Thunder Day has Arrived: Game 1: Thunder vs. Bucks

Game Time, Bucks

Projected Starting Lineups:
Johan Petro C Andrew Bogut
Chris Wilcox PF Charlie Villanueva
Jeff Green SF Richard Jefferson
Kevin Durant SG Michael Redd
Earl Watson PG Luke Ridnour

Just as there was a "Teal Day" on the day of season opener of the Hornets, there is now a "Thunder Day today on the day of the Season Opener of the Thunder.

Teal Day featured Hugo in a Santa Claus suit, leading Ben and I to name him "Teal Claus".

But for this season opener, I doubt that there will be any winning gifts.

We prepare for a matchup with a extremely good Bucks starting lineup that has absolutely no bench. While most people are predicting that this team will finish near the bottom of the East, I and my good friend, Zach DiSchiano, think that this team is playoff worthy.

The key difference in this game will be Michael Redd. If he can get hot from 3 point range, then it's all over. Our extreme 3-point ineptitude will kill us vs. a team that shoots it well.

Richard Jefferson will struggle in this game. He's a guy who loves to slash to the hoop. He'll most likely be guarded by Kevin Durant, and on top of that he'll have to get over our our plethora of big men. He mostly thrives against smaller teams. Expect to see a lot of free throw attempts.

The main battle in this game will undoubtedly be in the low post. The Thunder have a lot of offensive minded big guys, like Wilcox and Collison who will face other offensively minded big guys, like Bogut and Villanueva. There will undoubtedly be a lot of low-post scoring on both ends, with the Thunder probably haveing a slight advantage.

The key to this game for the Thunder is tiring the Bucks out. The backups, sans Ramon Sessions, really stink. The Thunders big advantage is that for every big man that goes down, we've got 2 more ready to pick up where he left off almost as well. The Bucks only have the super-old Francisco Elson and the super-average Malik Allen. If we can keep our big men fresh for most of the game, I can forsee a Thunder Victory.

The key for the Bucks is to remember to be a cohesive unit. Ridnour, Jefferson, and mch of their bench are new acquisitions. They might have a little bit of trouble meshing together as a cohesive unit and gameplan. The first game of the season is the easiest time for a new team to fall apart, so they've got to stick together.

All gameplans aside, there will be some "celebs" returning to the Ford Center.

Luke Ridnour:
Our long lost Point Guard who clearly didn't want to go to Oklahoma City. Personally, I don't mind as we got Joe Smith and Desmond Mason out of the deal, but some fans might be sour. I doubt we hear more than a couple of boos, but it's something to watch for.

Kelvin Sampson:
The former University of Oklahoma basketball coach who moved to Indiana University and called his recruits one too many times. After doing it once and recieving a slap on the wrist, he did it again, and was fired. He was shortly re-hired as a coach with the Bucks. This totally ruins his formerly all red tie wardrobe (Washington State, Oklahoma, Indiana). He made this move despite an open invitation to coach at Montana State, his first head job.

Being an assistant coach for an NBA team seems to be the place to get away from scandal. Our own P.J. Carlesimo did the same, and now everybody's all but forgotten Spree, who experienced a sad retirement and owes thousands in back taxes. So, could we see an up and coming NBA team hiring Kelvin as their head coach in 2013? I wouldn't be surprised.

Reguardless, it's been a long road to the season opener. We've seen othe blogs come and go, crappy logos coming, and Blue Blitz being ranked the #2 Thunder blog on the net. Bend it like Bennett may think that they're the best, but we really appreciate all of the fan support we've recieved.

We hope you enjoy the season, as we are really looking forward to it. Oklahoma City finally has a pro team. Wow. No half New Orleans teams, no minor league. Just pro league Oklahoma City. It's a lot to take in.

Anyway, I'm going to enjoy all of the pre-game Thunder festivities. Go OKC!

Predicted Final: Milwaukee 112, Oklahoma City 93

Side Note: The ticket to this game is completely impractical. Too big for a pocket, easy to steal. I'm having to safety pin a baggy to the inside of my jacket. Ugh.