Better effort same result for the Bucks

Last night I watched the entire Bucks game at a bar while drinking Spotted Cow. If you've ever experienced the Cow, you will know that as the game wore on, my powers of observation got spottier and spottier. But here's what I've got.

... The Bucks improved both their offensive (100.8) and defensive (106.3) efficiencies last night, but they still were nearly -6.0. But they're moving in the right direction.

... Why were the Bucks wearing their Home whites last night instead of their Traveling greens? I couldn't figure that out. It wasn't a retro night for the Bobcats (how could it be?). Anyway, the Bucks have the best uniforms in basketball.

...Terrific game for Bogut. His offensive output was hit-or-miss, but he made up for it by getting all over the boards, and... brace yourselves... blocking shots!! He had 5 wipe aways last night! I think that beat his total output for all of last season (half kidding). The point is, there's no reason he can't produce like this every night. Maybe the offense won't always be there, especially given the ballhog currently occupying the point for Milwaukee, but there's no reason the production cannot be. Bogut's game last night was based on rabid effort. He controls that, and can bring it every night. Could he get a call once in a while, though? There were plenty of examples, but I'm thinking particularly of his "foul" on Raymond Felton when Felton drove the lane and buried his forearm in Bogut's gulliver. What a joke.

...The Bucks backcourt is off to a bad start. Mo Williams has been terrible, and Redd's production has slumped. First, let's consider Williams' play. Remember the day before the season when I criticized his point guard play last season because he took too many shots (.42 FGA/min), didn't produce enough points per shot (1.12 pts/FGA), passed too little (.39 ass/FGA), and didn't attack the basket enough (.18 FTA/FGA)? To start out this season, he has decided to accentuate all of those negatives. He is shooting more (.50 FGA/min), producing way less (.87 pts/FGA), hardly passing at all (.18 ass/FGA), and he refuses to attack the rim (he hasn't had a single free throw attempt in two games, despite shooting 33 times). On top of that, he was destroyed last night in his one-on-one matchup with Raymond Felton. He simply must improve. Redd, on the other hand, hasn't been bad, he just hasn't been that good. He's the team's marquee player, so he must produce. In the second half last night he did not.

...Charlie Villanueva and Desmond Mason each had excellent games. Mason looked lightning fast on the break, and was surprisingly productive. Villanueva was on the boards and brought his entire offensive bag of tricks. Charlie Bell has had two solid basketball games, too.

...Yi Jianlian shows some promise, but at this point he's just a novelty act. He's not really producing at all, and he can't play NBA defense without fouling. He's got a long ways to go, and I think Coach K acknowledged that by basically burying him on the bench in the second half.

Bucks Diary Eff48 Boxscore

Bucks

Gadzuric...43.6 (albeit in only 11 minutes)

Bogut...33.8

Villanueva...31.3

Mason...23.2

Redd...21.4

Bell...20.3

Williams...17.0

Yi...6.3

Simmons...3.4

Bobcats

Felton...32.7

Wallace...30.4

Okafor...23.3

Richardson...18.6

Carroll...13.3

McInnis...7.9

Brezec...4.8

Herrmann...4.3