Read the opposing arguments from Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer.
It seems as though the best NBA teams have already shown themselves at this point in the season. Fresh off the all-star break, and on the cusp of what promises to be an end to the NBA silly season with the trading deadline, it is easy to look at the league standings and declare the playoff spots full. However, one team is poised to make a run in the standings and storm into the playoffs, ready to make trouble for whatever team is unfortunate enough to draw them in the first round. That team is the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference.
The Bucks are currently third in the East’s Central division, but ahead of tenth place Philadelphia by four and a half games and trailing the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls (who are engaged in a few trading rumors of their own) by just one game, and the sixth place Charlotte Bobcats by just two games. The Bucks are in a good position to overtake the teams ahead of them.
Statistically the Bucks have a few impressive and overlooked stats… stats that help build a case for the possible run the team is about to begin. First, the Milwaukee Bucks – as bad as they seem to be to the casual fan with their record holding them three games below .500 – are fourth in the NBA in three point field goals made per game at nearly eight. That, folks, is more than the league’s best team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team is also sixth in the league in offensive rebounds per game with 12, and sixth in overall rebounds per game with over 43.
The team also plays excellent defense, allowing under 98 points per game to the opposition. The Bucks also defend the three point line nearly as well as they connect from beyond it on offense. As of the all-star break, the Bucks allowed opposing teams to shoot just 34.4 percent from beyond the arc, and are third in the league in three point shots allowed at under 16 per game. They are second in the league in defending the arc, allowing opposing teams to make just over five per game. The combination of a ball control offense, good rebounding, and strong defense on the perimeter make the Bucks a tough team to play now… and even tougher in late April.
The Bucks are also learning to rely on a few standout players in crunch time, a must for any NBA team to have success. Rookie Brandon Jennings is turning a lot of heads by leading his team with just under 17 points per game. Center Andrew Bogut is also having another solid year averaging an even 16 points and over 10 rebounds per game. Spunky Luke Ridnour completes a surprisingly strong backcourt for the team and does a nice job of getting both Jennings and Bogut good shots.
The Bucks have a few expiring contracts and trading chips to continue to add good young talent around the aforementioned nucleus. These young players will continue to improve as the season goes on, and Jennings will continue to emerge as a go-to player late in games… the kind of floor leader in the clutch that a young team can rally around.
Are the Bucks ready to compete for an NBA championship? No way, not even close. But, they are a talented young team that is tough and plays hard for head coach Scott Skiles. And, they are poised to make a surprising run to the NBA playoffs this Spring.
