By Jake McCormick
Walking through Grand Avenue Mall on Saturday, I saw a hefty stock of Milwaukee Bucks merchandise displayed in the front of a sporting goods store. A year ago, the Bucks weren’t even a blip on Wisconsin’s sports radar. The city has started to believe in their 36-29 record and it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the NBA catches on.
It’s no secret that the Bucks’ playoff aspirations have shot up faster than a Lady Gaga song moving up the Top 40. A month ago, Milwaukee was on the border of the playoffs and hoping to fill out one of the bottom two Eastern Conference playoff spots.
Thanks to a 12-1 streak since the trading deadline acquisition of John Salmons, the Bucks have already eclipsed 2008-09’s win total and are playing at a level not seen since the 2000-01 season, which ended at Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals. With matchups against Boston, Atlanta, and in Boston to round out the regular season, Milwaukee has a bigger prize in their crosshairs than just a mere first round appearance. The last week of the season could decide the positions of seeds 3-5 in the East, and the Bucks have already made a strong argument as a dark horse candidate regardless of their matchup.
Milwaukee has become nearly unbeatable at home since the calender flipped to 2010. They currently hold a seven game home win streak and are 14-2 in the Bradley Center, including three wins in seven days against Cleveland, Boston, and Utah. All three games were caricatures of how Milwaukee has been able to stifle opponents with stingy team defense and an equally even offensive attack.
“You couldn’t tell (the Bucks have won 12 out of 13 games),” Jerry Stackhouse said. “(My teammates) act the same way they did since I first got here. That’s kind of the mind set for the team and coach; no nonsense and steady. This team is workmanlike and we come in for the next game and can’t celebrate too long because they come up fast.”
The Bucks’ defense has been tighter than security during a presidential inauguration over the last 10 games. They top the NBA in points allowed per game (86.6), opponent field goal and three point percentage (41.4% and 27.3%), and rebounds per game (46). Andrew Bogut has been blocking shots like a fly-swatting explorer in the Amazon, and Brandon Jennings is blooming into a solid defensive point guard (see Friday night’s performance against Deron Williams for more information).
Milwaukee isn’t scoring at the pace of Orlando or Cleveland, but that isn’t always necessary when teams can’t score more than 90 points in a game. Still, the additions of Stackhouse and John Salmons have helped the Bucks spread the floor with two stable veterans that can also get to the line. Bogut has become a double-double machine and speaks softly while carrying a big stick inside. Jennings is getting his swagger on again after admitting his lack of confidence in his shot two weeks ago.
The bench continues to come up big when called upon, especially when the Jennings and Co. have an off night like today against the Pacers. Stackhouse, Ersan Ilyasova, Kurt Thomas, and Luke Ridnour combined for 46 points, 17 rebounds, two blocks, and some quality defense against Indiana. Skiles continues to show his mastery of overall team chemistry through his use of the bench, and his pre-game prediction that Ridnour would have a bounce back game strengthens his case for NBA Coach of the Year.
This week, Milwaukee heads out to Jennings’ old stomping grounds to face the L.A. Clippers on Wednesday before facing Sacramento and Denver. It’s clear that the Bucks understands that the season happens one game at a time, and the team’s recent 8-2 run in road games will be put to the test over the next week. A 2-1 finish to the trip is a reasonable expectation, given Milwaukee’s recent pension for surprising even the most devoted of followers.
“Every game is important right now,” Skiles said. “We played much better on road lately and we’d like to keep that going. If we’re going to be a threat in the postseason, we need to be playing well on the road, whether we win or lose.”