Photo Courtesy Darren Hauck, NJ.com
You know it’s going to be a good one in Milwaukee when during the national anthem they show fans holding their beers over their hearts. Ahhhh, Wisconsin. And a good one I thought it was going to be as the Nets started one of UW-Madison’s own, Devin Harris. Not that I’m rooting for the Nets…but there is something to say for some quality school pride, huh?
This game was sure to be an intense one with playoff implications around every corner these days! The Nets came into the game ranked #10 in the Eastern Conference, only 2 slots behind the Bucks, trailing by only 3 wins (1.5 games) overall and in conference play.
The game was... frustrating! One of my friends said that it was the first time he was ever actually disappointed in Scott Skiles. But was it really the coaching staff's fault that their guys couldn't penetrate the zone at the end of the game? Or should a seasoned basketball player already know how to do that? It's not like the Bucks haven't come up at least a few zone defenses in the other 62 games they've played this season!
Both teams couldn’t seem to make their shots with Bucks shooting only 38.5% (FG) and Nets at only 42.9% (FG). So yet another reason that could be blamed for the loss. Even after Charlie V pulled down 24 points and 15 rebounds... they couldn't pull it together. What is clear to me is that the Bucks are a better team than the New Jersey Nets...they should have had this one by at least 10.
I don’t get it! How can the Bucks come soooo close to beating the Cavs just 10 days earlier, and then fumble along through games like this?!? If they could play with their “we’re trying to stick it to Lebron James” intensity every game I swear they would at least be ranking in at #4.
The 2nd half came right down to the last seconds of the game! Seriously…Charlie V tied it at 90 with 30 seconds left. A fan next to me said he was so nervous he almost peed his pants, haha! The entire BC (all 13,967 of them) was on its feet. A few sets of back to back fouls and FTs later and the Bucks were left with nothing to smile about. It’s over. They lost.
Score 1st 2nd 3rd FINAL
Nets 19 39 61 99
Bucks 21 45 67 95
Top Scorers: Charlie Villanueva-24; Richard Jefferson-20; Ramon Sessions-19
Brook Lopez-24; Vince Carter-15; Devin Harris-14
Randoms:
- Michael Redd had surgery Tuesday morning to repair the ACL in his left knee. The surgery went well and Redd will begin rehab for about the next 6 months, giving him time for a full recovery before the 2009/2010 training camp. In the 33 games he played this season he averaged a team high 21.2 points.
- Do you love the Bucks??? Can you write??? The Bucks are looking for passionate and creative Bucks bloggers to enter the first-ever Bucks.com 6th Fan Blogger Contest! Finalists will get to blog during the Bucks/Celtics game March 15th, and the winner will get to blog at additional Bucks games the rest of the season. You have until March 5th to submit, so go to the Bucks website for more info!
- One thing I will say about the Bucks is that they have the most creative promotions throughout the game! There are sooooo many chances for fans to win things it’s ridiculous. Sometimes I wish I were a fan!!! Free t-shirts, basketballs, pizza, you name it!!