Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- Sixty-three degrees outside the Bradley Center on the walk to my car on 4th and Vliet after the game -- and each and every one stung a little.

Today -- 4/14 -- was Milwaukee Day in Milwaukee, but it didn't feel it. Not after the Bucks politely refrained from scoring for almost four minutes, deep in the fourth quarter. Not after the Bucks fell back to an even 15-15 at home. The good teams, they say, win half of their games on the road, not at home, and I am usually skeptical of "they" but they have it right this time.

In the dire end, Indiana led for the final 41:50 of the game, but Milwaukee pushed to within three points with four minutes flat to go at 99-96 when Mike Dunleavy sank a three like Mike Dunleavy sinks threes. And then, nothing.

Dunleavy missed a three. Larry Sanders received the ball at the top of the key, panicked, took a high dribble, turned, and threw the ball out of bounds. Brandon Jennings missed a three, Ersan Ilyasova picked the offensive rebound, and was stripped. Monta Ellis missed a jumper. Sanders missed two free throws. Ilyasova missed a three. Jennings missed a runner. Shades of last season. By the time Ellis made a three, the Bucks had already missed another chance to make up ground in the playoff race, and all of New York City and Philadelphia slept easy.

But why yearn for the playoffs anyway -- to invariably fall to the Bulls? These circles under my eyes are from late-night binges of Bucks basketball, living and re-living a win that is followed only by a loss. For years this has gone on, and this is the last story I will write for BrewHoop for months, at least, give me a break. We need to be talking about a championship and nothing else. You can't limit yourself to just playoffs. Who wants to do that? Playoffs is not really an achievement to me. Anybody can get to the playoffs.

But I am not in charge, cannot set the standards, make things happen. I am just a writer, and should at least know how to attribute quotes, so let me try that again.

"We need to be talking about a championship and nothing else. You can't limit yourself to just playoffs. Who wants to do that? Playoffs is not really an achievement to me. Anybody can get to the playoffs," said Stephen Jackson at 2011 Media Day for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The irony is that he is playing -- and shooting 39.4 % -- for a championship in San Antonio, but I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson does not have the firmest grip on reality. The truth is that not anybody can get to the playoffs -- not even Kevin Love or Deron Williams or LaMarcus Aldridge and maybe not Brandon Jennings or Ersan Ilyasova. Not everybody can get to the playoffs, and that is why our worlds came crashing down after the loss to the Knicks, and once again after tonight's loss to the Pacers. Because the Bucks, quite probably, cannot get to the playoffs.

Paragraph five was just a setup.

Because nothing comes crashing down when you win and move out of the lottery and are on the verge of making the playoffs. After all, eating a couple cookies -- for dessert in May -- does not hurt as much as that Jennings three missing the mark tonight. The playoffs are not the ultimate goal, but they are the first goal, and that is why we watch. The middle ground of the NBA does not always feel like a happy medium, but sports, like life, is about the journey, not the end result. To deem an entire season -- and by extension the moments contained within -- an ultimate failure because your team did not manage to finish exactly first or exactly last is to shun the nuances of the game that draw you to it in the first place.

That spin and roll was just as nice whether the Bucks won the game or lost, whether the season ends in late-April or mid-May. Lose sight of that, and skip the regular season and just tune in sometime in June to see if your team is in the Finals.

Try to trade Andrew Bogut for anything or nothing, or trade 1,000 last-place finishes for one championship, but along the way, try to free yourself from the idea that everything must go according to a set plan. That way, you can start to just feel good when things are good, instead of feeling bad that things aren't perfect.

Of course, there should be a plan, and maybe even there is when it seems like there is not. And that plan should have an eye, maybe two, on a championship.

For those of us writing and reading thousands of words about the Bucks, there is a natural tendency to demand absolute perfection, complete coherence, clarity, and logic. The more you get into something, the more you invest analytically and emotionally in something, the higher your standards soar. If you are still reading this far, you are there. I discover John Fante, and suddenly know what it really is to read. I watch the Oklahoma City Thunder, and I know there is something better out there. I am drawn to the most interesting and exciting and highest quality things, and to the people who are drawn the same way.

That is why it is difficult for you and for me to embrace anything short of the ideal. The natural progression in the case of the Bucks is to focus squarely on a championship. And when that is neither on the doorstep nor the horizon, it is then that exasperation and puzzlement and gloom set in, in some order, or sometimes, all at once. When this recurs over decades, a haze of what might feel like pessimism hovers.

But what actually drives all of this -- this focus on completeness and glory -- are bright, bright streaks of idealism. We do not subscribe to pessimism because we do not believe in a predetermined bad outcome. On the contrary, our pessimism only sometimes surfaces because of our core understanding in the existence, the possibility, of greatness -- and because we know this greatness is real we will not stop or be altogether satisfied until we see it, feel it, have it all to ourselves. We have visions of a basketball utopia, where all the threes go in at the end and where we walk back to our car on 4th and Vliet only after the other 29 cities have gone to sleep. Bliss is reserved for this.

Just leave room for pockets of happiness in the meantime.

I am writing this reminder to you because I had to write this to me.

After a few or 1,015 stories published here at BrewHoop/SB Nation, I will be writing for Bucks.com exclusively for a while, starting in the next week or so. Please give a read, follow me on Twitter @alexboeder, email me at adboeder@gmail.com with story ideas etc., and continue reading everything at BrewHoop because it is my favorite website. I'll be around. Thanks. -Alex

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- Another day, another dour.

The Bucks lost to another winning team tonight, only this time there exists the caveat that the Knicks (30-28) are only a winning team because the Bucks lost tonight. That is circular and frustrating and true and this is a hard game to re-live right now. So, naturally, let's start from the beginning of the night.

Before the game, Scott Skiles was asked about the team playing from behind recently.

Skiles: We've had too many games this year where we're playing from behind too much. I'm not talking about 24-22, I'm talking about 33-18, things like that. We can't let them come out here after a loss last night and (have) a big first quarter. It'd be nice if we had them in the (low) 20s early in the game and kind of establish our defense. They're playing much better defense, but we'll find ways to score if we can get enough stops tonight. They're a very good all-around team right now.

Shortly thereafter, the Bucks trailed 32-18, which I think qualifies as "things like that." When Skiles said it would be nice if they had the Knicks in the low 20s early in the game, I don't think he meant quite so early, as the Knicks racked up 20 points within five and a half minutes of the opening tip.

In fact, the Knicks made 14 layups/dunks in the first quarter tonight, so for as excruciating as the fourth quarter turned out, this negative result was in the works early. Because Milwaukee just cannot get stops on the defensive end, and there continues to be a lot more to it than Drew Gooden, who was limited to five minutes due to an assortment of ailments. The Knicks have offensive star power, but also possess the 22nd ranked offense, and 4th ranked defense. So while the Bucks fizzled offensively in the end -- the Knicks ended the game on a 6-0 run over the final 1:16 of regulation -- they fizzled defensively from the beginning.

Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings? After combining for 19 points last time out in New York, they came to play tonight in front of a national audience -- combining to score 57 of the starting lineup's 62 points. But they will need to bring it about eight times out of eight for the rest of the season if they want to play in front of a national audience again.

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- The Bucks lost tonight, but basketball won.

In the end (and beginning and middle), the Bucks are just not in the same league as the Thunder, and when I type "league" I do not mean "conference" in this case. But, that too.

A brief timeline:

6:43 -- Start 20 Min. Clock
7:03 -- Blow-off
7:03:30 -- National Anthem
7:06 -- Visitor Intros
7:07 -- Bucks Intros
7:10 -- Tip-off
7:20 -- Game over

This is not to say that the game was not worth watching after 10 real (so, so brutally real) minutes. But when Kevin Durant sank a three to give the Thunder a 23-10 lead, five minutes and change into the first quarter, the game was settled. The Bucks were down by double-digits -- and through dunks and last-second shots and crossovers and technicals and blocks and through all of the reasons that the game remained worth watching -- the Bucks remained down by double-digits. The Thunder will not visit the Bradley Center again for a long time, which is probably best for the 12 or 13 active players on the Bucks and maybe Coach Skiles, but not for anyone else.

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- Oh, Deer. If the Blazers were not already tired after overtime last night and a flight from Dallas -- they are now.

Milwaukee blazed past Portland with a 46-15 flourish to end the game tonight, stylishly extending their winning streak to four games. Facing a much more formidable opponent than in their previous April games, the Bucks shifted up a few gears and ended up coasting to a 22-point victory after trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half.

Because an 11-point lead just isn't what it used to be against the Bucks. Everyone might make a run in the NBA, but few teams run like the Bucks right now, and this is the kind of a team that you start to watch whether you are a Bucks fan or not.

Leading by five points entering the fourth quarter, Scott Skiles ran with Udrih/Jennings/Dunleavy/Sanders/Udoh until all of a sudden they carried an 18-point lead with a couple minutes to play. Entering the game, this particular fivesome had played just four minutes together. Of course, they had outscored their opponent 16-1 in that time. And it was pretty much like that again tonight.

Continue reading this post »

2011/2012 NBA Season
	vs.
27-28 (14-12 home)		27-29 (8-19 road)
April 7, 2012
Bradley Center
7:30 PM
Radio: 620 WTMJ TV: FSN Wisconsin
Probable starters:
Brandon Jennings	PG	Raymond Felton
Monta Ellis	SG	Wesley Matthews
Carlos Delfino	SF	Nicolas Batum
Ersan Ilyasova	PF	LaMarcus Aldridge
Drew Gooden	C	Joel Przybilla
(13th) 105.7 - OFFENSE - 105.9(9th)
(17th) 105.1 - DEFENSE - 104.7 (14th)
(4th) 93.3 - PACE - 91.0 (18th)

The Bucks goes for a fourth win in a row overall as they welcome the Blazers to the Bradley Center for the third game of a five-game homestand.

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- If the Bucks reach the playoffs, they will not have home court advantage. Lately, it is difficult to tell if they ever have home court advantage.

The Bucks did not lose to the Bobcats on Friday night at the Bradley Center, but they did play almost all the way down to the competition. And that is as far down as it goes. Know that the Bobcats are simultaneously the worst offensive team in the NBA and the worst defensive team in the NBA.

After winning the first quarter and losing the final three quarters in a largely uninspiring win against the Cavaliers on Wednesday, the Bucks did the opposite tonight -- losing the first quarter and winning the final three quarters. Yet the games felt similarly incomplete. This captures a fair excerpt of what Skiles said over two minutes and thirty-one seconds after the game.

Scott Skiles: Nothing against Mullens, but he looked like Bill Russell out there. Our preparation this morning wasn't good. We weren't good to start the game. Defense was terrible. And we won.

Indeed, the Bucks did not beat the line, win the heart of their coach, or impress discerning fans. But they did again emerge with a win. And look -- they almost have as many of those as losses now.

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- The Bucks needed a closer tonight, and that was somewhat disappointing. But the Bucks had a closer tonight, and that was pretty entertaining.

Brandon Jennings told Monta Ellis to not stop until they stopped him, and Ellis never stopped. And so he kept shooting until it was time to go home, making eight straight shots to end the game -- a sublime bit of skill that had everyone losing track of exactly how many points in a row he scored. For the record, he counted to 16, in less than five minutes.

That type of ending almost makes you forget the middle, and if only it were that easy. But this was also the type of game that made you feel like the lead was never enough -- not because the Cavaliers were a genuine threat to come all the way back, but because the Cavaliers are just so vacant without Kyrie Irving. They had lost seven straight by at least a dozen points, and this was a single-digit affair in the end despite the late-game staginess of Ellis.

After all, as Scott Skiles readily pointed out after the game, the Bucks lost each of the final three quarters -- even that last one. And -- my words, not his -- to a team that might just be the worst in the NBA right now. Yet they not only won, but managed to make it fun. Predictably crazy night.

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

I need college basketball like Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings needed college basketball.

The NCAA championship is tonight, and here I am, watching and writing about the NBA. And happy -- even though the Bucks are probably closer to being a Top 25 team than a Final Four team.

Call it another win against an inferior opponent after another loss to a superior opponent, but call out the words "win" and "inferior" the loudest. The Wizards are all sorts of 12-41, but they were playing some real defense of late until the Bucks came to town and dropped in 112 like they would drop in 112 more if they had another 48 minutes to go. Every quarter was different -- Ellis carried the first, the bench stepped up in the second, Jennings rocked the third, and Shaun Livingston and Ekpe Udoh closed out the fourth -- but 28-27-28-29 all the same.

Jennings and Ellis found a balance between attacking and distributing, between control and improvisation, between each other. Neither of Milwaukee's starting guards had an exceptional shooting touch this evening, and that almost made their strong performances more reassuring than anything. They passed well, and they were assertive. On this team, that is what this team needs more than anything.

Because this team is just full of professional offensive players.

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- Better never than late.

The Bucks made a small run to start the game (19-9), and they made a small run to end the game (11-4). In the middle, they were just small. Literally and figuratively.

Memphis started approximately two centers (Marc Gasol, Marreese Speights) and Milwaukee started approximately zero centers (). I would have to re-watch the game to see exactly how many of the road team's innumerable (58) rebounds were the result of simply being taller, but that would mean I would have to re-watch the game. So.

It wasn't all bad. Doing their best impression of the ballhawking Grizzlies early on, the Bucks jumped in each and every passing and dribbling lane -- and made defense fashionable again. But after holding the Grizzlies to 11 points in the first quarter, the Bucks gave up 36 in the second quarter, the bulk of them (20) in the paint. That is just a quick recap of the first half, but it also comprehensively covered all of the field goals that Monta Ellis made. The starting shooting guard scored eight more points than you in 35 more minutes on the night and did not make his first basket from the field until midway through the fourth quarter.

The Bucks made a late push to draw within 97-95, and when I say they made a late push, I mean that the Grizzlies absurdly fouled both Ersan Ilyasova and then Ekpe Udoh on three-pointers in the final minute. But that push was too little, too ill-fated. Which is just how the playoff push feels now.

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- Monta Ellis played in italics tonight.

After striking out (and striking out) in New York against the Knicks on Sunday, his name was written in the sky from start to end in Milwaukee this evening. It all started with a jumper to open scoring in the first quarter for the Bucks, and it all ended for the Hawks with a 17-point fourth quarter from the shooting guard.

Playing without Ersan Ilyasova (back spasms) and Carlos Delfino (right groin injury), the Bucks elected to run with an eight-man rotation. Because while Tobias Harris and Shaun Livingston were available to play (and even the inactive Kwame Brown was in the house), Scott Skiles had the convenient dilemma of trying to figure out which in-form player to sub out tonight. All five starters contributed in varying degrees, Mike Dunleavy continues to be Mike Dunleavy, while Beno Udrih and Larry Sanders delivered plus performances off the bench.

The Bucks had all of the role players -- and for at least one night, they had the star.

Trailing Chicago by 16.5 games with 16 games remaining, the Bucks cannot catch the Bulls in the regular season. But they still have a chance to draw them in the postseason.

Continue reading this post »

On The Hawks: Peachtree Hoops / Hoopinion / Hawks Str8Talk / Atlanta Journal Constitution

The Bucks will aim to stay relevant in the playoff race when they return to the Bradley Center to host the Hawks, who have won four straight games.

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- MISSING: Defense.

Entering the night with a precisely ordinary, 15th ranked offense, the Pacers arrived in Milwaukee and suddenly became extraordinary. In 48 minutes, they scored 125 points, the most by a Bucks opponent since Houston dropped 127 on the Bucks back on Feb. 17, 2010.

The Brandon Jennings/Monta Ellis backcourt was outscored 24-23 by reserve guard George Hill, despite taking 16 more shots from the field. Ellis appeared well on his way to the best game of his Bucks career after scoring nine points in the first quarter, but he scored just two the rest of the game, as the Pacers slowly but very surely pulled away. With more than six minutes left in regulation, Jon Brockman checked in and fans checked out -- the Bucks lost, and disappointment won.

So, yes, the Bucks looked like they were caught in a bit of a fog, or like a team playing for the third time in three nights. Or, they just played like they typically do against winning teams. Which is to say, not good enough. A night after another blowout win against one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Bucks fell to 6-19 against clubs with a winning record, which draws into question just how enjoyable a playoff appearance would be for this team. Not that we necessarily should be worrying about that anyway, at least based on tonight's results in Milwaukee and New York.

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- The second half, that is.

March Happiness segued into March Sadness on the arc of 54 missed shots tonight for the Bucks at the Bradley Center.

The offensive renaissance relapsed into the Dark Ages of 2010-11 in a 33-point second half, spoiling the home debut of Monta Ellis, who shot 6-18 from the floor and 1-1 at the line for 13 points along with seven assists and one turnover, providing roughly equal parts supporting evidence for his doubters and believers alike.

On the first possession of the game, Drew Gooden missed a guarded 19-foot jumper after 19 seconds of track-down defense by Boston. And while the Bucks went on to score 29 points in the first quarter and actually carried a two-point lead into halftime, that first play proved more illustrative of what was ultimately to come, as the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week made just 2-12 from the floor as Milwaukee's offense fizzled against a team that has retained its defensive identity, displayed in full effect tonight.

The Bucks meanwhile played like a team on the last night of a back-to-back-to-back, all the way down to Jon Brockman's two missed free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining in the game. Depending on how you look at it, the good or bad news is that this was just the first game of a back-to-back-to-back.

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- Break up the Bucks!

This time, figuratively. The team has strung together four wins in a row for the first time since... for the first... time... since... April 2010. Which is to say, almost two full years ago.

The continuation of good form and favorable results arrives on the heels of the literal breaking up of the Bucks, to some extent. But the team that remains, remains on point. After all of the off-the-court news, those who shifted focus back onto the court were rewarded with 48 minutes of honest basketball, seemingly each one better than the previous one, as the team started a bit slowly on the defensive end and then turned in three straight net positive quarters.

In the first game after trading franchise center Andrew Bogut, his replacement or fill-in or backup no longer deserves to be called any of those things. Because the underappreciated Drew Gooden has delivered throughout most of the season, and he delivered a triple-double (15 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists) against the Cavaliers tonight. I should say, Drew Gooden delivered his annual triple-double against the Cavaliers tonight.

As the Bucks waited for their new players to pass physicals, they did not wait to confirm their new identity as an up-tempo offensive force, netting 38 assists -- most by any team in the NBA this season -- en route to 115 points. En route to what was not a rout, but to what was a clear indication that even if no one else is, the players are existing and co-existing in the present, detached from the past and nonchalant about the future.

Continue reading this post »

The Minnesota Vikings will release a pair of offensive linemen, Steve Hutchinson and Anthony Herrera, according to Jeremy Fowler of the Pioneer Press.

#Vikings to release starting OGs Steve Hutchinson and Anthony Herrera, according to person with direct knowledge of the situation.

— Pioneer Press (@VikingsNow) March 10, 2012

The 34 year-old Hutchinson has been a fixture on the offensive line for the Vikings since 2006, when Minnesota craftily acquired him by implementing a "poison pill" into his contract.

Hutchinson played and started in 89 games for the Vikings in six seasons with Minnesota, highlighted by four Pro Bowl appearances and four All-Pro honors. He was also named the NFL Alumni Offensive Player of the Year in 2006 and 2009. However, it was widely assumed that the Vikings would not retain Hutchinson.

The Vikings signed an undrafted Herrera in 2004, and he went on to start 66 games over the past seven seasons.

For more Vikings coverage, check out Daily Norseman. Follow NFL free agency on SB Nation's NFL hub.

Continue reading this post »

The worst fears of the Minnesota Timberwolves have been grimly confirmed: The Ricky Rubio injury has been deemed to be a torn ACL knee ligament, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.

Rehabilitation time for such an injury usually is six to nine months, which means Rubio also likely will miss playing for Spain in the London Summer Olympics that begin in July.

The dazzling rookie, who helped lead the Timberwolves into playoff contention with a 21-20 record just a season after the team went 17-65, suffered the injury to in Minnesota's 105-102 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. Rubio exited the game after his left knee appeared to buckle, and he now leaves the Timberwolves short a star player who helped make the team one of the most exciting to watch in the NBA.

Rubio ends his rookie season averaging 10.6 points on 35.7 % shooting along with 8.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals.

The Timberwolves will start life after Rubio tonight when they take on the New Orleans Hornets at the Target Center at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. You can also check out professional basketball news from around the league over at SB Nation's NBA page.

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- Where Ersanity nixed Linsanity.

You had to be there. And the good news is that there was a better chance than usual that you were there, at this second straight sellout. They played Jump Around and people actually jumped around, and that might sound natural, but it is not normal.

Then again, climactic fourth quarters at the Bradley Center might just be the new normal, if we are to trust this week. If this was the first week of the season, you would be telling your friends who "only watch college basketball" that the Bucks are worth a watch, on the way to the playoffs. And they might have even listened, and you might have been wrong or right. Alas, timing is everything, and (too?) many are already tuned out.

Ersan Ilyasova? He is tuned in. ERSANATOR -- we made some t-shirts a couple years ago in anticipation of this breakout -- is doing a lot more than simply finding the right place at the right time. Though he is impeccable about doing that, too. Case in point: With the Bucks up 114-113 and the shot-clock winding and the game-clock inside 30 seconds, Brandon Jennings scooped a one-handed, underhanded airball toward the general vicinity of the basket delivered a clairvoyant pass that Drew Gooden volleyed to Ersan Ilyasova for a layup in front of the rim.

If the Bucks did not have a play of the year, they have it now. And if Ersanity did not have a clear definition, it was re-written tonight.

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- Brandon Jennings often epitomizes the Bucks, for better and worse.

Tonight, for better. Jennings stung the Sixers with 19 first quarter points, waltzing through the top-ranked defense in the NBA with runners and threes and free throws. The shininess of it all was dimmed first by Philadelphia's flying offense that gave the visitors a 33-29 first quarter lead in spite of Brandon, and then by Brandon, who missed all three of his shots and neglected to score in the second quarter. Though down by just four points at halftime, the Bucks looked more than halfway to another loss.

But the Bucks showed some bite after halftime. After holding Philadelphia to 16 points in the third quarter, the team decided they would let Lou Williams try to beat them in the fourth quarter -- or Lou Williams decided he would try to beat the Bucks in the fourth quarter. In any event, it almost came true as the late-game specialist scored 16 points in the final 12 minutes, but spun his wheels in the final seconds, overdribbling and missing both of his shots when the Sixers trailed by two with under two minutes in regulation.

So just as Jennings dominated the first quarter while his team lost the first quarter, Williams dominated the fourth quarter as his team lost the fourth quarter.

The Bucks played the second half like a team desperate to be 15-23, and no matter what you want from them right now, there is something commendable about them wanting so much to be 15-23, and no, not 14-24. There is precious little pride in being 15-23, but that is exactly where the Sixers stood last year, and there is a way out.

Continue reading this post »

The Bucks lost to the Magic for the fourth time in less than a month on Saturday night in Orlando. It was the first career NBA start for Tobias Harris, who scored four points in 21 minutes, as Carlos Delfino slid to shooting guard and Shaun Livingston went from starter to DNP-CD. Brandon Jennings followed up a 34-game against Atlanta with 27 points against Orlando, but the Bucks, as per usual, had no answers defensively. Dwight Howard (28 points on 11-17 FG) was the star of the night, and Chris Duhon, classic object of ridicule, made 4-5 three-pointers as the Magic made 14-27 from outside.

Box Scores: Basic / Basketball Reference / Popcorn Machine Game Flows

Recaps: BrewHoop / Bucksketball / Behind The Buck Pass / JS Online / Orlando Pinstriped Post

Notes: Real GM: Jennings has yet to hit second gear

On the Magic: Orlando Pinsriped Post / Magic Basketball / Orlando Sentinel

After three agonizing losses to the Magic in February, the Bucks hope to steal a win in Orlando in March in the final matchup between the teams.

Update: Tobias Harris will make his first career NBA start tonight. Shaun Livingston will not start, shifting Carlos Delfino to the 2-guard spot, while Harris will fill in at small forward. Mike Dunleavy is also back with the team after the birth of his son.

Continue reading this post »

Box Score

MILWAUKEE -- You could be a rich man -- or woman, depending -- with Ersan Ilyasova's nightly tips.

Tonight, it really paid off for the Bucks, who won on a classic offensive rebound tip by Ilyasova with two seconds remaining in regulation off a missed Brandon Jennings runner.

The Bucks do not want to tank, and they cannot tank, in some order. Not this team.

There is no real envy in watching the Washington Wizards -- save for some of John Wall's finer moments -- who are a real tanker's dream.

When people talk about tanking -- and they are doing so more often these days -- they often call for the Bucks to play the youth. And Tobias Harris is the name chanted the loudest. That is a completely legitimate request. The problem -- or the lack of a problem depending on how you look at it -- is that Harris came into tonight with the very best PER on the team through half of the season. The assumption that playing Harris more equates with losing more is not such a safe assumption. And that is probably a good thing, if we are going to cut to the heart of this.

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

The Daytona 500 got a late start, and now it does not want to end.

After the original Sunday afternoon start was postponed until Monday, the race started on Monday with a crash on lap two, and now it has at least momentarily stopped due to a fire ignited by Juan Montoya slamming into a safety truck. Cars are stopped, and the race is under a red flag, via Jeff Gluck at SB Nation.

Michigan native Brad Keselowski, currently in 14th place, has kept busy during the stoppage by tweeting. Here is one of his latest tweets.

60%@jeff_gluck: How much battery life you have left on your phone? RT @keselowski: So what does every1 think of the #DAYTONA500 ?"

— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) February 28, 2012

Dave Blaney currently sits in first place, and as Jeff Gluck tweets, Blaney has never won in 398 Sprint Cup Series races. The race is past the midway point, so if they cannot finish it tonight, Blaney will indeed be the winner.

For more on the Great American Race, check out SB Nation NASCAR's Daytona 500 stream, as well as NASCAR Ranting & Raving.

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »