We probably need a caption contest for this one. Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty
- Brew Hoop recaps from last night: Alex and Frank.
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Tom Enlund has the JS recap of last night's win.
"I told the guys after the game that we were 2-4 and it was a situation where I don't think back then we were as bad as we thought we were and I told them tonight I don't think we're as good as we think we are," said Krystkowiak. "It's one of those deals where we kind of need to stay consistent and certainly enjoy Thanksgiving Day and eat all kinds of turkey and get fat in that regard, but not get any kind of ideas that's there's anything special.
"If we stay focused with our guys and make sure we're coming out and remembering why we're winning some ball games. We're doing it playing some defense and playing together offensively and that'll be the challenge for us to remain successful."
- Elliott Teaford of the LA Daily News writes that Lamar Odom was especially displeased with his poor performance in Milwaukee.
"I'm going to say it was one of the worst games I've played because I made two plays where I was unsure of myself, and that's embarrassing," he said. "I'm never unsure of myself. I made two plays where I was unsure of myself, and that's not me."
I forgot to mention Odom in my recap, but the Bucks certainly were fortunate that Odom never got into the game. Even when the Lakers went big (or at least tall) with Odom, Radmanovic and Bynum, the Bucks chose to keep Desmond Mason or Bobby Simmons as the primary defender. Rather than exploit the size advantage, the 6'10" Odom spent most of the night passing from the perimeter, driving occasionally but rarely with much conviction. I thought this would have been a decent chance to try an Yi/CV/Bogut lineup, but given the result I'll happily defer to LK's wisdom.
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Charles Gardner catches up with Mike Redd, currently basking in the glory of back-to-back wins over LeBron and Kobe.
"I tried to do what he does against me, pressure me, hold me, whatever you've got to do. I learned a lot from him this summer. In order to be one of the premier guards in this league, you've got to be able to defend. He's done it for many years, and I'm trying to do the same thing now."
Keep it up, Mike. But be forewarned--this might end up forcing you to play an extra game in New Orleans a couple months from now. Speaking of which, how on earth can Tom Enlund name Bobby Simmons his player of the game over Redd? C'mon Tom, Bobby was a nice spark but this was Redd's game all the way.
- Truman Reed at Bucks.com has a long article about Kareem's days in Milwaukee, with plenty of quotes from the man himself. Kudos to the Bucks for using their 40th anniversary as an excuse to bring back so many old favorites during the season.
- Gardner also spoke to Phil Jackson about the decline of Shaq and the progress of Yi.
- The People's Daily scopes out the economic impact of Yao and Yi.
But it's not only the players who are receiving endorsement deals in Yao's gigantic wake. Earlier this month the Toyota Center, the Rockets' home stadium, signed a sponsorship agreement with Chinese info-tech conglomerate Founder Group, which took effect on the eve of the much-hyped showdown between Yao and Yi, an event watched by some 200 million people worldwide. It was the fifth Chinese company to sponsor the Rockets, but certainly not the last.
According to the Houston Business Journal, Bucks officials have said they are pursuing similar endorsement contracts with Chinese companies. Like Yi's basketball game, his marketing potential is enormous but remains largely untapped. At the very least, Yi has put Milwaukee - a geographical blip at best prior to the summer's NBA draft - on the map for Chinese investors.
As we noted yesterday, Chinese shoe company Peak has already bought advertising at the BC, so the Chinese marketing revolution has begun. I can't wait for Jake Voskuhl to sign a seven-figure Chinese shoe endorsement deal.
- Ty at Bucks Diary takes a moment to give thanks for Mike Redd. Andrew Bogut even gets some praise.