Bucked Up - Boston 101, Milwaukee 89

Right, so last night was pretty much the same old story we're used to with the Celtics. They started slow against a young, weaker, exuberant-as-hell team, finally gained their bearings, and ended up winning in a blowout. We get it. Seen it before. The Celts improve to 5-1 on the season and will now move on to face the Iverson-led Pistons. Great.

Can we talk about something more thought-provoking for a moment? ... Who the hell designed the Bucks' logo and uniforms? They look like a damn Christmas tree. Being a bit of a sports logo nut, I can understand the reasoning behind the green and red color palette. That's what they wore in the seventies, so it's kind of a throwback and/or homage. How touching.

On your right is a picture of Lew Alcindor (better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) playing for the Bucks in the mid-1970s (click to enlarge for a better look). Not the best jerseys in the world, but hey, who looked good back then? That was a decade filled with shag carpeting, all-in-one end-table-lamp combinations and everything adorned in some sort of plaid pattern. There's a reason why it went out of style, though. It looked awful. Styles evolve for a reason, and sometimes, it's better not to pay tribute to what sucked in the first place, and these Milwaukee uniforms are a prime example.

Here is the latest incarnation of the Milwaukee crew (again, click to enlarge). I'm sorry, but...good lord. You can't expect to be taken seriously when wearing these things. You want your team to be hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy in June with people humming "Deck the Halls"? I wouldn't. And by the way, the same level of uniform ugliness goes for the Grizzlies, Clippers, Warriors and most of all, Thunder. You all need to head back to the drawing board and come up with a look that people can get behind. Plus, you're not selling merchandise if it's all branded with that level of embarrassment.

But back to my original topic... the Celtics are still sitting atop their division, and now begin a five-games-in-seven-days stretch tomorrow night in Detroit. Should be fun.

Final Score: Boston Celtics 101, Red-Nosed Reindeer 89.
Player of the Game: Paul Pierce, BOS (18 Pts, 10 Reb, 7 Ast)

-- Dan Zappulla, With Two Eyes Made Out of Coal.