Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Open Thread

by Ben Q Rock on Oct 31, 2007 12:28 PM EDT in 2007/2008 Previews Comment 6 comments

	vs.
0-0		0-0
Amway Arena
7:00 PM
Probable starters:
Mo Williams	PG	Jameer Nelson
Michael Redd	SG	Keith Bogans
Desmond Mason	SF	Hedo Turkoglu
Yi Jianlian	PF	Rashard Lewis
Andrew Bogut	C	Dwight Howard

25 words or fewer: The Magic and Bucks open their 2007/2008 campaigns and will get to see their offseason additions play in regular-season action.p

Know your enemy: According to the Bucks blog "Bango's Bunch," Milwaukee is starting Desmond Mason and Yi Jianlian over Bobby Simmons and Charlie Villanueva, respectively, because they fit in better with the running game that Bucks head coach (and former Magic player) Larry Krystkowiak will implement.

Useless information: This game features a matchup of two centers who were selected with the first overall pick in the NBA draft: Dwight Howard (in 2004) and Andrew Bogut (in 2005).

Bullet points:

The SB Nation Milwaukee Bucks site, BrewHoop, is up-and-running just in time for tonight's game. Cool!
Jameer Nelson got that contract extension he wanted yesterday. Now it's time for him to prove that he earned it.
It'll be interesting to see how well Keith Bogans defends Michael Redd, the Bucks' sweet-shooting All-Star shooting guard. He's the Bucks' best offensive option, and they don't have any other big offensive threats to turn to if he's shut down.
Another interesting matchup will be Rashard Lewis vs. Yi Jianlian. Yi, a rookie, is supposedly a good offensive player, but he didn't work out against actual human beings before the draft; instead, he showcased his offensive moves while being guarded by chairs. Lewis isn't a great defender, but he should be able to handle Yi if Yi plays out on the perimeter rather than close to the basket.
I know I link to this site in every pregame thread, but I only do it because it's so important: NBA Audio League Pass is free this season, and you should take advantage of that. Tonight's Magic game will be televised on Fox Sports Net, which is unavailable to most Orlando residents. If you're dying to listen to the Magic's first game with Rashard Lewis, you'll want to use Audio League Pass. And you can see photos uploaded throughout the game on the Magic's photo wire.
I really want Dwight Howard to dunk on somebody, preferably Yi, but Andrew Bogut would also be acceptable.
This news was posted yesterday, but I somehow forgot to include it in any of my updates: negotiations between FSN and Bright House Networks were called off Tuesday evening without a resolution. As a result, Orlando Magic fans with Bright House service in Orlando will be unable to see the game. Brian Schmitz has a team source who says the Magic will be applying pressure to both sides so an agreement can be reached soon. I hope he's right.

This is an open thread, so feel free to discuss Bucks/Magic business in here before, during, and after the game.

Poll

Who will lead the Magic in scoring tonight?

Dwight Howard

1 votes

Rashard Lewis

2 votes

Jameer Nelson

1 votes

Hedo Turkoglu

2 votes

Somebody else

1 votes

7 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 6 comments

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Comments

good luck

Thanks for the mention, Ben...I'm really happy to join SBN. I expect Howard to throw down on someone rather quickly, though Bogut usually doesn't even try to block shots, so Yi might be the more likely candidate.

Mason is starting mainly because Simmons isn't fully healthy yet. On paper the Bucks' second unit looks pretty good with Villanueva, Bell and Simmons, so they will need to outperform the Magic's reserves if the Bucks are going to have a shot. I definitely expect Dwight to get his, so the Bucks probably need to focus on containing Lewis and Hedo. Turkoglu murdered the Bucks last year with 21 ppg in four games.

by frank on Oct 31, 2007 1:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

thanks, you too

Be assured that if Howard dunks on anybody, and there's a photo of it, I'll lead with it for the recap. It'll probably make my rotation of screensaver images as well.

I had no idea that Simmons wasn't at 100% yet, so that's interesting. The Bucks' second unit should have their way with the Magic... I think. I don't see Pat Garrity doing much of anything against the taller, quicker Charlie Villanueva. Does Dan Gadzuric still get regular PT? Because I think Foyle could handle him okay.

Who do you think will draw the assignment of guarding Turk?

by Ben Q Rock on Oct 31, 2007 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs