A Look At Scheduling and the Competition

February 24, 2010

Four teams will be battling for three playoff spots in the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

TeamsGames Left (Home/Away)Win % of OPNTS MarchWin % of OPNTS AprilTiebreakersGames left against competitionConference Record
Milwaukee Bucks27 (15/12).516 (434-407).503 (225-222)2-1 (Bulls) 1 to play
2-1 (Charlotte) 1 to play
2-0 (Miami) 2 to play		419-14
Miami Heat24 (14/10).483 (404-432).308 (122-273)0-2 (Milwaukee) 2 to play
1-1 (Chicago) 2 to play
0-2 (Charlotte) 2 to play
618-15
Chicago Bulls26 (15/11).529 (450-400).489 (217-227)1-2 (Milwaukee) 1 to play
1-1 (Miami) 2 to play
1-1 (Charlotte) 2 to play
518-16
Charlotte Bobcats27 (14/13).489 (466-487).454 (202-243)1-2 (Milwaukee) 1 to play
2-0 (Miami) 2 to play
1-1 (Chicago) 2 to play

517-18

Looking at the remaining schedules, it appears if Miami can keep it together long enough, they have a good chance to make some noise come April.  With as soft a schedule as a team could ever ask for in the final month of the season, Miami will have ample room for upward mobility.  Of course, they lost to Minnesota last night, so take nothing for granted.  Their success largely depends on the health of Dwyane Wade. Wade missed Tuesday’s game in Minnesota, but will likely be back on Saturday for an important game with the Bucks.

Miami also has the most games remaining against the other three teams, with three games each.  The Bucks only have four such games left, but hold the series lead against all three teams and the Bucks currently have the best division record too. Those records may factor into whether or not the Bucks get in, so they have some meaning.

If two of the teams tie, the tiebreakers go as such:

1. Head to head records.  Whoever has won the series between the two teams gets to keep playing.

2. If they have tied the season series AND are in the same division, then division record takes precedence.  This applies to only the Bucks and Bulls.

3. After division it comes down to whichever team has a better record against teams in conference.

For more info about multiple team ties, head over to this playoff tiebreaker explanation.

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Bucks Regain Mojo and Gain Offense: Bucks 93 – Bobcats 88

February 21, 2010

Q. What makes for a very good NBA offense?

A. A versatile offense capable of driving to the basket, hitting outside shots or tossing it down low to their big-time center – also known as Saturday night’s version of the Milwaukee Bucks (save for the 40 percent shooting).

Earlier this season I resigned myself to the fact that I’d spend the majority of the year watching the Bucks launch difficult jump-shots, occasionally open threes and rarely driving to the hoop if Andrew Bogut didn’t have it going or couldn’t get a good look.  I never felt great about it, but hoped the Bucks tenacious defense would at least keep them in games long enough for them to get hot at some point and win.  After all, 48 minutes of defense in the NBA will get a team a lot of wins.  At this point, it’s starting to look like a few variables have been added to the mix that could drastically alter the course of the Bucks offense going forward.

Variable one is easy enough to figure out: John Salmons. In two games Salmons has shown more attack moves and signs of being the perfect “drive” player in a “drive and kick” game that gets other Bucks open shots (seven assists and five rebounds on Saturday to go with his 19 points!).  In addition, he’s a capable three-point shooter, has the size to finish on the break and has shot more free-throws in two games than other Bucks two guards did in the four games previous.

Variable two:  The Brandon Jennings Roller Coaster.  Jennings has had his ups and downs well documented.  He’s learning the pro game and isn’t just playing for this season.  With that being said, Jennings is going to have some pretty good games the rest of the way, perhaps not as frequently as he did in the first couple weeks, but he will have some and when they happen they’ll be a significant boost to the Bucks offense.  It’s impossible to tell when Jennings’ shooting touch will show up, but that’s just part of the excitement in following the rook.  Here’s to the ups. Read More »

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A Charlotte Shake-up: Bobcats 94 – Bucks 84

December 28, 2009

Recaps/Box Score

The most bizarre thing about the second half for the Bucks was that it took so long to happen.  I mean, we all know Michael Redd has been playing for appearances sake and with the hope that he’ll magically find his game and improve his trade value.  He certainly hasn’t been playing because he’s been doing so well, but everyone assumed the Bucks were stuck playing him, through thick and thin.   Then the Bucks-Bobcats first half happened.

It’s not often you’ll see a coach more at a loss for words and explanations than Kelvin Sampson was when he tried to explain what happened in the first half for the Milwaukee Bucks.  After looking off in the distance (possibly for someone who could figure out why the Bucks are playing so poorly) Sampson said something to the effect of, “Basketball is a simple game.  You just need to make your shots when you’re open.  We’re getting good looks, wide-open looks, and not hitting them.”

Sampson looked fed up and it’s logical to assume Scott Skiles was fed up too judging from his second half strategy.  The Bucks started the third with Brandon Jennings, Jodie Meeks, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Ersan Ilyasova and Kurt Thomas.  The first man off the bench?  Francisco Elson.  I’d say Skiles wasn’t so thrilled with his starters, as Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino didn’t see one second of action in the second half.

And when his team is down 22 at half to a mediocre team, how can you disagree with his moves? Read More »

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Game 29 Preview: Bucks at Bobcats

December 28, 2009

Milwaukee Bucks (Scott Skiles) 12 – 16

(Likely) Inactives: Joe Alexander, Roko Ukic and Dan Gadzuric

vs.

Charlotte Bobcats (Larry Brown) 11-17

(Likely) Inactives: Tyson Chandler, Alexis Ajinca and Acie Law

Date: 12/28/2009

Time: 6:00 (CST)

TV: FS Wisconsin

Match-Ups

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings vs. Ray Felton

We may be forced to wait until Michael Redd is gone to see Brandon Jennings blossom once again.  It’s not so much the misses that have been troubling out of Jennings lately, it’s the passiveness.  It’s almost as if he’s trying to over pass to Redd because he knows that’s the only way he’ll get out of Milwaukee.  The Bucks could sorely use some more decisive drives out of Jennings though.  With Redd on the court, he’s been reduced to a perimeter passer and shooter.  There has been very few moments of drive and kick or drive and drop passes to Bogut.  And the pick and roll that once worked so well with Andrew Bogut has become woefully ineffective lately.  Just one of the many things going wrong in Milwaukee as of late.  Oddly enough, Jennings is still taking care of the ball and racking up assists, so it’s hard to complain too much.  But the Bucks need him to do so much more than just manage the game.

Advantage: Bucks Read More »

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No Bogut no Redd no problem: Bucks 95 – Bobcats 88

November 21, 2009

The way things have gone this year it seems like we’re going to have to stop expecting anything to have an effect on Brandon Jennings. He’ll struggle out of the gate adjusting to the NBA.  Nope.  Michael Redd is out, Jennings won’t be able to take on much more of an offensive role, will he?  Yes he will.  Andrew Bogut went down?  Jennings should struggle now that his two best teammates are out, one being his pick and roll partner, right?  Nah.  At this point, I’d expect him to put up 20 points on a court constructed purely out of kryptonite.

The kid just keeps topping himself and upping his own ante.  Without his two best teammates and in his first game without Andrew Bogut Jennings was his typical (crazy I’m already saying this is typical, isn’t it?) self in scoring 29 points and contributing seven assists to only two turnovers.  His impact was clear right off the bat. Read More »

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