It was a familiar story for Bucks fans: a slow start led to an early deficit; a furious third-quarter charge led to a big lead, which evaporated amid poor defense and shooting. For much of the Bucks 2007 home opener, that formula -- which doomed the team to a 18-54 record last season -- held true. But just when it seemed like these Bucks, who have been touted with such promise, were down for the count, they suddenly kicked it into gear.
So welcome, please, your 2007 Bucks. Some of the names are new and most of them are not, but they somehow they managed to look like a team that just may live up to its billing.
At 1-2, there is a long way to go and plenty of questions to be answered. A pair of season-opening road losses exposed the youth of this roster and despite the extra emphasis placed on it during training camp, the defense is still at times lackluster.
Larry Krystkowiak isn't too surprised with anything he's seen thus far.
The first-year head coach sees more correctable mistakes as opposed to glaring weaknesses. Chalk it up to a young team still trying to feel itself out.
Correctable mistakes or not, the Bucks need to get into a groove soon. Sure, it's only three games but the Bucks are already down two games in the Central Division. If this team is going to make a serious run at the playoffs, it must improve against divisional opponents.
The Bucks took a major first step in beating the Bulls, snapping a 15-game losing streak against Central foes.
"I promised the guys a week ago that I wasn't going to bring up the streak," Krystkowiak said. "I'd rather look at getting a win and being .500 in the Central as opposed to 0-15."
What the Bucks showed in the third quarter, though, was a sense of urgency. Yes, they shot just a hair under 33% from the field. But be it a product of the Milwaukee defense or the Bulls' (0-3) own ineptitude, Chicago made just 35% of its shots.
"It's really important for us to take a little bit of this and bottle it up," Krystkowiak said. "If we play with that type of focus and energy defensively on a consistent basis, then we'll have an opportunity to make some strides."
Among those still trying to get comfortable is rookie Yi Jianlian. Not only is he trying to get used to the rigors of the National Basketball Association as a 19-year-old (or so we're told), he's also trying to live up to the hype created by millions upon millions of fans in his native China.
Yi responded in his Milwaukee debut by showing a glimpse of what the Bucks hoped for when selecting him sixth overall in the June draft. He finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes. Those numbers are impressive for a kid who still doesn't have a full command (albeit pretty darn close) of the English language.
"There's been an awful lot of focus on this young man," Krystkowiak said. "It's a marathon, for him, the whole process is a marathon. This was the third game, and finding some consistency is going to be a huge thing for him."
In the end, though, the novelty of a new season only lasts so long and the Bucks -- who have made many claims regarding what kind of team they think they are -- need to show their true colors soon if they want to avoid a late-season scramble towards respectability.
Saturday night was a step in the right direction.
