Currently sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, a game-and-a-half behind the Knicks, the Milwaukee Bucks are looking to put together a late run to seize the eighth and final playoff spot. With just nine games remaining in this lockout-shortened season, time is running out for Milwaukee to catch the Knicks or 76ers, who are currently a half-game ahead of New York for the seventh seed. Of the three teams, Philadelphia has arguably the easiest remaining schedule, with six of their final nine games against teams with losing records (including an April 25th showdown in Milwaukee).
Since making the year’s biggest splash at the trade deadline, acquiring star guard Monta Ellis, young forward Ekpe Udoh, and veteran big man Kwame Brown from Golden State in exchange for center Andrew Bogut, the Bucks have gone 10-5, but most of the damage has been done against poor teams. All five of the Bucks’ losses have come at the hands of playoff-bound teams, and their only victory over a .500 or above team was against a Joe Johnson-less Hawks team. Ellis has struggled since the trade, shooting poorly from the field and scoring more than twenty points in just three games. His repute as a “me-first” player (Stephen Jackson, anyone?), clashes with Scott Skiles’ team-oriented coaching style, but Ellis does not seem discontented with the change. His numbers are down, but the chance to qualify for the playoffs, something he has achieved just once in his six-year NBA career, is certainly a sufficient motivator. The 6’3″ guard from Jackson, Mississippi has a reputation as a big-time scorer (he once put up 72 in a high school game), and the Bucks will need him to be just that if they are to sneak into the playoffs.
Milwaukee will play its most important game of the season to date Wednesday as the Knicks come to town, looking to avenge a March 9th loss in which both teams shot extremely well from the floor. The Bucks hold a 2-1 advantage in the season series, splitting the two contests in the Big Apple. On paper, New York appears to hold the advantage, but the Knicks’ star-studded roster has greatly underachieved all season. Despite a ridiculous performance in Sunday’s overtime victory over Chicago, Carmelo Anthony has struggled, for the most part, through his second season as a Knick. He is shooting a career low 41 percent from the field, and scoring less than three points per game off his career average (24.6). Amare Stoudemire has also experienced a down year in terms of production, seeing his numbers drop in nearly every statistical category, most notably scoring (nearly eight points per game decrease from 2010-’11). He will not play in Wednesday’s contest due to a recurring back injury, but is expected to return later this week. With Jeremy Lin injured and Baron Davis looking just about washed up, the Bucks will have a chance to exploit the Knicks’ erratic backcourt of Iman Shumpert and JR Smith. Shumpert, though a premier defender with excellent size, has a very limited offensive game and is prone to carelessness. Smith, a veteran sharpshooter back from a lockout-induced stint in China, has been shooting poorly from the field, but has the potential to get hot from behind the arc (he scored 60 points, including FOURTEEN three pointers, in a Chinese playoff game).
Following Wednesday’s showdown, Milwaukee will head to Detroit Friday to face a lowly Pistons squad before returning home for a contest against Indiana the following day. It is worth noting that, if the battle for the eighth seed comes down to the final game, Milwaukee is scheduled to play the Celtics, who may opt to rest starters for a playoff run. Philadelphia, however, faces Detroit – a team that would love to play spoiler for a conference rival. New York is scheduled to face Charlotte, arguably the worst team in NBA history (Byron Mullens and Derrick Brown started tonight, just to give you some perspective), which should be an easy victory for a playoff-hungry squad.
At this point, seeds one through six in the East are essentially set, but Philadelphia, New York, and Milwaukee all have great opportunities to grab hold of the final two slots. Milwaukee will need continued stellar play from Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova, along with an increase in production from Ellis, if they hope to return to the playoffs after missing out last season. The race will come down to which teams can take care of their business in games against poor teams. The Bucks have fared well in these situations over the course of the season; but at this point in the season, as KG said it best, anything is possible.