The first game of 2012!
The Bradley Center sits right across the street from my office in downtown Milwaukee. This week I got the opportunity to attend the Bucks game and check off another NBA team from my list. I attended the game with about 30 co-workers and / or their family members in a suite.
The Bradley center is not only home to the Milwaukee Bucks, but also the Milwaukee Admirals (minor league affiliate of the Nashville Predators), Marquette University basketball and the Milwaukee Mustangs (arena football). I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time in this venue over the next few years. The arena is a bit old (opened in 1986) and the cause of a lot of discussions about whether or not a new one should be built. Apparently it is the oldest arena in the NBA that has not been renovated....I don't know that to be a fact. I do know that it does look rather old inside, with very narrow hallways all the way around (at least at the suite level....I can't speak for the rest). The picture on the left was taken from the entrance to my office the day of the game.
It is early in the season, but the Bucks are a very fickle team. The are undefeated at home (4-0), but have not won on the road yet (0-7). As most of you reading this know, I am a huge sports fan; but the NBA is 4th on the list of the 4 profession sports that I prefer to watch. However, if there is any player I really enjoy seeing play, it is Tim Duncan for the Spurs. For years, I have been a huge fan of the "big fundamental" (Duncan) because he is old-school, plays the bank-shot to perfection, has won championships and is a class-act guy. I was glad to get the chance to watch him in person because he is nearing the end of his career and doesn't have too many seasons left.
I would have liked to see Manu Ginobili as well for Spurs, but he was out with an injury.
Well enough about the Spurs, because this was the Bucks game. The game was very exciting and rather high-scoring. In the end the Bucks pulled out a 3 point win (106-103). The good news is that results in $209 more to the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research. There were a lot of double-digit statistics for the game, led by Stephen Jackson's 34 points. Andrew Bogut added 14 points and 11 boards in his first game back from missing a few games. Brandon Jennings added 15 points and 11 assists.
I'm sure the lock-out has a lot to do with it, but the reported attendance was almost 12,000 people....I would bet that the actual attendance was less than half of that...rather pathetic.
My current record is now 14-9. It is good to be back on track after taking a break from going to some games during the job search and move to Milwaukee.
Please visit my fundraising page. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel
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