Bucks Diary: What do you make of these Bucks?

This is like one of those sick nightmares were a genie gives you three wishes and you use them and then you end up with a head made of gold or something. The Bucks, logically, and mathematically, have little or no chance at the play-offs. But, having watched the way they dismantled a Toronto team that supposedly is one of the East's rising young teams, it makes me wonder who in the East can beat the Bucks when they are at full strength.

On the other hand, though, last night's game also made me wonder how unstoppable the Bucks would be with Greg Oden. Consider the way the Bucks dominated Toronto in Toronto even though they basically got crap games from everyone except Bogut and Villanueva. Why? Because, as they have proven time and again this season, if they can shut down the other team's frontline, as they have done over the last handful of games and did last night, they can compete with anyone. And who in this year's draft fits the bill when it comes to closing down the paint? The bearded Buckeye Bill Russell, that's who. But we will never get him now.

Let's face it... if the Bucks aren't beset with any more injuries they are going to end up in the twilight zone that is the high lottery. They're just too good to finish any lower (meaning closer to the top of the draft), and they don't have enough time to finish any higher (meaning in the playoff chase).

Round 2 to Villanueva

Did I just write that the advantage went to the Raptors in the Ford-Villanueva deal? Err... can I take a mulligan on that? It sure didn't look like advantage Raptors on Friday. TJ Ford had, basically, his standard okay game. At times he went into his disastrous "poor man's Iverson" mode, and he basically made no effort to get Chris Bosh into the game at all. Villanueva, on the other hand, had one of those games that make you drool over what he could be if he could bring it every night. He outperformed the elite level PF Bosh in 15 fewer minutes.

Bring on the European white guys

Has anyone noticed that whenever Andrew Bogut is matched up against a white European he has a good game? Even good ones, like Pau Gasol or Dirk Nowitzki (remember the job he did on Nowitzki last season?). And if you put him in there with a European stiff like Nesterovic... good night, Gracie. Shrimps on the bahbie!

Strange Raptor strategy

The Raptors employed a peculiar strategy on Friday night. After beating the Bucks in two previous games in which Chris Bosh scored at will, they decided this time they would even up the odds for Milwaukee by redirecting their offensive attack away from Bosh and toward the Canadian stonemason trio: TJ Ford, Mo Peterson, and Andrea Bargnani. Those three missed over three times more shots than Bosh took (26-to-8). All the Bucks could do was say "Thanks, eh."

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