.The Bucks had 7 steals compared to the Celtics' 4, and Boston had more turnovers, 8 to 7.And the Celtics had all 6 of tonight's blocks. Kendrick Perkins had 3 rejections, Michael Olowokandi had 2.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Paul Pierce had a hot night with 41 points, and Wally Szczerbiak added 28, and that is one of the most impressive dyanmic duo performances of the season, as they scored 69 of Boston's 115 points.Fitzpatrick and Redd were a great duo, too, they scored 52 of the Bucks' 99 points.Also, a tip of the cap to Jamaal Magloire, who had 9 points and a team-high 9 rebounds.And, every Bucks player who played scored at least a point in tonight's game.The Bucks' next game is tomorrow, December 17 at the Bradley Center against the Utah Jazz.

Let's see now, Detroit, Dallas, Cleveland, Indiana, L.A., Philly, Miami...wow the Bucks have beaten a lot of A-listers in at the BC!

Shaq: still a force from coast to coast, but
Fitzie was just as good!
Tuesday, December 14
Milwaukee 96, Miami 90 at the Bradley Center

Another hard-fought home win against another quality upper-crust NBA team for the Bucks! Yeah! The Bucks defeated the Heat 96-90 tonight at the Bradley Center, as Michael Redd scored 40 points to pace the Purple and Green. However, he fouled out late in the 4th, but 7'1" rookie forward/center Philip Fitzpatrick was equally great with a 19 point, 9 rebound, 4 block performance. Fightin' Fitzie had a far better performance than Miami's Shaq O'Neal, who had 13 points, 6 rebounds and NO blocks. In fact, the Bucks' Jamaal Magloire had more rebounds (12) tonight than the Diesel. Also, Bobby Simmons was excellent, with 14 points and 8 rebounds. The Bucks did their best in stopping Dwyane Wade, but he had 27 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. And Gary Payton, filling in for an injured Jason Williams (who was hurt in today's game, he'll be out for 5 contests) was superb from the bench with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Even though Miami outrebounded the Bucks (46 to 42) and outdistributed them (24 to 13), the Bucks forced Miami to commit 11 turnovers while they only made 6. Now that's how you play winning defensive basketball! Now the Bucks travel to Boston, where they will play the Celtics on Friday, and Philip Fitzpatrick will be visiting his friend Fr. Harold Feeney, who used to be his grade school principal at Notre Dame Catholic School in New Hyde Park... should be an interesting visit to one of Philip's favorite cities, Boston...

Knicks chase the Bucks all the way to New Hyde Park

Horrible homecoming for Fightin' Fitzie

The Knicks handed the Bucks a hard defeat, 96-85 as guard Stephon Marbury and center Eddy Curry had 24 points each, and Jalen Rose was the only other Knick in double figures with 10. There were many reasons why there were many mistakes the Bucks had tonight. Other than Michael Redd, who scored 35 points, the Bucks did not have any offensive scoring power at all. Also, the Bucks outrebounded New York 47 to 33, with no player on both sides hauling down double-digit rebounds, to add insult to injury, they also had more offensive rebounds, 14-3. And then there was Milwaukee's poor shooting, as they were 34-for-81 from the field, despite being 6-for-11 from 3-point land. And there was Fitzie. Philip Fitzpatrick, the 7'1" power forward/center with size 19 shoes, a native of New Hyde Park, New York, had an off game with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. The Knick fans jeered the rookie out of Notre Dame in front of his family and friends when he had 2 quick fouls in the 1st minute of the game. The Bucks (12-7) did not have their A game today against a Knicks team that is now 8-12. And on Wednesday, the Bucks will have to face a tough Miami Heat team that is one of the best in the East. Hope you can join me at the Bradley Center for this game.

By the way, the Fitzpatricks welcomed Philip home to his hometown of New Hyde Park, he also had his #54 retired by St. Mary's High School in Manhasset. And yes, the Fitzpatricks had their family meal together, even though his brother Aidan and his sister Kathleen are at Notre Dame, his brother Luke is playing for the Islanders' minor league team in Bridgeport, and his other basketball-playing brothers Liam and Conor have signed their letter of content. Liam (from St. Anthony's), the 6'8", 250 lb. forward/center agreed to play for Notre Dame while Conor, a 6'2", 190 lb. guard will go to Iona next season. And the Fitzpatrick family flew all the way from New Hyde Park to Philip and his wife Erin's apartment in downtown Milwaukee for Thanksgiving. The Fitzpatricks will be back in Milwaukee beginning December 17 to celebrate Christmas with their beloved son.

Bucks win, Bucks win! BUCKS WIN! A big comeback over LeBron & Co., 124 to 120!

(ON THE LEFT)

And so it continues, but better luck in January against

the Bucks, LBJ and Cleveland.

(ON THE RIGHT) Big Cat had his best game as a Buck against Cleveland.

The Bucks continue to win huge games, and tonight against LeBron James and the up-and-coming Cleveland Cavaliers, they came back from a 70-57 halftime deficit to beat the Cavs, 124-120 tonight at the Bradley Center, raising their record to 12-6 so far this season. All 5 starters scored in double figures for the Bucks, led by Michael Redd, who had 31 points and 5 rebounds. 7-foot-1 inch rookie sensation Philip Fitzpatrick had another solid night, he had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. T.J. Ford also shined in the game, he had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. And even though he fouled out late in the game, Jamaal Magloire had an outstanding night, scoring 20 points on 9-for-10 shooting and hauled down 10 rebounds. Every player on the Bucks (except guard Jermaine Jackson) scored in the game, with Bobby Simmons netting 10 points, Mo Williams adding 8 points, Joe Smith, Dan Gadzuric and Toni Kukoc had 4 points each while Charlie Bell and Jiri Welsch each had 3 points as the Bucks had a well-rounded scoring attack, registering a season-high 124 points scored tonight. The Cavaliers were led by LeBron James, he had 41 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, as he led a Cavs team that had 6 players in double figures. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 15 points and Ronald "Flip" Murray tallied 12 points for Cleveland. Cleveland's top rebounder was Anderson Varejao, who had a game-high 11 rebounds, along with 8 points (on 4-of-4 shooting), 4 assists, 2 steals and a block. The Bucks outscored the Cavs 69-50 in the 2nd half, led by "Fightin' Fitzie" with 13 points and Magloire with 12. And the Bucks cooled off a hot LeBron, who scored 30 in the 1st half, they held him to just 11 points in the last 24 minutes. So the Bucks win a shootout at the BC Corral against the James Gang, now they head to New York as they play at Madison Square Garden, taking on the Knicks on December 12. That means it's a homecoming for Bucks' center-forward Philip Fitzpatrick, who lives in New Hyde Park, N.Y., and has invited his family and friends to see him play. Hope Fightin' Fitzie's family and friends send Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Woody Allen and the New York A-list Knick fans home very early during the game...

Celebrate, BucksNation, we can do it!

A game that will live in infamy on this December 7, 2005.

The King is coming on December 10, BucksNation. Are you ready?

After an exciting win against the L.A. Lakers last night, the Bucks were back on the losing end of the deal tonight as the Philadelphia 76ers blasted them 101-78 as Allen Iverson dropped 33 on the 11-6 Bucks while Chris Webber added a bruising 28 and 8 to give Philly their 1st win of this season series with Milwaukee. Philadelphia's defense was very tight in the first half as they held our heroes in purple and green to just 25 1st half points. Twenty-five 1st half points. Disgusting. What's more, Andre Iguodala and Co. made Michael Redd miss his first 10 shots of the game! But, Redd did end up with a respectable 23 points, so that's not bad. Philip Fitzpatrick was limited to just 6 shots, but made 4 of 'em, but his erratic free throw shooting continued to show as he went 1-for-4 from the line tonight, however, his 9 points were accompanied by a strong 12 rebound, 4 assist, 2 steal and 4 block performance, so that's pretty good. Also pretty good was T.J. Ford's shooting. T.J. was 7-for-10 from the field, and he wound up with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists tonight. And Bobby Simmons had 11 points and 6 rebounds. But Bobby was 4-for-13 in field goals tonight... I was impressed about Dan Gadzuric's night. Danny G was a force on the floor making 4 of his 5 shots and he also led the Bucks with 3 offensive rebounds, as the Bucks outrebounded Philly 45-39 in today's game.However...Even though the Bucks were 33 of 73 from the field (45.2%) and 5 of 7 from long distance, the Seventy-Sixers took advantage of their 51.3% shooting accuracy (41 of 80) and they forced the Bucks to commit 14 turnovers, in contrast, they only committed 5.Still, the only good thing to come out of this is that the Bucks are 11-6, still the leader in the Central Division. But on Saturday, December 10, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers come to the Bradley Center, and in later days for the rest of this month, the Atlantic Division champion Celtics (12/16 at TD Banknorth Garden), the world champion Spurs (12/20 at the Bradley Center--Philip Fitzpatrick's birthday!) and the Southeast Conference champ Heat (12/27 at AmericanAirlines Arena) await tough challenges and a rough 17-game stretch in January follows. Hope the Bucks can survive through this...

Bucks are 53-minute men in defeating Lakers in OT.

I played a thrilling game of Strat-O-Matic basketball, part of my 2005-06 Milwaukee Bucks replay, and on December 6, 2005, the Bucks defeated the L.A. Lakers 108-102 in overtime! The Bucks were in control for most of the game until the Lakers came back and made it a close game. The Bucks were up 94-92 with the last action card left in regulation, and Kobe Bryant gave Lamar Odom an open shot, which was a buzzer beating shot that sent the game into overtime. The game went back and forth, both teams changing leads in the extra period, but my man Fightin' Philip Fitzpatrick would put the game away late with 6 points in overtime, and Jamaal Magloire's slam dunk coming from a dazzler by T.J. Ford helped seal the win for the Bucks. Michael Redd out-dueled Kobe in a battle of high-scoring Olympic heroes, with Redd scoring 37 points and Bryant adding 36, but it was the 7-foot-1 Fightin' Fitzie, Philip Fitzpatrick, who was the star of the game. Philip had a career high 30 points, grabbed a career best-tying 19 rebounds (3rd time this season he has had 19 rebounds), had 6 assists and he also blocked 6 shots! He also had 5 slam dunks!Fitzie was the reason the Bucks won tonight, and he is also the reason they are 11-5, they are in 1st place in the Central Division. Anyway, I am going to recap the Bucks-76ers game December 7 up next... (Pictured from left to right, the three players who scored more than 30 points in tonight's game: Michael Redd, Philip Fitzpatrick and Kobe Bryant!)

And the winner is Dwight Howard, with a little help from his friends! Orlando snaps Milwaukee's 5-game winning streak.

Saturday, December 3 at the Bradley Center

game 15 of the 2005-06 season

Orlando Magic 106,Milwaukee Bucks 97

6 different Orlando players scored in double figures, led by Jameer Nelson's 25 points, and the Magic scored the last 10 points of the game late in the 4th quarter as they beat the Bucks 106-97 tonight. Despite not having a player with more than 6 rebounds (the Bucks out-rebounded them 48-35), the Magic made more than 57% of their field goals compared to the Bucks shooting less than 40% for the game. Grant Hill was superb off the bench with 16 points and Dwight Howard had 13 for the winners. Michael Redd led all scorers with 29 points, Philip Fitzpatrick had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Bobby Simmons had 14 points and 8 rebounds while Jamaal Magloire had 7 points and 12 rebounds to pace Milwaukee (10-5).The Bucks face Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers December 6 at the Bradley Center.By the way, Philip Fitzpatrick's stats after 15 games:

field goal percentage: 58.6%

free throw percentage: 51.3%

points per game: 14.7

rebounds per game: 12.6

assists per game: 4.6

Bucks make some Wizardry of their own, as they make Washington's chances of winning disappear. Milwaukee 85, D.C. 84.

game #14 of 2005-06 season

December 2 at MCI Center

Bucks 95 Wizards 94

Michael Redd scored 36 points and Bobby Simmons added a career-high 30 as the Bucks improved to 10-4 with a 95-94 squeaker over the Washington Wizards this evening. Redd was 14-for-27 from the field while Simmons was 12-for-16 as Milwaukee continues to keep winning. The Bucks' rookie power forward, 7'1" Philip Fitzpatrick, had a huge game with 13 points, 19 rebounds (tying a personal best), 9 assists and 3 blocks. He even was 5-for-8 from the free throw line! Washington was led by Gilbert Arenas, who had 28 points and 8 assists, but 3 of his shots were blocked by Fitzie. Jarvis Hayes had 18 points, Antawn Jamison had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists and Caron Butler had 13 points and 7 rebounds. The Bucks would win by just 1 despite leading by 12 at the end of the 1st quarter, but they hung on to win.The Bucks return to the Bradley Center tomorrow to face the Orlando Magic.

Tim Russert (R.I.P.) was an avid Wizards fan, and he was Irish-Catholic like Philip Fitzpatrick. Luke Russert (Tim's son) went to Boston College, a rival of Philip's alma mater Notre Dame. If it's Sunday it's Meet the Press, but if it's Friday, December 2, 2005, Russ was at the MCI Center for the Bucks-Wizards game.

Dorothy (played by an actress with Fitzpatrick blood and lineage) was right. There's no place like home. Bucks upset both Detroit and Dallas!

And after dismantling the Bad Boys. Dirk Nowitzki (41) had a few more enemies/friends as TJ Ford (left) scored a buzzer beating basket from Philip Fitzpatrick (right), as the Bucks squeaked past the Mavs.

Yes, He Does Go To Work, But The Pistons Were Lazy Against The Bucks.

What a difference a night makes... After being blown out by Minnesota last night, the Bucks returned the favor onthe best team in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons, 104-89, as our hero, Fightin' Philip Fitzpatrick equaled a career high with 27 points while hauling down 13 rebounds. Michael Redd had his usual 20+ scoring night, racking up 24 points while the Bucks bullied Detroit on the boards, as Jamaal Magloire grabbed 14 rebounds, Fitzpatrick 13 and Bobby Simmons 12. By the way, Milwaukee outrebounded 'Bad Boys 2' 51 to 35! Another great achievement for Fitzie was that he made all 5 free throws he attempted! That put Philip at 50% for the season in free throws! Incidentally, the Bucks were 11-for-11 from the foul line. The only bright spot for Detroit was that Richard Hamilton led all scorers with 29 points. 'Bad Boys 2' would like to get their revenge when the Bucks come to Auburn Hills for the next meeting in January, but they must try to stop that 7'1" redhead with size 19 feet, Fightin' Philip Fitzpatrick!

Tuesday, November 29 at the Bradley Center:Bucks 85 Mavericks 83

Even though he only scored 11 points and grabbed just 7 rebounds, while dishing out 3 assists and blocking 2 shots, Philip Fitzpatrick made a difference in Milwaukee's 85-83 win over a good Dallas team. First, in the second quarter, Fightin' Fitzie made a open shot 3-pointer, making him 5-for-5 in three-point territory this season. And, with the score knotted up at 83, Fitzie made a dazzler pass to T.J. Ford, who made the game-winning layup with 0.5 seconds left. Fitzie can surprise you at any turn, whether shooting the ball, grabbing a big rebound, dishing out an assist, blocking a shot, even surprising you with a 3-pointer. That is what makes this 7'1" big fella out of Notre Dame special. Unfortunately, Fitzie's free throw shooting was out of synch, as he was 2-for-6 from the charity stripe, putting him below 50% from the line so far this year. And he was a great free throw shooter at Notre Dame! Anyway, the Bucks were winning ugly, as they made less than 40% of their shots (32-for-82), and it was a very low-scoring game. Michael Redd, the Bucks' leading scorer, scored 20 points, but did a miserable job shooting the ball as he was 6-for-20 from the field, but he did grab 7 rebounds, dish out 4 assists and also had 2 steals. Bobby Simmons was also in a shooting funk, going 5-for-16, but he had 8 rebounds. And Jamaal Magloire was 3-for-9, but for the 2nd straight game, he led the team in rebounds with 11.
The Bucks won, thanks to defense.

They held the Mavs' All-Star forward, Dirk Nowitzki to just 12 points, and Josh Howard was mired in a 1-for-7 shooting disaster. Dallas shot better than Milwaukee, led by the game's leading scorer, Jason Terry, with 25 points and Jerry Stackhouse, with 19, but the Mavs just were not making shots, and that is how they lost. As for the Bucks, they end up with a good start to the season, they end November with a 9-4 record, and as they start December with a game in Washington on the 2nd, one thing is clear: Philip Fitzpatrick will be the NBA Rookie of the Month for November. Congratulations, Fitzie!