For once, the Milwaukee Bucks opponents could only sit and watch as one shot after another went in.  For once, the Bucks played with confidence on offense.  For once, offense wasn’t the primary concern at halftime.

For once, the Bucks got a big win.

Milwaukee’s offense was finally everything the front office dreamed it would be in the first quarter of their 107-80 win over the New York Knicks at home Tuesday night.  In that first glorious 12 minutes, the Bucks could not be tamed.  Milwaukee shot 15-22 (68.2%) from the field, 3-6 (50%) from 3-point range and 8-10 (80%) from the line.

After building a 22 point first quarter lead, the Bucks needed to do little more than hang on for the rest of the game.  And with a defense like the one Milwaukee has, hanging on to a big lead isn’t much of a problem.   Before the game, Coach Scott Skiles talked about the importance of keeping the Knicks from establishing tempo.

“What you want to do is limit their 3-point attempts if you can and try to make them shoot a poor percentage on those.  You cant get caught up in trying to slow the game down.  If team’s are shooting 3-point shots and missing those, those are almost always long rebounds that are coming down in guards or small forwards hands.

In the pros, you got to be able to come down and convert that.  That’ll be a big part of the game, can we make them miss some of those perimeter shots and get the rebound and get some perimeter baskets.”

1. Limit their 3-point attempts: Coming into Tuesday’s game, the Knicks were shooting 25 3-point shots per game.  Tuesday, they shot 19. Even better, they made just five.  Check.
2. Long rebounds: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (masquerading as a three for some of the night) grabbed six defensive rebounds (eight total).  John Salmons had six defensive rebounds (six total) and Brandon Jennings had three defensive rebounds (five total).  Check.
3. Converting: Off Knicks 14 3-point misses, here’s the Bucks stat line: 2-5 FG, 2-4 FT, six points, eight rebounds and one turnover.  Not such a check.

Of course, when a team like the Bucks shoots 51.3%, they can live without piling up the easy points on the break off missed threes.

Offense

Rarely have the Bucks appeared in sync, confident in themselves or one another on offense this season.  Monday they were all that and more.  Players weren’t passing up on open shots, nor did they “pump fake air” as Coach Skiles said they had been doing lately.  When players received the ball and were open, they shot.  When they caught a pass but were covered, they passed.  When they had room, they drove and finished.  When they were crowded, they drove and passed.  It was a beautifully simple game the Bucks were playing and, as they rarely had this season, they made it look so easy.  It all comes back to hitting shots and feeling good.  It’s amazing what a couple of baskets can do for a team’s mindset.

• Jennings said he wanted to be more aggressive, and in the first quarter he was.  Jennings was 5-6 (2-3 3FG) in the first quarter and launched four consecutive successful shots at one point.  It was just like old times, the good ones though, not the bad ones.  Earlier today, I, regrettably, worried that Jennings would return to his chucking ways and leave the team even further from the success they had last season.  For a little while, he played a lot like he did last season, but that would not last.  Despite those six first quarter attempts, Jennings was just 8-13 (2-5 3FG, 1-2 FT) on the evening.  It’s important that he be aggressive at times, but that he pick his spots.  He helped get the team going early tonight and that’s a logical way to go about things.

• After the game, Skiles said he thought Salmons played his finest game of the season.  While Salmons still isn’t shooting the ball particularly well, (3-8 on the night) he contributed in other ways he’s yet to make as much of an impact in this season.  Salmons finished with six rebounds and five assists against zero turnovers.  He was able to drive and kick and did knock down a few open shots along the way.

• Drew Gooden had a lot to do with the Bucks strong start, hitting four of his first five shots from the field before struggling down the stretch.  It was important for the Bucks that Gooden finally get back on track a little bit though.  If he’s able to consistently hit a mid-range or short corner jumper, he could very effectively play the role Scott Williams once did so well in 2001.  Gooden can be a hustle guy at times too, even if scoring is his M.O.  Gooden tracked dove for a loose ball in the second quarter, keeping it alive long enough for Jennings to come through and scoop it up on the way to the hoop for a breakaway dunk.  Milwaukee needs more of first quarter Gooden.

Defense

Milwaukee’s finest defensive effort came against a perimeter shooting team with LRMAM starting at the small forward.  That sounds about right.  Milwaukee limited the Knicks to just 37.8% shooting from the field and a season low 80 points.

While they didn’t do a great job on converting off missed 3-pointers, the Bucks did do a very good job of turning Knicks turnovers into Bucks points.  Milwaukee scored 31 points off 20 Knicks turnovers.  A strength advantage inside was also apparent, as the Bucks dominated the glass 45-34 and easily outscored the Knicks in the paint 46-32.

Final Thoughts

This is the first real complete game the Bucks have played all season.  Even in Boston, Milwaukee’s first quarter was kind of a let down.  There was no letting up against New York.  In a third quarter stretch when the Knicks were hinting at possibly having some interest in getting back into the game, Andrew Bogut rejected an Amar’e Stoudemire shot, ran the court and caught a between the legs pass from Jennings which he promptly flushed through the hoop, capping a 10-0 run to put the Bucks back up 24.  He roared to the crowd as the Knicks called a timeout and removed Stoudemire for the game for good.  The game was over, the Bucks would soon again be victors and the ship appeared back on course.

For now.

Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com.  Follow him on Twitter.  Then become a fan of Bucksketball on Facebook (to the right).

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Thankfully, Andrew Bogut was able to avoid a migraine Monday night.  That appears to have been the only thing that can stop him when he plays the Knicks.

Bogut thought he was on his way to a career night when the Bucks made their first trip to Madison Square Garden earlier this month.  He began that evening with six points and three rebounds in five minutes before he could no longer bare the bright lights and big city of New York thanks to a migraine headache.  The headaches occasionally leave Bogut feeling numb he says and are certainly nothing he play through.

The Knicks defense on the other hand?  Well he just plays right through them.

The Knicks, who play without a center, played like a team … that doesn’t have a center.  Bogut was able to get whatever he wanted inside when the Knicks weren’t rushing in with an immediate double team.  David Lee is a very good power forward, but at roughly 6’9 he had no answer for the 7’0 Bogut down low.  When Bogut wasn’t getting shots, he was hitting the glass on both ends to further frustrate Lee – the same David Lee that was picked over him as an injury replacement for the all-star game.  Correlation?  I’m sure the Aussie will downplay it, but do you know anyone who, if matched up with them, wouldn’t want to perform better than someone who earned a promotion they thought was rightfully theirs?

In the fourth quarter with the Knicks getting handled but hanging on to hope a comeback may be within reach, Bogut climbed over Lee’s back to tip in a shot.  Bogut was whistled for the foul and Lee furiously clapped his hands together and nodded in approval.  His cup had runneth over with frustration.  Can you blame him though?  Bogut would end the night with 24/20 and five blocks.  If I was guarding him, I’d be frustrated too.

Offense

While the two teams combined to shot just 22 free-throws (14 for the Knicks and eight for the Bucks) that doesn’t mean the Bucks were afraid to get in the paint.  Milwaukee outscored New York 50-34 on points in the paint and, through Bogut, asserted their will inside all night.  With the way the Bucks were shooting it from deep, 4-18, it was important that they kept finding Bogut and getting good looks.  Bogut ended the evening 12-15 from the field.

• Another game, another dagger.  Okay, so this one wasn’t a dramatic game winner or a breakaway steal.  And the game wasn’t really very close when he hit the shot.  But still, John Salmons hit a three to push the Bucks lead to 12 with three minutes to go that, for all intensive purposes, ended the game.  It was actually Salmons’ only three of the evening, as he didn’t have much of a night (7-18 FG, 1-7 3FG and 15 points).

• Ersan Ilyasova had a career night when Bogut went down earlier this month in the Big Apple and performed well Monday night too.  On a tidy 5-8 from the field, Ersan scored 10 points and pulled down six boards.

Defense

Let’s just hold off on declaring Tracy McGrady “back” just yet.  Bucks fans have seen this movie before.  The once dominant scoring shooting-guard comes back and has a big game.  Then he has a game that isn’t as good and you notice him start to grab his knee and wince a little.  Next, I predict he’ll miss Tuesday’s game against Boston.  Then he’ll come back and have a few mediocre games and the Knicks will say he needs a week or two off.  Then he’ll either come back for good or be shelved pending further evaluation.  Either way, you’re just getting started on this roller coaster Knick fans.  Of course, I could be wrong and T-Mac really could just have had some soreness attributed to not playing for a while.  Either way it could be worse.

He could have another season left at $18 million.  Sigh.

• Luc Richard Mbah a Moute drew McGrady duty for most of the evening and did his usual fine work.  After a fast start, eight points in the first quarter, McGrady rarely had much going the rest of the way.  T-Mac’s famed passing skill produced only one assist, but that kind of thing happens when a guy’s team shoots less than 40 percent.

• This was the perfect storm of a good defensive team playing a bad offensive team trying to adjust to some new faces in the picture.  At least I think that’s what it was.  It sure makes the whole thing a little more explainable.  I mean, there has to be some explanation as to how the Knicks were held to a season low 67 points on 33.8 percent shooting.

• Lee may remember fondly upon his 30/15 line from February 6, but this 12 and 13 evening won’t be one for the books.  The easy shots he was getting inside against a slower Kurt Thomas and a smaller Ilyasova were nowhere to be found with Bogut constantly lurking.

Final Thoughts

Three games into the John Salmons Era and things are looking pretty good for the Bucks.

Of course, the three games are ones the Bucks would have expected to win two weeks ago too, so it may be a bit premature to get too excited.  But a little excitement here and there can be a good thing right?  The Bucks have won nine of their last 12 games and four in a row on the road as they creep up on .500 in February.  The last time the Bucks were over .500 this late in the season?  2005-06 – or the last time the Bucks made the playoffs.

Get (a little) excited.

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New York Knicks (19-35)

Date: 2/22/2010

Time: 6:30 (CST)

TV: None

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings vs. Chris Duhon

The last time the Bucks and Knicks met, Duhon had been relegated to the bench and Nate Robinson had made his triumphant return to the starting lineup.  Now Robinson has been traded and Duhon’s back in the saddle, which is of course a good thing for the Bucks.  Think of Duhon as Jennings, without the same play-making ability and no hope for the future.  Expect to see plenty of Eddie House and Sergio Rodriguez running the show next to T-Mac.

Advantage: Bucks

Shooting Guard

John Salmons vs. Tracy McGrady

Skiles said before Saturday’s game that he wanted to get a road and a home game in for John Salmons before he inserted him into the starting line up, so I suspect he’ll be on the court from the tip on Saturday, but with the job he’s done off the bench nothing is certain.  McGrady scored 26 points in his first game with the Knicks, even if he was out of gas by the start of OT.  McGrady is still finding his legs, but already looks better that Michael Redd did when he was “finding his legs.”  Funny how that works out, isn’t it?  T-Mac can still pass as well as most guards in the league and is a capable scorer, if not the dynamo he once was.  His passing fits well with the group of three-point shooters the Knicks have.  Salmons will have to test McGrady and make him work on defense if he’s going to get winded easily.

Advantage: Bucks

Small Forward

Carlos Delfino vs. Wilson Chandler

Delfino’s 1-7 outing from deep on Saturday plummeted him down to 34 percent on the month from long distance after a sizzling 40 percent effort in January.  If Delfino is hitting threes he brings another dimension to the Bucks game.  He’s a perfect outlet for the drive and kick game John Salmons had going Saturday and has to be respected by his defender individually due to his driving prowess.  If his three is falling, he’s a downright dangerous offensive player.  Chandler is athletic and can get to the bucket, but worries me less now that more talent is around him.  Lost in the shuffle he will be I assume.

Advantage: Bucks

Power Forward

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute vs. Danilo Gallinari

Gallinari is the type of power forward LRMAM was made to defend.  Primarily a three-point specialist from outside, Gallinari won’t punish LRMAM inside or beat him to the glass very often.  LRMAM could have some problems if he tries to leave “The Rooster” early to get to the boards, as the Knicks have some capable passers and could find their sharpest shooter at any moment waiting behind the arc.

Advantage: Knicks

Center

Andrew Bogut vs. David Lee

A rematch of a match that didn’t take place.  Bogut had to leave the Garden in the first due to the untimely striking of a migraine a few weeks back and Lee went on to drop 30/15.  Bogut had scored on his first three attempts and later said he felt like he was going to have a career day, so he’ll get his chance again Monday night.  Lee is a power forward that will have loads of problems trying to match-up with the burly Bucks center inside.  Lee has great athleticism, but lacks the requisite strength needed to keep Bogut away from his comfort zone around the hoop.  It could be a huge day full of baby hooks and drop shots in close for Bogut.  Lee could do some damage in transition, but I anticipate Bogut won’t stand for 30 points out of the Knicks center this time.

Advantage: Bucks

Bench

Ersan Ilyasova, Luke Ridnour, Kurt Thomas, Charlie Bell and Jerry Stackhouse

vs.

Eddie House, Al Harrington, Sergio Rodriguez and Jonathan Bender

Ersan had a field day with Bogut out of the lineup in the last Knicks-Bucks meeting, so he may have a comfort that will entail good things.  Ridnour hasn’t had the same opportunities lately with the shooting guard position become less of an opportunity for him and his shot not falling as consistently.  The Knicks additions of House and Rodriguez were wise, as they fit perfectly in the Knicks helter-sketler system.  Rodriguez in particular may be starting by season’s end.  He’s been aching for an opportunity to run since entering the league.

Advantage: Bucks

Prediction: Bucks 109 – Knicks 104

The Knicks are a much more dangerous team than they were when the Bucks last visited New York.  McGrady has done so much damage to the Bucks over the years, it’s as if he hates the color green and needs to get revenge.  Keeping him from looking too rejuvenated will be a key, as will stopping the Knicks bevy of three-point shooters (Gallinari, House and Harrington in particular) from getting going.

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(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) Hak' = Dunk

New York’s basketball team isn’t typically apart of my basketball viewing schedule.  They aren’t on national television very often and when they are I tend to look the other way.  I’m not big on teams that have gutted their roster in order to pursue free agents.    While I generally liked Mike D’Antoni’s Suns teams, I know the Knicks can’t be as efficient, mainly because they have few shooters and even less competent point guards.  Plus they play even less defense than those Suns teams did.  There’s a word that I can’t think of right now that would describe them aptly I assumed, but I had little proof since I never watched them.  But I had high hopes for the Bucks on Friday night coming into their game on Broadway.

Then Andrew Bogut got hurt.  So I went from hopeful that the Bucks would be able to leave the Big Apple with a win, to downtrodden that Bogut’s injury might be more than a migraine.  My thought process went something like this:

Migraine?  What?  He’s never had migraines before.  Didn’t he just take a charge a minute or two ago?  Is this another back injury?  Will we see Bogut again this season?  Is his career in jeopardy?

So that may have been an overreaction.  Call me a little snake bit after years of injury problems that seem to never end and spread across the roster.  Bogut walked out fine, no limp, no slouch, no teammates dragging his body to the locker room, so I’ll operate going forward under the assumption that all is well.  As for Friday night’s game, I thought of the word I was looking for and it isn’t even very fancy.  Simply put, the Knicks are defenseless.

Offense

There was lots and lots of offense in this one, specifically from Brandon Jennings, though little of it came early in the game.  A 1-9 start probably was predictable given the circumstances coming into this game – the often inaccurate Jennings’ first trip to the big city of New York, a team that passed on him quite famously now.  What was unpredictable though, and delightful actually, was the way Jennings would rebound after the poor start.  With Bogut out, Jennings took a very active role in the offense and finished the game hitting seven of his next 14 shots.  8-23 won’t change a lot of the opinions on Jennings’ abilities offensively, but those wins the Bucks keep getting might.  Jennings finished the game with 22 points and eight assists against just two turnovers.  That’ll do.

• There would have been lots of “Turkish Thunder” chants out of Squad Six had this game happened at the Bradley Center, because Ersan Ilyasova subbed in wonderfully for Andrew Bogut.  25 points and nine rebounds on a very shiny 10-18 shooting line.  Ersa Major hit two of his three three-point attempts and even made a free-throw near the end of the game!  He was his typical pesky self, tipping balls and drawing charges in other facets of the game, the biggest difference was that he was just making his open shots.  It’s just that simple.

• Hakim Warrick: Dunks.

• The ever-giving New York defense allowed the Bucks to shoot 47.8 percent and 41.7 percent on three’s.  Charlie Bell was 3-4, Carlos Delfino was 2-6 and Jennings was 2-7.  Delfino’s line was particularly dazzling, as he tossed in nine rebounds, six assists and three steals on top of his 13 points.  Team efforts win games for the Bucks, especially with Bogut out.

Defense

I’m not going to lie; I can’t see David Lee as an all-star.  32 points and 15 rebounds look terrific, but every Buck and their mom was getting baskets inside.  The Bucks shot 62.9 percent at the rim Friday which was considerably better than the 45 percent they shot on Tuesday in Orlando.  A lot of Orlando’s success had to do with the all-star they had playing defense inside.  A lot of New York’s struggles are their system and generally lack of effort on defense, but some of it is David Lee being a non-factor taking charges or blocking shots.  Granted, he’s probably a power forward playing center, so I shouldn’t toss all the blame on him, but he’s got to do a little more on defense if he ever wants to get to the next level.

• Without Bogut, the Bucks weren’t able to force as many turnovers as they’d like, but this game was more about who could score more efficiently anyway.  The key to the Bucks defense Friday was doing their best to sloppy up the Knicks already helter-skelter attack and run out at shooters.  They held the Knicks to a worse shooting percentage then they shot themselves and that’s a great way to beat the Knicks.

Final Thoughts

A winning road trip for the Milwaukee Bucks, what a novel concept.  Yes, the road trip was three games and one was in Miami and another in New York, but road wins are road wins.  The Bucks may not have that signature road win Scott Skiles has been looking for, but, sitting just a game back of Miami for the eighth seed with the tiebreaker in hand the Bucks can feel pretty good coming home today.  With Indiana awaiting them at the Bradley Center on Brandon Jennings bobblehead night, the easily scheduled month of February still looks promising for the Bucks.

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Inactives: Francisco Elson, Joe Alexander and Mike Redd

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New York Knicks (Mike D’antoni) 19-29

Inactives: Eddy Curry, Cuttino Mobley and Darko Milicic

Date: 2/5/2010

Time: 6:30 (CST)

TV: FS Wisconsin

Matchups

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings vs. Nate Robinson

I guess Mike D’antoni wanted to spare the world the Brandon Jennings/Chris Duhon “who will miss more shots” matchup.  Robinson is taking over at the point guard spot beginning Friday, which is bad timing for Milwaukee.  If Duhon wasn’t the worst starting point guard in the league, he wasn’t far from the bottom.  I know Jennings has struggled shooting the ball for the majority of this year, but at least he’s young, what’s Duhon’s excuse?  Duhon and Jennings both shot 32 percent from the field in January, a frigid shooting percentage for a frigid month.  Robinson is electric offensively, but didn’t play for 14 straight games earlier this year, for no other reason than D’Antoni wasn’t feeling him.  He’s less of a point guard and more of a scorer, but he excels at that.

Advantage: Bucks

Shooting Guard

Charlie Bell vs. Wilson Chandler

Another long, athletic, slashing shooting guard for Charlie Bell to work on after Vince Carter gave him fits in Orlando.  Every year, Chandler has taken a couple more shots at the rim each game and every year he gets a little better as a player.  The more he uses his incredible athleticism to his advantage, the better he’ll be in the league.  His three-point shooting has gone from average to not very good at all, so the less he’s shooting anything other than wide open shots the more opportunities he’ll give himself for success.  Chandler seems more like a small forward playing the two guard spot, if they could find a good shooter to put next to him he may be even better.

Advantage: Knicks

Small Forward

Carlos Delfino vs. Jared Jeffries

A lengthy defender who can do a lot of things on defense and roughly zero things on offense, Jeffries goal Friday will likely be nothing more than to give Delfino problems.  When Delfino has been on lately, the Bucks have been pretty tough to beat.  In recent losses to Toronto and Orlando, Delfino couldn’t find his shot and the rest of the Bucks followed suit.  Delfino is one of few Bucks that can get to the rim and is in an even more exclusive group of Bucks that can finish when they get there.  Jeffries length may give Delfino some problems in getting open looks outside, so he’ll have to be ready to shoot right when he catches.

Advantage: Bucks

Power Forward

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute vs. Danilo Gallinari

Gallinari is probably shooting a three right now.  David Thorpe, when talking about the shooting prowess of Stephen Curry, recently said that he thought Curry might make the most three’s in this decade, though he conceded he’d have to vie for that crown with Gallinari.  Gallinari is 6’10.  As stretchy a four as stretch four’s can be is Gallinari, but that doesn’t make him a bad matchup for the Bucks.  Mbah a Moute can hang with most players outside and Gallinari is no different a case.  Unfortunately, the Bucks can’t go to Mbah a Moute to try and expose “The Rooster” defensively, as Mbah a Moute isn’t very good at all on offense.

Advantage: Knicks

Center

Andrew Bogut vs. David Lee

Ah, here’s what we’ve been waiting to see.  One all-star snub vs. another, with Bogut, the classic back down big man, against Lee, the burgeoning point-center who can put it on the floor, lay it for someone else, or dunk it himself.  Both of them are among the best rebounders in the league, racking up double-doubles on a near nightly basis.  Bogut has a quickness advantage over lots of centers in the league, but not Lee.  Lee is ultra-quick and can explode for dunks.  Each should pose a different set of problems for the other defensively, though Bogut is a much better overall defender than Lee, who chooses not to participate on that end very often.  I’m sure each has heard the other’s name mentioned a lot with regard to all-star candidacy, so it’ll be interesting to see how they react as they should be more than up for this challenge.  Fortunately for the Bucks, Bogut’s had two days off since Orlando, which always increases the odds he’ll do well.

Advantage: Bucks

Bench

Luke Ridnour, Kurt Thomas, Ersan Ilyasova, Hakim Warrick and Jerry Stackhouse

Vs.

Al Harrington, Larry Hughes, Toney Douglas, Jonathan Bender and Chris Duhon

Harrington is one of those guys who comes in and gets buckets immediately.  He’s capable of a 40-point showing off the bench and not many guys are capable of that.  If he gets hot from three, he’ll fire without remorse regardless of whether or not it’s a good shot.  Hughes has been in Mike D’antoni’s bizarre revolving door doghouse lately and in response has grown quite the beard of defiance.  He got some run against the Wizards though and with Chris Duhon not being very good, we’ll see where this goes.  Duhon might play, he might not play, it’s tough to tell how far he’s been demoted.  If he doesn’t play, Toney Douglas or Jonahtan Bender may be in line for more run.

Advantage: Bucks

Prediction: Bucks 107 – Knicks 97

With two days off after the loss in Orlando, the Bucks are in prime position to steal another one on the road in New York.  The Knicks last played Wednesday, so they’ve had time to rest as well, but they don’t really have an answer for a healthy and rested Andrew Bogut underneath.  The Bucks would be well advised to pound it in to him every chance they get and try to get the Knicks down early.  Offensively the Knicks can come back from an early deficit, but they don’t exactly have the most mental toughness out there.  When the Bucks were able to jump on them early in Milwaukee in November, the Knicks pretty much folded up shop and gave in.  That’s the kind of effort the Bucks will be looking to get out of them again.

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And then the Bucks went on a 22-2 run.  22-2!

Carlos Delfino hit some threes, Andrew Bogut asserted his will all over the much smaller David Lee and Ersan Ilyasova was running all over the court for rebounds, grabbing every loose ball and setting screens like his life depended on it.  The next thing you knew, the Knicks were wilting like a flower and the Bucks had the game in the palm of their hand.  The Bucks won the first quarter 40-22 thanks to incredible defense and an unrelenting effort based attack. Remember my cries for help for Brandon Jennings two games ago?  The cavalry has arrived.  Bogut: 22 points and eight rebounds.  Ilyasova: 13 rebounds (six offensive!) to go with six points and loads of tipped balls, charges taken and opposing players annoyed.  And in the spirit of saving the best for last, I give you Jodie Meeks: 19 points on 7-11 shooting, including 5-7 from behind the arc.  This is where “what we’ve been waiting for” meets “Jodie Meeks arrival as a shooter.”  Meeks was 3-3 in the first quarter and at no point showed any signs of the nerves that appeared to bother him previously.  Even better, Scott Skiles said before the game that he would keep sticking with Jodie as long as he continued to defend like he had been.  A shooter and Skiles-pleasing defender?  Thank you second round, you’ve struck again (hopefully).

Offense

So.  Much.  To.  Like.

• The Bucks crushed the Knickerbockers on the offensive boards, 15-6.  On one fourth quarter possession alone, the Bucks grabbed four offensive rebounds … while they were up 24!  That kind of effort in that kind of situation is a sight to behold for Bucks fans.

• The Bucks shot 46.6% overall and 33% from behind the arc.  Meeks led the charge, but after him the Bucks did struggle a bit again from three point territory.  Delfino hit two early, but missed on his next four.  Jennings missed the two threes he attempted, but it’s hard to complain when Meeks goes 5-7 in his second game with extended minutes.  As long as he’s hitting, or anyone for that matter, lanes will be opened up for Brandon Jennings and that big Australian guy who operates underneath.

• About that guy, he hit 8-14 shots and even went a perfect 6-6 from the stripe.  Eight rebounds and four assists to go with 22 points makes everyone forget about Bogut’s struggles in his firs two games this year.  Bogut has declared himself 100% back physically and it’s certainly looking like it on the court.  He’s taken at least four charges in the last two games alone and bounced up every time with glee.

• Jennings had another nice scoring game (17 points) but even more important got the crowd into it early with a nifty moves and thrilling passes that led to easy buckets.  Some people had no idea the Bradley Center could get as loud as it did at times in the first quarter.  And at the end the of the first the fans gave the home team a standing ovation in respect of their first quarter man-handling of the Knicks.  An impressive job by the 15,486 (though I’d guess it was less than that) on hand.

Defense

• 27 points off 17 Knick turnovers is a great place to start.  The Bucks were harassing the Knicks early and capitalizing on each opportunity.  At times the Bucks didn’t even have to do much.  Once the Knicks got down they started to get lazy and were throwing passes to guys who weren’t looking.  Twice a Knick passed to a teammate not paying attention and each time the ball bounced off the player and into the hands of a waiting Buck.  That’s capitalizing on a team that’s mentally not prepared (or not interested) in playing basketball.  As soon as the Bucks made it clear that their defense wasn’t going to allow anything easy for the Knicks, New York pretty much rolled over.

• The Bucks DOMINATED the boards 54-34 while limiting the Knicks to just 17 free throw attempts.  Seriously, the Bucks were grabbing defensive rebounds with such ferocity and certainty that I worried for the safety of the basketball.  Any time the Bucks are able to clean the glass and avoid racking up too many fouls, they are going to be awfully tough to beat (well, as long as their offense shoots over 40%).  Second chance points have been a problem for the Bucks in the past, but by no means was it an issue tonight.  But not every team is going to start Danilo Gallinari at the power forward spot.

• The Bucks have yet to allow 100 points this season and are the only team in the league that can make that claim.  The Bucks ranked first in the league in defensive rating coming into this one and only improved on their efforts.  To be fair this was almost like shooting fish in a barrel.  Chris Duhon has not successfully converted on a field goal in his last nearly 70 minutes (67 minutes and 25 seconds … roughly) on the court.  “The Streak” spans three games!  This is the Knicks starting point guard!

• This was a battle of one of the finest offensive minds in the league in Mike D’Antoni vs. the gritty defensive mind of Scott Skiles.  Skiles clearly got the upper hand, but in defense of D’Antoni, he has a lot less to work with offensively than Skiles does defensively.  Offense is more than just a matter of effort, but I will say the Knicks offered very little of that in this one.

The Four Factors

The Bucks were able to make up for their slight disadvantage in turnovers (20-17 in favor of the Knicks) by limiting Knick points off turnovers (15 compared to 27 for Milwaukee) and dominating the offensive glass.  Combine that with their stellar effective shooting percentage and it’s easy to see why this one was all Bucks.

Not every game is going to be against the Knicks, but the ones that are have to be wins for the Bucks.  Saturday night was simply a matter of taking care of business against a team that shouldn’t have been able to handle the Bucks defensive intensity and that’s exactly what the Bucks did.  Took care of business.  While it may seem like it’s been forever since the Bucks last had a winning record, I warn you that last season the Bucks started out 3-2.  Eerily familiar, no?  The difference was that the Bucks followed that with three games against Boston, Phoenix and Cleveland.

This year?  Denver, Golden State and Dallas.  All at home and followed by New Jersey and Charlotte.  Opportunity is knocking fervently at the Bucks door and if this performance is any indication, they’ll be answering.

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Point Guard

Brandon Jennings vs. Chris Duhon

The Knicks give 16 more points per 100 possessions when Duhon is on the court.  They score 98 and allow 114 with him per every 100 possessions.  Duhon’s PER is 10.5.  The league average is 15.  Duhon is 6-29 on three point shots this year.  Duhon was scoreless in 39 minutes against the Cavaliers on Friday night.  Duhon is making $6 million this year and prevented the Knicks from really making a run at Allen Iverson or Ramon Sessions on one or two year deals at below market value for either player.  Do I need to say anymore for you to know who has the edge in this match-up?

Advantage: Bucks

Shooting Guard

Charlie Bell vs. Larry Hughes

In his prime, Larry Hughes was a terror in the passing lanes on defense and a slashing guard that could finish at the rim and handle the ball like a point guard on offense.  Capable of 20 points and two or three steals a night, Hughes in his prime was the prototypical big point/two guard.  Hughes is no longer in his prime.  Hughes has never been an especially strong shooter.  At this point Hughes is probably as average a starting shooting guard as there is in the league.  Fortunately for Larry Hughes, Charlie Bell is a below average starting shooting guard and one with limited size.  Hughes should be able to exploit his match-up with Bell and cheat in the passing lanes and get a good jump in the Knicks transition game.

Advantage: Knicks

Small Forward

Carlos Delfino vs. Wilson Chandler

I could have sworn Wilson Chandler was really good, I was certain of it.  That’s what the D’Antoni system can do for you.  Chandler is having an even worse season when comparing offensive and defensive ratings than Duhon.  He’s -19!  He was better last year at -7, but was still negative and had a PER of 12.9.  The Knicks are just one average player after the next.  This is the team that wants to get Lebron James? Keep dreaming.  I know at some point Chandler has been mentioned as one of the building blocks they’re using to lure James.  Wilson Chandler isn’t going to get that done folks.  Chandler is a poor three point shooter, but has some upside as a rebounding small forward.  He’s like a slightly worse shooting more athletic version of Delfino, but without the occasional ball handling skill.  I know you’re as unimpressed as I am.  And now I’m certain Chandler will put up 35 and torch the Bucks from all over because A. that’s what happens when I say anyone isn’t good and B. that kind of thing can happen any night with anyone in this system.

Advantage: Bucks

Power Forward

Hakim Warrick vs. Danilo Gallinari

Gallinari matches up at the power forward spot, but he’s about as far from a traditional power forward as possible.  Gallinari is putting up 9.4 three pointers a game and hitting at 42.6%!  Mike D’Antoni has called him the best shooter he’s ever seen and others call him “The Rooster”.  To Hakim Warrick I say this, call him whatever you want, just don’t leave him open in transition, because he will burn you with the three point shot.  Of all the Knick starters, he worries me the most.

Advantage: Knicks

Center

Andrew Bogut vs. David Lee

Lee is probably grabbing a rebound right now.  Lee’s a walking double double in this system.  Hell, he was a double digit rebounder before D’Antoni came around.  Lee is crazy athletic and has a motor that never stops.  Lee is exactly the type of power forward I would love to see the Bucks get eventually to pair up with Brandon Jennings.  Problem for Lee right now is that he’s playing center and a center he is not.  In the half court Bogut should give him all kinds of problems, but he’s without question a superior athlete and will beat Bogut up and down in transition.  It’s imperative that Bogut keep Lee off the offensive boards.

Advantage: Bucks

Bench

Jodie Meeks, Luke Ridnour, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Ersan Ilyasova and Dan Gadzuric

vs.

Al Harrington, Darko Milicic, Jared Jeffries and Tony Douglas

The Bucks went ten deep on Friday with no player logging more than 30 minutes.  Skiles likes to play match-ups, so expect to see Dan Gadzuric get minutes as the Bucks try and stay with New York’s thoroughbreds.  Jodie Meeks also may get significant minutes again after settling down in the second half Friday.  The Knicks leading scorer is Harrington, who has been coming off the bench since game three where he put up over 40.  Harrington has made a living shooting the three and playing little defense, but is shooting more free throws than ever before this year at nearly eight a game (his career average is 3.3 per game).  Harrington may be able to exploit that against the Bucks, but the rest of the Knicks bench offers little in the way of offense or defense.

Prediction: Bucks 95-Knicks 88

95 points constitutes a shootout for this season’s Bucks team.  Milwaukee has broke 90 only once this year, but may have to if they want to beat the fast paced Knicks.  The Knicks lead the league in three point attempts, but only are connecting (stats as of before Friday night’s game) at a 28.5% clip.  That’s not the recipe for success.  Scott Skiles will be glad to offer a cursory challenge of the Knicks wild threes, as long as they don’t bring it inside and aren’t grabbing rebounds.

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