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It is time. Real basketball begins at 8 as the Knicks face the Bucks in Milwaukee. The news lineup-wise is that, with Arron Afflalo out, Sasha Vujacic will start at shooting guard. Vujacic and Jose Calderon is somehow one of the FARTDOG-est defensive backcourts I've ever seen in orange and blue. That troubles me long-term, in part because it seems to invite foul trouble for the frontcourt, but tonight ...
Bucks starters for Opening Night will be Carter-Williams, Bayless, Middleton, Copeland and Monroe
— Bucks PR (@BucksPR) October 28, 2015
... I dunno, I'm sure one of those first three dudes will go off, but that's a pretty wacky lineup. Most interesting, now that I see what Jason Kidd is sending out sans Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker, is the Chris Copeland-Kristaps Porzingis match-up to come. Kristaps has a massive height (and shit, maybe even strength) advantage there, but if he gets lost on screens, Copeland might light him up. And vice versa, if Kristaps isn't too antsy in his first real game.
Of course, the Greg Monroe-Robin Lopez match-up will dominate narrative-logged tabloid headlines tomorrow morning because he who wins is The Correct Big Man Free Agent Signing Of The Summer. It's a big match-up!
So that's what's up tonight. For us: This is a game thread. It's where we talk about the game. Please make the game thread a comfortable place for others. That means: being kind and forgiving to everyone else, not posting large photos, GIFs, Vines, or links to illegal streams. If you see comments that strike you as trolling or inappropriate, please us the "flag" function and tell the moderator (me) the problem, don't respond to them and further bog down the thread. In general, let's have fun. Don't take yourself or the guys in pajamas throwing a ball at a hoop too seriously.
Tip-off's at 8 PM EST on MSG. Hang out here. check out the wonderful Brew Hoop for more on the Bucks, and check back after the game and tomorrow morning for recapitulation, analysis, and whatever else. Breathe. Have fun. It'll be okay. Go the Knicks.