Bucks and Free Throw Disparity

In truth, this was an awesome game!  I felt compelled to DVR it and I am glad I did because it turned out to be Bogut's career high for points!  Overall, it was a well played game and the foul calling for this game seemed pretty fair.  As far as I could tell, there wasn't too much of a disparity between calls.  I did not find myself wondering if the refs were bought off or that the team doesn't getting any respect.  It seemed like decent basketball to me.  

Let's look at last night's game versus the Orlando Magic.  The free throw disparity was ridiculous.  In fact, the refs took two free throws away from Michael Redd.  I don't understand how they could have not have called that a shooting foul.  Redd was clearly going up to the hoop when he was fouled.  The Bucks didn't get to the line very often.  it doesn't mean they weren't fouled on shots, it just means that all of them weren't called.  The Bucks were 7 (makes) of 9 (attempts) compared to 21 of 26....  

Okay, now I'm curious to take a look at the free throw disparity for each game this season:

Game 01 - 10/30/09 - Bucks (11 of 19) at 76ers (29 of 34) - Loss 86 to 99
Game 02 - 10/31/09 - Bucks (24 of 33) vs Pistons (19 of 25) - Win 96 to 85

Game 03 - 11/03/09 - Bucks (05 of 10) at Bulls (20 of 31) - Loss 81 to 83
Game 04 - 11/06/09 - Bucks (12 of 18) at Timberwolves (10 of 17) - Win 87 to 72
Game 05 - 11/07/09 - Bucks (12 of 16) vs Knicks (13 of 17) - Win 102 to 87
Game 06 - 11/11/09 - Bucks (22 of 25) vs Nuggets (27 of 31) - Win 108 to 102
Game 07 - 11/14/09 - Bucks (19 of 30) vs Warriors (25 of 28) - Win 129 to 125
Game 08 - 11/16/09 - Bucks (11 of 17) vs Mavericks (17 of 22) - Loss 113 to 115
Game 09 - 11/18/09 - Bucks (11 of 13) vs Nets (22 of 25) - Win 99 to 95
Game 10 - 11/20/09 - Bucks (17 of 21) vs Bobcats (26 of 43) - Win 95 to 88
Game 11 - 11/21/09 - Bucks (18 of 24) at Grizzlies (21 of 29) - Win 103 to 98
Game 12 - 11/23/09 - Bucks (9 of 14) at Spurs (22 of 26) - Loss 98 to 112
Game 13 - 11/25/09 - Bucks (16 of 22) at Hornets (28 of 31) - Loss 99 to 102
Game 14 - 11/27/09 - Bucks (20 of 22) at Thunder (26 of 35) - Loss 90 to 108
Game 15 - 11/28/09 - Bucks (13 of 17) vs Magic (14 of 25) - Loss 98 to 100
Game 16 - 11/30/09 - Bucks (11 of 21) vs Bulls (27 of 33) - Win 99 to 97

Game 17 - 12/02/09 - Bucks (9 of 12) at Wizards (25 of 34) - Loss 102 to 104
Game 18 - 12/04/09 - Bucks (14 of 19) at Pistons (23 of 33) - Loss 96 to 105
Game 19 - 12/06/09 - Bucks (12 of 16) vs Cavaliers (25 of 27) - Loss 86 to 101
Game 20 - 12/08/09 - Bucks (17 of 19) at Celtics (22 of 31) - Loss 89 to 98
Game 21 - 12/09/09 - Bucks (24 of 28) vs Raptors (25 of 33) - Win 117 to 95
Game 22 - 12/12/09 - Bucks (10 of 17) vs Trailblazers (21 of 29) - Win 108 to 101
Game 23 - 12/16/09 - Bucks (12 of 17) vs Lakers (29 of 33) - Loss 106 to 107
Game 24 - 12/18/09 - Bucks (11 of 14) at Cavaliers (24 of 31) - Loss 82 to 85
Game 25 - 12/19/09 - Bucks (13 of 20) vs Kings (22 of 29) - Loss 95 to 96
Game 26 - 12/21/09 - Bucks (9 of 20) at Pacers (16 of 22) - Win 84 to 81
Game 27 - 12/23/09 - Bucks (28 of 33) vs Wizards (31 of 35) - Loss 97 to 109
Game 28 - 12/26/09 - Bucks (18 to 25) vs Spurs (15 to 20) - Loss 97 to 112
Game 29 - 12/28/09 - Bucks (18 to 24) at Bobcats (22 of 28) - Loss 84 to 94
Game 30 - 12/30/09 - Bucks (7 of 9) at Magic (21 of 26) - Loss 92 to 117 
Bucks overall win/loss record: 12 wins 18 losses 

Game 31 - 01/02/09 - Bucks () vs Thunder () - Not played yet

When the games are called fair, the Bucks have a fairly even chance of winning.  When the free throw disparity is close to zero, give or take 3 or 4, the Bucks win if they shoot well, lose if the other team shoots well, and the point differential at the end of the game is usually pretty close.  

However, in those instances when the opposing team has close to or exceeding double the amount of free throw opportunities that the Bucks have, the Bucks will lose.  

If you look closely at some of these games, the Bucks did play well despite adversity.  Sure it's frustrating to lose by 1, 2, 3 or 4 points, but to hang with some of these teams and be able to be in the position to win these games is a great achievement.  The key here is too examine why we lost, what key mistakes happened, what wasn't done, etc.  Once you know why these things are happening the way they are, then the appropriate steps need to be taken to correct these mistakes.  

As fans, there are some things we must accept:
1.  Rookie mistakes - they will happen and if the player isn't in the same position in a game situation often enough, the learning curve will be slow.
2.  Basketball intelligence - there are some players that will never get any smarter - why?  Not sure.    
3.  Consistency - not all players are consistent and will not score consistently.  
4.  Foul trouble - As much as we hate the free throw disparity, there's not much that can be done about it from our POV.  Unfortunately, there is no direct way to contact the David Stern or Stu Jackson to ask for clarifications on some of these gross mistakes that the basketball refs make. 

Bucks vs Lakers

Twitter and Facebook were very active Wednesday night after the Bucks played the Lakers. 

Why?

Well, the NBA officiating came under fire and close scrutiny.  For whatever reason, it seems that the NBA officials do not like the Milwaukee Bucks this year as evidenced by the fact that our opponents seem to get more foul calls than we do.  


Can someone please explain to me how a guy can run down the court, leap off the court using his own feet, fly through the air and land untouched in between two Bucks and still get a foul call?  There wasn't one there, but yet the Lakers got to the line.  


Of course the one most of the tweeters were commenting on was the blatant charge that was called a block on Bogut.   That was not a block.  It was a charge.  What made this situation even worse was that the refs appeared to take their lead from Kobe.  


Hello!  I thought the refs were supposed to be independent of the players?  Why are they looking to Kobe for direction here?  (Note: I didn't see this, but that's what all of the people who watched it on TV noticed and commented about it.)  


Okay, didn't the NBA just have issues about a ref fixing games for cash?  Well, I think that more investigating is needed because the officiating that has happened in Milwaukee has definitely indicated that there are some refs making shady calls.  


Time to clean house and get new refs who know how to call a game fair!  No more discriminating star treatment!  All games and all players should be treated equally by league officials.  I don't care if it's your first game or your last or if your a star, if you commit a foul, it should be called, and if someone fouls you (no matter who you are, rookie or not), it should be called.  The game should be called the same for all four quarters.  No exceptions.  


Time to fix this problem NBA Commissioner, or the NBA itself will start to lose its fans and eventually teams!!!!!!!  Less teams = Less endorsements = Less money!!!!  

Fun and Games

Intro

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's been awhile, but, hey, I've been busy!

I've got myself onto Bogut's Squad 6 and pretty happy about that, but since I have to be at every home game cheering my loudest and proudest, it takes time away from other things, like this blog.

I haven't forgotten, I've just been thinking about what I'd like to chat about.

General Hospital

I've recently gotten caught up with GH for this week and I can honestly say I really like Jonathon Jackson playing Lucky again. Lucky seems to have much more depth now and it's been really cool to see all that old footage again! They still make me cry!

You know, it's been awhile since I've gotten tears in my eyes but that exchange between Luke and Lucky where he was trying to tell Lucky about Elizabeth and Nicholas really got me! I was very teary at the exchange, which is something I've missed! It's very hard to ignore the onscreen chemistry between Lucky and Elizabeth now. Day by day, the attraction between Nicholas and Elizabeth seems so ridiculous that I think it's just time for the writers to let it go. The kissing just doesn't seem real to me, although, it never really did.

The difference I feel is like night and day. When Greg Vaughn played Lucky, it was so hard to see him with anyone, let alone Elizabeth. Since Jonathon Jackson came on the scene, I can actually see him as a real person again and I want him with Elizabeth. I can't help it. The more I watch now, the more I am convinced that Lucky and Elizabeth belong together!

On a new note, I am very much intrigued with this new artist guy. From the way it looked on Friday, that face we see (James Franco's) is not really his own, but a mask he dons to go in public.

The real question is, who is he really? Is he the guy who took the photo of Michael to convince everyone that Michael was dead and became twisted because of it? Or, does it mean the photographer is really AJ? That would explain why he is bent on revenge against Jason and Sonny. This should make for an interesting turn of events!

Castle

I love this show for more than just the fact that Castle is an author. The characters are well constructed and believable, but that isn't necessarily what keeps me watching. It's the actors, and not necessarily Nathan Fillion, though I do enjoy watching him. It's his daughter. Between Castle's daughter (Alexis - played by Molly C. Quinn) and his mother (Martha - played by Susan Sullivan), he loses quite a bit of the spotlight in this show. It's not just the talent of these two lovely actresses, but the carefully executed banter written by the show's writers. Castle's family as well as his profession as a writer adds a dynamic to the show that does manage to set it apart from the other crime shows, making it unique to watch.

However, I would still love to see another Firefly movie in the future!

Sports

I've been a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks for quite some time, but I have been re-energized recently. The first thing that I found to be utterly cool about the Bucks is that Andrew Bogut bought 100 season tickets in the lower bowl of the Bradley Center for extreme fans. Bogut's goal is to get the Bradley Center rockin' during the games with crowd noise, giving the Bucks a true home court advantage.

I was just handed these tickets, I had to go down to the Bradley Center and audition in front of the Bucks organization and Bogut himself. However, Bogut was recovering from the flu and Charlie Bell filled in for him. It was a very cool experience!

Since we've been sitting in this section. We've had the opportunity to meet some very nice young people and a few other people our age. Of course, I think that we are among the oldest members of the Squad, but I don't care. It's really fun.

But it isn't just being a member of Squad 6 or the fact that I've been crushing on Andrew Bogut since we drafted him that has me energized for this Bucks team. It's rookie Brandon Jennings, it's the return of Ersan Ilyasova, it's the energy that players like Charlie Bell and Carlos Delfino exhibit when they're on the floor. It's the fact that this is a team that fights and scraps and doesn't give up! It's the entire team and the presence the have on the court.

Oh, and did I mention that Bogut slapped hands with me at the end of Saturday's game? Yeah, well, he did and it was a life-fulfilling experience. He is just as gorgeous and sexy up close!

Of course, I have to wonder - do sports figures look at us weird, extreme fans and laugh at us because we consider them to be celebrities? Or do they truly appreciate the way we hero-worship them?