Bucks Finally Getting National Attention

The slogan "Fear the Deer" is echoing in the heads of the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics, two of the probable first round opponents for the Milwaukee Bucks heading into this years playoffs. The Celtics came to town on Tuesday and expected to get an easy win with their physical play and star power. Well, the Bucks did not back down. They outmatched the Celtics for an 86-84 victory in which the Celtics' aging veterans came up short down the stretch. Remember the Bulls-Celtics classic 7 game playoff series a year ago?

Well this easily has the potential to match it. The Bucks are the hottest team in the Eastern conference, with their only blemish in the last 13 games coming in Atlanta against a superhuman Joe Johnson led Hawks' team in a game that went into OT. Surely the physical team-oriented style of play can not be something the Hawks or Celtics wish to see in the first round of the playoffs, especially after these recent games against the Bucks.

However, the Bucks get two more shots at Atlanta at home to see just how well they matchup against the Hawks, and have one home and one away game remaining against the Celtics. I strongly recommend checking out the Bucks-Clippers game Wednesday on ESPN at 8:30 if you had not had the chance to see the team play at all this year.

Check out these articles on the Bucks for additional info:
Sekou Smith talks about how the Bucks and Bobcats will be scary come playoff time
Bucks rank 11 in NBA.com Power Rankings, other sites have them even higher
For instance, ESPN.com has the Bucks up the 8th spot, 3rd highest team in the East
Brew Hoop explains the bigger picture for the Bucks

Bogut Named Eastern Conference Play of The Week

Andrew Bogut has received the Eastern Conference Player of the Week honor. The Bucks are the talk of the NBA and are starting to get the recognition for it. Experts see the Bucks' stock rising and the Hawks and Celtics stock falling. Many predict that the streaking Bucks may even catch the Celtics and take over home court advantage. Its an exciting time to be a Milwaukee Bucks fan, as weird as that sounds!

FEAR THE DEER!

More Bucks

ESPN just released an article explaining how the Celtics would not want to matchup with the Bucks first round. It is clear that people are noticing that this 10 of 11 streak is no fluke and that this gritty hard nose team is here to stay. The way things are looking the Bucks are playing their way into solidifying this 5 seed and whoever they face, Atlanta or Boston it looks like it will be a great series.

With Salmons, Bogut, Jennings, and Delfino this team looks as though they have a number of different scorers they can count on down the stretch. I am on the Bucks bandwagon and seem them pushing the first playoff series to 7 and maybe pulling of an upset.

What a turnaround this year would be.... from being one of the worst teams in the NBA to winning a playoff series...

Bucks Gain Respect

The Bucks have now won 10 of 11 games, including victories over Cleveland and Boston. Many people are saying that the victory over Cleveland isn't as big without James but isn't this a TEAM that is supposed to win the Finals? Clearly the supporting cast Danny Ferry brought in was raved about so why should a victory over them be diminished?

The only blemish on their last 11 games was an OT loss to the 4th place Atlanta Hawks because of a superhuman effort by Joe Johnson down the stretch. Despite this, the Bucks still had not gotten respect until their victory tonight. Boston had no injury excuses, and if anything, the Bucks could say they would have won by more if they had Jerry Stackhouse at their disposal.

The point is that the Bucks progress has finally been accepted, and they are the team no one wants to play in the first round. They play on ESPN on March 17th against the Clippers, a team they could man handle on national television. It appears the Bucks recent play could even allow them to climb to the fourth seed and claim home court advantage in a first round matchup, something that would be huge considering they are 21-9 at home and 13-20 on the road.

Bucks Continue Growth

The Milwaukee Bucks OT loss to the Hawks will sting for a while. The opportunity to extend the road, and overall, winning streak to 7 games would have been a great thing for the Bucks in itself. However, beating the Atlanta Hawks, streak or not, would have been a great example of how far the Bucks have come. However, this victory was elusive, and the Hawks were able to pull it out. Despite this, the game proved how much the Bucks have grown, and that they are not afraid of the better teams in their conference.

The Hawks, 36-21 entering the game today, are the 4th seed in the east, and bring a talented and athletic team that plays hard every night. The playing hard-aspect could certainly be said about the Bucks, but so-called "experts" have certainly questioned their talent level. They were considered to be the worst team in the Eastern Conference at the start of the season, but their level of play has propelled them into the playoff race. It speaks volumes of Scott Skiles' coaching ability, but the talent John Hammond has brought in can not be questioned.

In the off-season, the Bucks let young talents Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villaneuva walk for nothing, and traded Richard Jefferson away for expiring contracts. Hammond wanted to clear up space for the future, but also had the present in mind. He brought in Carlos Delfino, Kurt Thomas, and was able to convince Ersan Illyasova to return to Milwaukee. During the course of the season, he signed Jerry Stackhouse and recently acquired John Salmons. This group of talent has the team-first approach that has no egos, and everyone is buying in.

Brandon Jennings has had his ups and downs, but he accepts Skiles' decision making. Late in the game, it was Luke Ridnour, not Jennings, who was making crunch-time decisions. Earlier in the game, Skiles pulled Bogut for his lazy play as the Hawks jumped to an early lead. The message is clear, play hard and play defense, or someone else will take your place. Thanks to all the stockpiled talent, the Bucks have enough depth to maintain this philosophy in an effective manner.

They are in the top 5 in back-to-back nights of games, with a 10-7 record. At the beginning of the season, the Bucks started 6-19 on the road. They have battled back and have improved to 12-20 while defending their homecourt pretty well. Now, while other teams have become much fatigued due to the stars playing heavy minutes and lacking an overall lack of depth, the Bucks can throw fresh bodies around. This bodes well for the playoffs, as a possible matchup with the Hawks looms.