Skiles pushes Bucks to play with a sense of desperation
Playoffs still within grasp, Milwaukee only has 16 games left on regular season
Tom Enlund
Issue date: 3/9/09 Section: Sports
MILWAUKEE (MCT) - With 16 games left on their regular-season schedule and a playoff berth still very much within their grasp, a sense of urgency should prevail among the Milwaukee Bucks these days.
Coach Scott Skiles, though, will take it even one step further.
"We need to play with a sense of desperation," he said. "We've done it a little bit, just not enough."
There is no time like the present for the Bucks to improve their playoff position. They will continue their six-game home stand - the longest of the season - with games against New York on Tuesday and New Orleans on Friday. The Bucks had held down the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference from Feb. 9 until Friday, when they lost in Chicago. The Bucks rebounded from that loss by holding off the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter for a victory Saturday night at the Bradley Center that halted a three-game losing streak.
With Chicago and New Jersey, two of their chief competitors in the playoff race, on the road this week, it's a golden opportunity for the Bucks to reclaim the eighth spot. The Bucks will not play on the road again until March 25, when they open a four-game trip, their final multi-game trip of the season, at Toronto.
"This (home stand) is big," said guard Charlie Bell, who scored 16 points off the bench Saturday. "This is going to make or break us. We've got four on the road after this so this is a big stretch for us. We've got to take care of home. If we do that, we're going to stay right there and hopefully we can put a little distance between us and some other teams. We have to take care of home court. I know there are tough teams coming in here but I think we can beat anybody at home."
The Bucks are 19-12 at the Bradley Center this season but only 3-3 since the All-Star Break.
"It's important," forward Richard Jefferson said when asked about the home stand. "But there's a lot of pressure that comes with it. We understand that even though we do play better at home, teams know that and teams are coming in here expecting a good punch from us so we have to make sure we match the other teams' intensity when they come in here."
Coach Scott Skiles, though, will take it even one step further.
"We need to play with a sense of desperation," he said. "We've done it a little bit, just not enough."
There is no time like the present for the Bucks to improve their playoff position. They will continue their six-game home stand - the longest of the season - with games against New York on Tuesday and New Orleans on Friday. The Bucks had held down the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference from Feb. 9 until Friday, when they lost in Chicago. The Bucks rebounded from that loss by holding off the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter for a victory Saturday night at the Bradley Center that halted a three-game losing streak.
With Chicago and New Jersey, two of their chief competitors in the playoff race, on the road this week, it's a golden opportunity for the Bucks to reclaim the eighth spot. The Bucks will not play on the road again until March 25, when they open a four-game trip, their final multi-game trip of the season, at Toronto.
"This (home stand) is big," said guard Charlie Bell, who scored 16 points off the bench Saturday. "This is going to make or break us. We've got four on the road after this so this is a big stretch for us. We've got to take care of home. If we do that, we're going to stay right there and hopefully we can put a little distance between us and some other teams. We have to take care of home court. I know there are tough teams coming in here but I think we can beat anybody at home."
The Bucks are 19-12 at the Bradley Center this season but only 3-3 since the All-Star Break.
"It's important," forward Richard Jefferson said when asked about the home stand. "But there's a lot of pressure that comes with it. We understand that even though we do play better at home, teams know that and teams are coming in here expecting a good punch from us so we have to make sure we match the other teams' intensity when they come in here."
Be the first to comment on this story