Game Thread: Knicks vs. Bucks- 10/30/13

Yes yes! Real basketball! No time to mess around. I have things to share with you. Thing one is tonight's starting lineup, which is both surprising and plenty familiar:

Starters for tonight vs. Milwaukee: Felton, Prigioni, Shumpert, Anthony, Chandler

— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) October 30, 2013

Cool! I like that lineup. Of course, there's this:

Woodson says wouldve started Bargnani if Bucks played a bigger lineup.

— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) October 30, 2013

Woodson said he is starting small because of the matchup. Said he would go big tomorrow night in Chicago.

— Al Iannazzone (@Al_Iannazzone) October 30, 2013

Hm. Anyway, back to tonight. It's Kenyon night! Amar'e Stoudemire will probably not play tonight, but should see minutes Thursday night in Chicago. Oh, and J.R. Smith's five-game suspension starts tonight. Oh, and Raymond Felton's hamstring still isn't totally healthy, so keep that in mind.

This is your game thread. Please post comments about the game here. Please do not post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams. The Bucks blog to check out is Brew Hoop. On that note, here is the dating application they sent us (I sent one in return) to preview tonight's game:

Where do you work?
CAA. Also, the NBA.

Where are you from?
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

What is the one thing about yourself that you would like me to know? (Team summary)
The Bucks didn't push the franchise needle dramatically in either direction this offseason. When your'e done picking your jaw off the floor, also remember that this team 11 new moving parts, as well as an entirely new coaching staff. New backcourt, new veterans, new everything. For a team that's been so predictable the past decade, this team is a welcome unknown.

When was your last relationship and how long did it last? (How did last season end up for you?)
It uhh, got ugly. We limped to the finish after mortgaging a small part of the future team to make a push for playoff positioning. We didn't get to that goal and got ground-pounded by the Heat.

What are you looking for in a relationship? (you think you'll be good peoples this season? how do you think you'll do?)
It's legitimately difficult to say. They could be bad, meh, or sneaky competitive. The likely standings habitat will be in the familiar mehborhood, but the semantics of that finish may be different than years past.

What do you think is the most important value in a relationship? (who's going to be the driving force behind that goal?)
Defense and health. We Bucks are technically deep, but don't have superstar talent like you Knicks. Without that star talent, the Bucks will have to win games by staying in games as long as possible (read: guarding people, actually) and staying healthy for the most part. Also, without any star able to carry us through bad stretches, we'll need strong efforts from basically everyone. The less players we're able to trot out there, the less games we'll win and the more tears we'll shed.

Do you want to marry or have you ever been married? (do you have a shot at winning the title?)
No, unless David Stern contracts roughly 15-20 teams in front of the Bucks.

Do you want/do you have any children? (do you have/how are your young players?)
We have plenty of young fellas. The one generating the most buzz is 18-year old Giannis Anetokounmpo. He's incredibly adorable, but hopefully is a force on the court sooner than later. Have you seen his hands? How about him dancing? Yeah, he's great. We also have Brandon Knight, Khris Middleton, John Henson, Larry Sanders, and OJ Mayo. That's right, OJ is only 25.

What do you do for fun? (most exciting thing about the team?)
LENGTH. Larry Sanders, John Henson, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have wingspans exceeding 7 feet. It's gross. If you need people to help reach groceries in your neighborly bodegas when the Bucks come visit, these three guys will be available.

What are you most proud about? (strengths of your team)
They're supposed to be able to shoot threes effectively. Knight , Mayo, Carlos Delfino, and Gary Neal are all capable of shooting from the outside pretty well. Also, the Bucks should be an above-average defense, with competent guards and Larry Sanders protecting the rim.

Is religion important to you? (which player is the most demigod-like? Aka, who's everyone talking about?)
Giannis. It's been predicted that he will lead Milwaukee to the promised land once again. He will fight off plagues like small market fever and the angel of "hey, fix up your damn arena!" He's also got potential through the roof. But mainly that other stuff.

Do you follow politics? (What's a team issue that folks are split on?)
There are many, but I'll pick whether Brandon Knight can be an average to above-average point guard eventually. He has miles to go to get there, but Larry Drew has done with Jeff Teague, so why not believe he can do the same with Brandon?

(Honorable mention: Any other topic relating to the Bucks. We are split on everything besides liking Giannis).

Do you believe in love at first sight? *(...Do you?)
LOL. Nah.

What is your most treasured possession and why? (Who is one player on your team you'd never want traded ever ever ever ever?)
My heart says Giannis, and in three years or less that will be my answer. For now, I'll say Sanders. Rim protection is crucial, and to have someone who is one of the best at it is pretty awesome.

Which is your favorite book/movie? (Compare team mindset to a book/movie, if you can)
Donnie Darko, mostly because we'll have no idea what we're watching for most of the airtime.

Where do you see yourself in five years time? (team forecast)
Hopefully in this weird position where we finish above the six seed position. Maybe Giannis is super good by then (he'll be only 23!) and the Bucks are putting together something relatively threatening.

Do you believe a cup is half empty or half full? Are you an optimist or a pessimist? (pretty self-explanatory. Are you yeh!, meh, or bleh on this team?)
A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist. In other words, I'm 20% "yeh?" because of long-term potential and no terrible contracts, 60% "meh" because the short-term end goal is a Heat thrashing at best, and 20% "bleh" because OJ Mayo is unquestionably the team's best offensive threat.

If you could travel back through time, what single mistake would you correct in life? (what, from last year's team, are you hoping improves this season?)
Games in which the "stars" shoot less than or equal to 40% from the field. For the record, Monta Ellis (51.2% of games played) and Brandon Jennings (56.3% of games played) were those "stars."

You have got six months to live, what will you do first? (One player you think could get dealt to/from your team this season)
Ersan Ilyasova. His contract is reasonable ($7.9 million over three years, $8 million fourth year team option), and he would have a ton of value as a three point, offensive rebounding stretch on a team looking for a third or fourth scoring option. He can't create his own opportunities, and would do well with elite penetrators capable of pulling multiple defenders into the painted area.

If you won a lottery, how would you spend your millions? Amusing question just for laughs.
Buy NBA League Pass and travel around a la Jimmy Goldstein. Minus the shawl, cowboy hat, snake leather pants, and age.

Which was the first crush you ever had? (Who is the favorite on the team?)
LARRY SANDERS! because he's never been anything but spunky after getting ejected, is still criminally underrated (see: NBA GMs poll), and is a few field goal percentage points away from being that guy everyone talks about how nobody talks about them. Plus when he commits fouls, he commits fouls.

Describe your perfect holiday. (Ideal season for the team. What would it look like?)
Win an NBA championship or get wasted for Wiggins, pummeled for Parker...you get the idea. The in-between is the most realistic and plausible scenario, but any situation where Giannis, John Henson, Brandon Knight, and LARRY SANDERS! get a ton of burn together would generate the most buzz about the team's future since the Ray Allen years. Potential creates interest, no matter how raw it is.

What adjective would a close friend use to describe you? (one adjective to describe both the team and season [one each]).
Team: Recondite.

Season: Ambiguous.

7:30, y'all.