The Milwaukee Bucks are the basis for nearly everything we do here at Brew Hoop, but when it comes to gameday the readers and commenters turn into the stars of the website. The second week of action featured a west coast road trip with opening games against the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz, and ends with three more against the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns. Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut did not have their best start to the trip, but our readers produced some top notch content while posting about the game in real-time on our previews/game threads. This post will take care of those two losses that opened the west coast trip, and the others will be broken off into a separate post. Whether you comment regularly during games or simply stop by to watch the responses roll in, this is our chance to highlight the best of what we see each game and each week. Consider it a love letter to our faithful readers and commenters, and an open invitation to all newcomers to join in the fun. I am making unilateral decisions for the first few postd in the series, but I will be monitoring the "rec" function in the commenting section from now on, so if you see something you like be sure to mark it. Here we go...
Bucks vs Nuggets (91-86 Loss)
Related: Bucks vs Nuggets Game Recap
What Happened (Brew Hoop Game Recap Excerpt):
All told, Denver's best players soundly outplayed their Milwaukee counterparts and in the end that made the outcome feel about right. Ty Lawson (16 points on 13 shots, six assists, one turnover) bettered Brandon Jennings (5/16 fg, 12 pts, 3 ast, 6 to), Danilo Gallinari was steady and efficient with 21 points and 10 boards on just 12 shots, and Al Harrington (17 points on 12 shots, eight rebs) ran circles around the biggerAndrew Bogut and everyone else the Bucks threw at him. Not the way the Bucks wanted to kick off their five game Western road trip, but they don't have much time to dwell on it with a game in Utah on Tuesday night.
I think unklchuk might be onto something with this "zombie ball" concept.
unklchuk: This could be the kind of game that (win or lose competitively) moves us a step closer to developing our potential. See equal chance for all outcomes, except us blowing them out. (That's a challenge, Gods of Competition. Prove me wrong!) Win or lose, I expect to see some zombie ball. One must, after all, be true to oneself - and we're still part zombie. The question is, are we learning to contain it.
Jon Leuer is turning heads, and UW alums like me and Dan Sinclair can't help but enjoy his early success. Another solid game from Leuer (8 points on 4-5 shooting in 14 minutes of play) in this one, but he's far from done impressing us this season. Did I mention Dan and I predicted this success during the lockout?
Dan Sinclair: I think Leuer's athleticism is a bit underrated. IT'S HAPPENING.
Brick's house: We are all thinking it, so I might as well say it. White Men Can't Jump! Exceptions...Brent Barry, Joe Alexander, Tom Chambers and Chris Anderson.
CanadaBucks: And the best one: Rex Chapman. Was great in the Dunk Competition one year, either the year Walker or Dee Brown won IIRC
This visitor either (a) was making an educated attempt to rile up the Bucks fanbase, (b) doesn't think much of Drew Gooden or (c) honestly can't figure out what Jon Brockman is doing on the roster (like the rest of us). Note: no riots were started in the making of this comment...at least to my knowledge.
CloudBurst: Nuggets fan here. Curious as to knowing, who exactly is your backup 5 to Bogut for this game? Is it Brockman?
A weird pregame space where the past, present and future all collided in a series of tangential comments...
Superelkman: I hope your ready for top notch disappointment... I feel it coming on...1st Bucks game of 2012...
Frank Madden: That's such a weird number to see. Still feels like it should be 2008.
CanadaBucks: I rememeber reading 1984 when it was in the future, lol.
Here are your early game scouting reports on Nuggets players, courtesy of the Brew Hoop community. You are welcome.
Frank Madden: Kosta Koufos: not an attractive man. Timofey Mozgov: Russian for matador
palomba: Chris Andersen reminds me Woody Woodpecker. So colourful and with his hairstyle
Frank Madden: I don't think he's ever going to have an office job
brandonh981: George: So who's this Woody Woodpecker? Some kind of an instigator? Kramer: That's right. He's a troublemaker.
If you made a New Year's resolution to straighten out your priorities in life, here is some helpful advice.
AussieTom: Damn work getting in the way of my bucks watching. Will have to follow the play by play, or schedule a meeting with myself for the next two hours.
Frank Madden: Work is overrated.
Superelkman: Yeah it's 2012... the world is ending this year anyways.
This will be my weekly theme for Larry Sanders updates until he gives us something positive to focus on during games.
Brick's house: So far it looks like Sanders is the PF with the DNP-CD for the night.
Frank Madden: And there he is!
TheJay: I'm glad I got to see him flub a pass
Superelkman: @#$@#$@#$@ DAMMIT SANDERS
Frank Madden: Don't call him Hand-ers
This might get me in trouble if my wife actually read about the Milwaukee Bucks, but something tells me I'm safe on this one. Apologies if I get anyone else in trouble....who am I kidding, let's just have some fun talking about our favorite women disliking our favorite NBA team.
Brick's house: Anybody else think Bogut looks really slow getting up and down the court?
Mitchell Maurer: My wife noticed him holding his right knee often during the Wizards game. Leave it to an NBA hater to notice something so subtle.
Steve von Horn: Lol. My wife notices when the Bucks are losing. She hates the playa AND the game.
brandonh981: Mine's 8 months pregnant....hates everything.
Brick's house: Hey my wife hates basketball too! We should start a club. I get to watch lots of BB this week since my wife is working 3rd shift.
It was a truly horrible half-court attempt by Stephen Jackson, but it only held the unanimity of its title until the Jazz game. More on that later.
Frank Madden: Wow, I just busted out laughing at Jax's play there...If you're going to shoot it two seconds early, don't airmail it over the basket...
Brick's house: Worst half court shot ever.
Speaking of bad shots, Carlos Delfino got fouled on a three-pointer in the second half, but didn't do so well converting that opportunity into points.
Brick's house: Del-OneofThree-No.
If you are looking for a depressing account of the fourth quarter scoring drought that doomed the Bucks against the Nuggets, you have come to the right place.
ThroughBeingCool: The wheels are falling off.
senelcoolidge: What's going on, is it the lack of oxygen up there?
ThroughBeingCool: The Nuggets mascot is having more success shooting the ball this quarter than the Bucks.
Mitchell Maurer: So when you absolutely positively need a bucket, who do you go to?
Frank Madden: This is just a depressing question
No Frank, THIS is a depressing question:
AussieTom: Why have a third quarter slump....when you can save it for the fourth?
Bucks vs. Jazz (85-73 Loss)
Related: Bucks vs Jazz Game Recap
What Happened (Brew Hoop Game Recap Excerpt):
The Bucks' offensive struggles began immediately, as Milwaukee missed its first six shots en route to a mere 7/29 fg in the first quarter. Still, Utah led by just six after one period, with Al Jefferson having his way with Drew Gooden and the rest of the Bucks' big men in the first half (19 on 11 shots). That offset a scoreless (0/2 fg) half from the Jazz starting backcourt of Raja Bell and Devin Harris, though the reality is that it didn't particularly matter given the Bucks' own problems. Milwaukee shot just 27.5% in the half and 30.5% for the game, but managed to stay within striking distance thanks to offensive rebounding (23 second chance opportunities) and the Jazz's wastefulness with the ball (24 to).
No Bogut, no Udrih, no Harris and no Dunleavy. In other words, no good.
Brick's house: Good lord, this road trip is turning into a rolling M.A.S.H. unit. The Bucks will be lucky to get one win out of this trip.
Jacob Grinyer: Just another Bucks season
Big Crazy Dave: JABS
The only challenger to the Bucks offense for worst start of the night was Jazz color commentator, and former NBAer, Matt Harpring.
Brick's house: The suspense is killing me... are the Bucks going to score tonight?...Harpring called Jax a point forward?!?!?
Steve von Horn: Well he does like to point...
Frank Madden: I want to like Matt Harpring, but he's always struck me as fairly uninformed.
So I suppose this just about sums it up.
Keith Firmin: Perimeter scoring needs to be on tonight or we are DONE.
Frank Madden: What could go wrong?
Keith Firmin: Ha...exactly
The Bucks played some pretty darn likable lineups against the Jazz if the low talent - high hustle paradigm survived the loss.
ThroughBeingCool: I like the current lineup out there for the Bucks. Not a lot of talent but a lot of hustle.
Jon Leuer managed to toss up one of the ugliest desperation buzzer-beaters in recent memory. The hoop wasn't moving side-to-side on my TV screen, but he shot the ball like he expected it to start doing so upon his release. A true challenger to Stephen Jackson's terrible buzzer-beater effort in the Nuggets game.
Alex Boeder: That may or may not make the Leuer Mixtape.
Keith Firmin: That was the worst buzzer beater effort of the last decade.
ThroughBeingCool: Even worse than Jackson's buzzer beater effort at the end of the third last night
In the immortal words of whoever wrote Futurama's Tales Of Interest episode: You watched it...you can't un-watch it!
Brick's house: This reminds me of Quad City Thunder games I used to go to as a kid in the old CBA. Just sloppy and ugly.
Superelkman: This is D-League
Frank Madden: This feels like a preseason game, but that's probably just because I have zero expectations...
Alex Boeder: Utah's starting backcourt has not scored. However, other three starters have more point than Bucks...
palomba: Down and down we go...
Keith Firmin: If ever I am asked the hypothetical question of: What would you rather be - Blind or deaf? I will always say ‘blind' if it means I don't have to watch this crap.
CanadaBucks: Then you couldn't read the posts here.
Alex Boeder: But he could listen to Matt Harpring call the game.
CanadaBucks: Exactly
Keith Firmin: Great call. I'd choose to be blind and deaf.
I wish I could do more to honor the dedication of our international readers and commenters, because the Bucks sure aren't helping matters in that regard.
Keith Firmin: 3:46am here... what am I doing watching this stuff?
Frank Madden: Your intestinal fortitude is record-breaking
palomba: Maybe I can beat you on this one, Keith. I'm uncomfortably sitting on the floor of a Chilean room hotel, trying to catch a lousy wifi signal that comes and go, using some headphones in order not to awake my wife who said to me before getting in bed: ¨What! Are we having Delfino everynight? 1:03 am
I'm not even sure it would be accurate to say the game unraveled for the Bucks at any point, but it maintain its astonishing level of terribleness right up until the very end.
cravizzle: Maddening. The bucks have taken 25 MORE shots (9 less free throws) and are losing by 8!!! As I pull my hair out watching them shoot! GET THEM A shooting coach.
CanadaBucks: I vote for only 1 Buck tomorrow. Unless the other two are Hobson and Harris.
Big Crazy Dave: So the rest can just Buck off then?
CanadaBucks: Buckin' right
Big Crazy Dave: This game is going downhill even faster than...well...a very fast thing.
A terrible Bucks game devolves into a discussion about how many scrubs are on the roster...go figure.
Brick's house: Looks like Skiles is calling it a night, the scrubs are coming in now. Luc is in with the scrubs. :(
Frank Madden: They're all scrubs.
Brick's house: Yeah, that is the sad truth. The Bucks are a deep team in that 13 of their players should be coming of the bench instead of starting.
tommyr: Depth is vastly overrated...Especially when they have a weak core. We have a bunch of guys who aren't really starters, but they have had to start ..so collectively, it appears to resemble depth. In reality, there is simply a lot of doubt over which player should start herebor here....the result is a flip of a coin masquerading as depth.
They are only one game under .500 at 2-3 overall by the end of the Jazz game, but it sure doesn't feel like it. Remember gentlemen, cheerleaders = motivational speakers.
FearTheDeer: I do not like the Milwaukee Bucks. I'm tied to them like a close family member that causes me pain because he can't get his life together.
Frank Madden: That's a very good analogy. And every few years he gets his sh** together and people get sort of happy/excited...
Brick's House: Problem is, this family member is trying to get a new house funded by his hometown. And the hometown is going to want to kick them to the curb if they can't get their sh** together soon.
Frank Madden: At least this friend has....Cheerleaders?
AussieTom: Which gives your wife plenty of reasons to dislike you spending time with said friend. Best to refer to them as motivational speakers.
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