Pounding the Rock / 48 Minutes of Hell / Bucksketball
News/notes after the jump
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KT? I haven't seen anything official about Kurt Thomas getting the start at center, but I'd assume we'll be seeing a lot of him either way. Thomas was by far the Bucks' best big against Memphis and he's spent a few years guarding Tim Duncan in practice and was the Suns' token post defender back in the day, so if you're ever going to start him, now would be the day. Also, the whole "listing Tim Duncan as a PF" thing seems all the more ridiculous when Antonio McDyess is the other big man, so I'm not going to bother. I doubt Duncan will spend his night chasing Ilyasova around the perimeter, nor would I expect the Bucks to defend Duncan with the Turkish Delight.
RJ. The Bucks face Richard Jefferson for the first time, and it seems like he's more or less doing what you'd have expected on a loaded team like the Spurs. Shooting a lot less (11 fga/g), scoring less (15.4 ppg), doing a little bit more of the other stuff (rebounding, assists up). But he's not the only former Buck starting for the Spurs--Keith Bogans has assumed the Bruce Bowen role of offensively-challenged shooting guard.
Injuries. We know the Bucks are missing their two big (veteran) names, but the Spurs have been suffering their fair share of bumps and bruises as well. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have all missed their share of games, which helps explain the Spurs' surprisingly mediocre record, especially on the road where they've yet to win a game. It's also been part bad luck--note they have a positive scoring differential along with their losing record. Tonight they'll be sans Ginobili, though doesn't it seem like the Spurs are always missing Manu when they face the Bucks?